- 6 months ago
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00It's good to be in the House of Essence on this good Sunday morning.
00:04I am Melissa Mitchell, this is the third day of Essence Festival.
00:08I'm so honored to have graced this stage all weekend and today I have the honor of hosting
00:13this fireside chat with Miss Jameika Martin and we're going to get into the nitty gritty
00:18of skin care and manufacturing and all those good things, but let's give it up for Jameika
00:21coming to the stage.
00:23Yes my darling.
00:26So I'm not one to read people's bios because I think that's like drab, so give me the hot
00:33and dirty 30 second story about who Jameika is and what brought you to skin care as a
00:39whole.
00:40Yeah.
00:41No.
00:42Great question.
00:43I'm Jameika.
00:44I'm the founder of Rosen.
00:45Rosen is a clean acne and hyperpigmentation line and we're carried in Ulta.
00:50I really started that with my own journey with skin care and recently I just launched Flora
00:55Studios.
00:56Wow.
00:57Which is a manufacturer for emerging beauty brands and so it's been a labor of love but
01:02really full circle for sure.
01:04So I know that we're really intentional as creatives, right, and founders, so when I read
01:10the word Rosen and hearing Flora, I'm seeing a pattern here.
01:15So what made you come with the name Rosen and Flora, obviously you might like flowers,
01:19so what made you choose those names and how does that resonate with you personally?
01:22Yeah, I'm really glad you saw the connections.
01:25I feel like a lot of people aren't always immediately drawing that with Flora, but well first my middle
01:30name is Rose.
01:31So I'm kind of like my grandfather and my father and then me.
01:35And so Rose has always been really important to me and I really always wanted to keep this
01:39idea of Rose through a lot of what I do.
01:42So Flora kind of tied that in and then additionally my great-grandmother's name is Flora.
01:47So it kind of like all ties in very familial.
01:50Yeah.
01:51I love how we get to name things because I think about my company ABL Creations and it's
01:57almost an affirmation that you tell yourself every time you look at your brand name and
02:00it reminds you of why you started and having it tied to your legacy and having those things.
02:06It's like, let me keep going.
02:07Like I have days where I'm like, what am I doing?
02:09And then I remember the name of my brand and said, oh, okay, I am fearless.
02:13I'm created for this.
02:14And so I know that she resonates through all your pieces that go out into the world.
02:18Yes, yes, yes, yes.
02:19So let's get into manufacturing.
02:21I know as an entrepreneur, that's been like the toughest thing to manage, especially in
02:26this economy.
02:27But I heard you switch to do things in house.
02:30Yes.
02:30So what does that look like for you and how you've managed that?
02:33Yeah.
02:33So Rosen started, we started eight years ago and the first four and a half years we did manufacturing
02:40in house.
02:41Ultimately, early on, it started in house because I was out of college.
02:45I couldn't afford to do anything else.
02:47Yeah.
02:48And so with that, keeping it in house, knowing formulation, we just slowly scaled into our
02:53own warehouse.
02:562020 was a very big year for us.
02:58And it was kind of like, I can't scale this company and run a warehouse.
03:01So I went out to a manufacturer, but I was like, I'm going to bring it back in house one
03:05day.
03:06And end of last year, we finally were able to bring it back in house.
03:09And so we're manufacturing all of our products at Rosen again.
03:12And that's kind of what led to me starting Flora and doing that for emerging brands as
03:17well.
03:17Let's go back.
03:18You talk about being in college.
03:20So what exactly made you want to do skincare?
03:22Was it like a personal story?
03:24Like you had a pimple and like, I'm tired of this.
03:25Like what is the origin story of the why?
03:28Like skincare?
03:29I mean, you could have did nail polish.
03:30You could have did barrettes.
03:31Like what made you say, let me start this company to deal with skin, a specific problem.
03:36What made you do it?
03:36Yeah, no.
03:37So I grew up with like very severely acne prone skin.
03:41So I did Accutane twice, which if you're not familiar, like super intense prescription
03:46drug.
03:47It's very intense.
03:47Doing it twice is not very common and it not working twice is very uncommon.
03:52And so I just had very severe acne.
03:56And this is kind of going into like my second or third year in college.
03:59And so that's really what led to me, one, understanding like how acne forms and all of these ingredients
04:07and things like that better.
04:08But also going back to kind of like drugstore acne care, clean and clear, clear as hell.
