# 021: Using Public Research to Develop WINK Lash and Brow Oil with Megan Cox of Amalie Beauty

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2016-10-04
- Length: 41m
- Page: 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
- Listen: http://theproductstartup.com/tps021-megan-cox-with-amalie-beauty/

## Summary

Megan Cox, founder of Amalie Beauty, explains how she developed her WINK Lash and Brow Oil by applying publicly available scientific research on essential fatty acids, starting with a $2,000 budget and self-filling 500 bottles. She details her journey from prototyping in her MIT dorm room to scaling production, including a critical packaging failure in China that taught her to trust her gut over design by committee. Cox also discusses her marketing strategy, which relies on organic content and influencer relationships rather than expensive paid ads, and her transition to using a third-party warehouse in Chicago while maintaining close oversight of the customer experience.

## Chapters

- [0:00](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#t=0) Introduction: Megan Cox and Amalie Beauty
- [2:20](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#t=140) Origin Story: From MIT Dorm Room to WINK Product
- [5:44](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#t=344) Leveraging Public Research and Self-Testing
- [8:13](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#t=493) Bootstrapping: $2,000 Budget and Initial Manufacturing
- [12:10](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#t=730) Scaling Production and Finding Contract Manufacturers
- [14:10](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#t=850) Packaging Failures and the China Trip
- [18:39](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#t=1119) Managing China Suppliers: Relationship and Visits
- [22:19](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#t=1339) Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
- [25:00](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#t=1500) Marketing Strategy: Influencers vs. Paid Ads
- [34:42](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#t=2082) Fulfillment, Warehousing, and Future Goals

## Topics

- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Amalie Beauty (company)
- WINK (product)
- MIT (other)
- Alibaba (other)
- Shopify (other)
- Amazon (other)
- Jeannie Supply (company)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Thrive Causemetics: Karissa Bodnar. How a Beauty Business Made Millions for a Mission](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-14-thrive-causemetics-karissa-bodnar-how-a-beauty-business-made-millions-for-a-miss) (How I Built This)
- [Mielle Organics: Monique Rodriguez](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-05-15-mielle-organics-monique-rodriguez) (How I Built This)
- [Briogeo: Nancy Twine](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-08-10-briogeo-nancy-twine) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Monica Nassif of Mrs. Meyer's](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-01-22-advice-line-with-monica-nassif-of-mrs-meyers) (How I Built This)
- [e.l.f. Cosmetics: Joey Shamah. The Dollar Store Formula That Built a Cosmetics Giant](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-06-29-e-l-f-cosmetics-joey-shamah-the-dollar-store-formula-that-built-a-cosmetics-gian) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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