# 15 - Maggie Wedemeyer - Cosmetics Packaging expert

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2020-04-01
- Length: 56m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-610

## Summary

Maggie Wedemeyer, founder of Benevolent Beauty and former packaging expert at Coty, Calvin Klein, and L'Oreal, details her career trajectory from Michigan State University to managing complex cosmetic packaging programs. She describes the operational challenges of launching products for brands like Calvin Klein's Contradiction and Stetson, and the technical hurdles of sourcing from China, including a critical failure where lipstick bases detached due to adhesive issues. Wedemeyer also recounts the intense pressure of fulfilling a massive Anthropologie order by manually formulating and filling lipsticks in-house to meet a tight deadline, highlighting current industry shifts toward sustainability and clean beauty.

## Chapters

- [0:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=5) Introduction: Maggie Wedemeyer and Benevolent Beauty
- [1:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=60) Education at Michigan State and Early Career at Calvin Klein
- [6:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=386) Engineering Lessons at L'Oreal and Maybelline
- [13:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=820) Corporate Survival at Coty and International Sourcing
- [21:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=1260) Founding Benevolent Beauty and the Anthropologie Lipstick Project
- [36:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=2167) In-House Formulation and Filling Crisis for Anthropologie
- [46:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert#t=2768) Sustainability, Clean Beauty, and US Manufacturing Trends

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Benevolent Beauty (company)
- Coty (company)
- Calvin Klein (company)
- L'Oreal (company)
- Maybelline (company)
- Anthropologie (company)
- Inner Perfume (company)
- Stetson (product)
- Contradiction (product)
- Ermez (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [021: Using Public Research to Develop WINK Lash and Brow Oil with Megan Cox of Amalie Beauty](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-10-04-021-using-public-research-to-develop-wink-lash-and-brow-oil-with-megan-cox-of-am) (Product Startup)
- [Tarte Cosmetics: Maureen Kelly](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-23-tarte-cosmetics-maureen-kelly) (How I Built This)
- [Founder Feature: Daniele Orellana of MITTS](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-09-05-founder-feature-daniele-orellana-of-mitts) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Aden + Anais: Raegan Moya-Jones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-07-17-aden-anais-raegan-moya-jones) (How I Built This)
- [006: Customizable swimwear with Kelsey Duffy of Versakini](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-01-15-maggie-wedemeyer-cosmetics-packaging-expert. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.