04:14And I was like, yo, like I feel like, and this was 2017, but I was like, I feel like
04:18there's some cool stuff going on in beauty.
04:19Why is acne so like dry and not intentional and not clean?
04:24I care about clean ingredients.
04:25And so that's really what started me understanding what Rosen could look like.
04:31And it was like such an early concept at first, very much like farmer's markets and, you know,
04:35things like that.
04:37But understanding kind of like my own personal need for skincare and then taking it from there.
04:42I think it's amazing when you have a problem and you become your own solution.
04:46And I talk to people all the time, like, why did you start your company?
04:48I was like, because I needed it.
04:49And I think when you start it as your own answer to your problem, it becomes personal, right?
04:55So when you see someone using your skin, skin products, and they answer the same question,
04:59like, this is why I keep going.
05:01I had a head rock session yesterday and I saw people transform.
05:05And I said, that's why I have to keep going.
05:07And coming to Essence Festival each year, I think I'm reminded as to why we do what we do
05:13and working with new voices for a family.
05:15We talked about that backstage.
05:16It's been such a testament to relationship building, how we stay the course and how we
05:21get to be one-on-one with our customers.
05:23And so speaking of relationship building, let's talk about your deal with Ulta, how amazing
05:28that is.
05:29So tell me about how that happened, how it has been managing that.
05:31How has that been going?
05:32Yeah.
05:33Ulta's a great partner.
05:34I love Ulta.
05:35They're very supportive.
05:36I think they do a lot for emerging brands, black-owned brands.
05:41We launched with Ulta back in 2022.
05:45So we launched with them 2022 and they've just been great in terms of helping grow the
05:49brand and really investing in us.
05:52And part of bringing manufacturing back in-house was this new collection that we had that launched
05:57at the top of the year.
05:58So we had our Honey Kojic collection, great for dark spots.
06:02A lot of, you know, my fave.
06:03I won't get into the formulas too much.
06:05But we were at a point where it was kind of like, all right, we need to do manufacturing
06:09for this Ulta launch.
06:11We need to get our margins in a better position.
06:14And so what are we kind of doing, right?
06:16Do we go overseas?
06:18Do we manufacture in-house?
06:19And so we decided to bring it back in-house and kind of get that run going.
06:23But overall, they've been super supportive.
06:25They actually have a BIPOC end cap live right now featuring a bunch of black-owned brands
06:29in Ulta and it's in one of the Ulta's here in Harvey, which is like five, yeah, yeah,
06:35which is like, I think like five miles away or something like that.
06:38But yeah, no, they've been great.
06:40So when you first walked into Ulta and saw your brand on shelves, like what was that?
06:45Because I always say, when I get this, then I'll feel like this.
06:48What was like that feeling where you were like, oh my God, we made it.
06:51Like, how did you feel that first time you walked in and saw it on shelves?
06:54Yeah, I think launching at Ulta was such a beautiful experience.
06:58It's very surreal.
06:59It's a very surreal point of like validation of like, oh yeah, like, of course people like
07:04my products and things are going well.
07:05But then it's like, it's like this stamp of validation of like, oh, but the market agrees,
07:09right?
07:09And stakeholders agree.
07:11And so I feel like I felt that.
07:13And then I was also immediately like, okay, well, there's no stock of this product.
07:17There's no, you know, and then all the like logistics come into play where it's like,
07:20all right, what's going on with the POs?
07:21What's going on there?
07:22And it's very interesting.
07:24It's a beautiful experience to be in retail, but it is very difficult.
07:28I always say getting, getting into retail is very hard.
07:31But it's staying on no shelves.
07:33Yes.
07:33Girl.
07:34Yes.
07:34It's staying, scaling, all of that gets really difficult, right?
07:38But they're great.
07:39And what I love when we talked about backstage, you talked about scaling, but not just for
07:44yourself, but helping emerging brands.
07:47So, you know, let's say I want to one day do a perfume line, right?
07:51I can use that QR code you gave me and we can start having a conversation about low MOQ.
07:57So tell me about what made you want, because it's one thing to make it to the top.
08:00So now you're the Harriet Tubman of skincare.
08:03Now you're helping other people do the same thing.
08:05So how does that look?
08:06So I want to start my own, you know, hair perfume line.
08:09How would I go about doing that?
08:11And what made you want to be that person for other brands?
08:13Yeah.
08:14Yeah.
08:14So with Flora, we're doing product development and low MOQ manufacturing for like emerging
08:19personal care brands.
08:21We really specialize, like I was kind of telling you backstage, in clean skin, hair, and body.
08:26Really what made me want to get into doing Flora specifically.
08:30So in my journey, I've mentored like tons of brands.
08:33I've done like certain retailers, accelerators, and I've been a part of a lot of the back end
08:38of things for years and helping brands scale and understand like all these positions and
08:45you know, how to position themselves.
08:48Really a big conversation that would always come up is, Jameka, I'm making my products
08:52myself and I'm tired.
08:54Or I'm turning down opportunities because I can't manufacture a certain amount of products.
09:00And I would always kind of like, all right, you know, there's kind of a finesse you can
09:04do.
09:04You can scale it up in-house.
09:05But they're like, girl, I don't want to touch this anymore.
09:08I'm over it, you know?
09:09And so it's difficult for emerging brands to be able to go from literally making products
09:15in their house to 3,000, 5,000 unit MOQ.
09:19And it's a big jump.
09:21And so with Flora, I really wanted to provide that kind of stepping stone so that brands
09:26have the opportunity to scale.
09:28You know what I mean?
09:29And so starting with your own formulas, I really, a lot of people do private label, which
09:33I think is great.
09:34But owning your formulas will take you further in retail.
09:37How can you work on custom formula development?
09:40And then how can you obviously hopefully produce the products, either if you want to do it yourself
09:43and have your own warehouse or kind of get into a manufacturer that has low MOQs so that
09:49you can start to scale with them?
09:50And that's so important because I've learned that it's one thing for you to get information,
09:54but it's another for you to translate it for other people.
09:57And I think that's just very, I mean, it's admirable because one thing about, we talked
10:01about how tired we are, but it's like you get that extra feeling being able to know you're
10:05behind helping someone else get off the ground.
10:08And so what has been the most fulfilling small brand that you've worked with?
10:11Like seeing them, you know, store in the marketplace that what is a product, like a favorite project
10:16that you've worked on other than your own Rosen skincare?
10:19Yeah.
10:19No, I think one of the most recent as well and favorites is on the edge baby hair.
10:26She has a booth over in beauty.
10:27She spoke up here.
10:28Yes.
10:29Yes.
10:29And so I met her through an accelerator program.
10:33That is amazing.
10:33I was mentoring her and then we had just brought manufacturing back in house and I was kind
10:37of taking clients ad hoc, like, oh, I'll help you with your formula.
10:40Yeah.
10:40And that's really part of what inspired, like, let me create something and do this in our
10:46own facility.
10:47So we developed her edge brush cleansing solution and we manufactured it and she launched it
10:52here at Essence.
10:53Like, I'm not getting emotional because when you're head down working and then you become
10:59the solution for another person's problem, it's like, that's when purpose really kicks
11:03in.
11:03And she was on stage.
11:04I mean, you could just tell that it gave her a second life.
11:07Like, it's like, this is, edges is my purpose.
11:09Right.
11:10And so I think that's so amazing.
11:12Like, you have to pat yourself on the back because that's what legacy looks like.
11:16And we talked about yesterday about generational wealth and we talk about our grandmothers.
11:20I talk about my father who's passed on.
11:22Like, the most important thing we can do is leave things behind.
11:25And I think you should be so proud of yourself that you're able to not only leave your own
11:29legacy, but open doors for others.
11:31And so what keeps you inspired to, like, keep going?
11:35Like, the skincare market is so over-sacred.
11:37Like, I feel like everybody has a skincare line.
11:39I was like, girl, we don't, we just go use Neutrogena and call it a day.
11:43But what makes you think, like, okay, I am that girl with Rosen.
11:46Like, what makes you feel like I should keep going?
11:49Like, I'm not going to look to the left or the right.
11:51I'm going to, you know, stay the course.
11:52What makes you stay motivated to do that?
11:54Yeah, I think, and I mean, I think you touched on it, both with Rosen and with Flora.
11:58Yeah.
11:59It is the impact that you have on your end consumer, right?
12:02And so with Rosen, obviously, I dealt with very severely acne-prone skin.
12:05And so seeing those customers kind of come to life and have those transformative results
12:10and emotions that are tied to the products in the way that I did is beautiful.
12:15And then I think, you know, past just products or formulas, I think there's a bit of, like,
12:19universe building that you get to do as a brand and, like, creating a world and creating
12:23an environment.
12:23Every brand feels different, has a different vibe, has a different story.
12:26And so creating that and having folks resonate with that is beautiful.
12:30And then I think with Flora, it's talking to founders, seeing founders, like, continue
12:36on.
12:36Being an early stage founder is incredibly difficult.
12:38But, like, if I can keep them chugging along, right?
12:42Like, I was not about to do this or I was about to, you know, like, but your direction
12:45or your, you know, development, your support has helped me a lot.
12:49And so that is, like, a whole other level of, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a whole other
12:53level of kind of, like, inspiration there.
12:55But it's been, it's been exciting.
12:57So, you know, with skincare, I mean, you said you started, you really kind of revved up
13:00in 2020.
13:01So how do you manage product development?
13:04Do you just wake up and say, oh, I need a new liner or I need ear stuff?
13:06Like, what makes you, like, go into a new product?
13:09Because I know it's not easy to develop a product.
13:11That's almost like a year process.
13:13So as a smaller brand, I hate to call us that because we're not L'Oreal just yet.
13:19But how do you say, let me dip into doing something different.
13:22Let me develop this product.
13:24Is it another answer to your own solution or how do you manage that?
13:28So we recently, last year, we kind of switched our approach a little bit and, like, taking
13:33a very collection-focused approach when it comes to product development, trying to simplify
13:37the line for folks so that each key concern has a collection, right, as opposed to kind
13:42of, you know, scattering across.
13:44That makes sense.
13:45But also, it's a lot of research and understanding the customer.
13:49It's a lot of understanding ingredient trends, right?
13:51So our honey Kojic collection, Kojic turmeric soaps, you know, obviously do great.
13:55And we wanted to bring that to life in, like, a liquid cleanser form and a moisturizer form,
13:59right?
14:00And so that's kind of like a trending ingredient story.
14:02But then it's also, what are we seeing from the customer side?
14:07Are they gravitating towards treatments?
14:09Are they gravitating towards a cleanser?
14:11Which collection, right?
14:12And so there's a lot of, yeah, exactly.
14:15And I think that's very important because a lot of brands kind of hit a plateau.
14:18Like, we're only doing cleanser.
14:21We're only doing moisturizer.
14:22And it lets you know that you're listening to your consumer.
14:24Because I've noticed a lot of brands scale back or they scale up in certain areas.
14:28And so it just shows your consumer that you're like, hey, we're listening to you and we're
14:32in the trenches with you.
14:33Like, we're trying to get our skin back to normal like everybody else.
14:36And so when it's all said and done, if Rosen doesn't sell another product, what do you
14:42want the legacy of the brand to read, to be?
14:45Like, what do you want?
14:46This is like, this is my baby because.
14:48Like, what do you want people to think about the brand?
14:50Yeah.
14:50You know, I think the vision for Rosen is really transforming the acne space to feel a lot less
14:57shameful and a lot more inclusive.
14:59And so I really do want to, you know, kind of champion like real skin with Rosen.
15:04I think I think the beauty industry has done a great job with like hair or even body of
15:10like, hey, this is your hair type or your body type.
15:12And this is what's attainable for like where you're at, whereas skin, I feel like we're
15:15still all chasing this very picture perfect version of skin.
15:18And it's like everybody's skin is so different.
15:21And so I really would love to just kind of like have that impact of like real skin kind
15:26of being celebrated acne being very normalized and having representation within the acne space
15:32that highlights like dark spots, hyperpigmentation and all that.
15:35And lastly, because we got to get off these people's stage, being a founder of color, being
15:39a woman, how are you navigating these new spaces and places that we're dealing with in the
15:44economy and just the, you know, political atmosphere as a whole?
15:48How do you stay fortified, you know, mentally and just business wise?
15:52How do you stay the course?
15:53Like, hey, I'm going to stay focused.
15:56This is my mission.
15:57I'm not going to get distracted by what's on the news.
16:00I mean, every day you're like, let me just give this up and run away.
16:03Right.
16:04So how do you stay focused to just say, this is my goal?
16:06Like I want to, as a, as a founder of color.
16:08Yeah.
16:09You know, I think, um, there's obviously so much power in community and I feel like that's
16:14a big thing for me, um, whether it's our, you know, customers or other founders or like
16:20new voices, right?
16:21There's so much power in community.
16:23And I think there's a lot going on in general in the news, you know, there's a lot going
16:28on in general, but especially as we think of, you know, maybe key stakeholders or things
16:32like that, that from a business perspective might start making things difficult being
16:36a black founder or serving black customers, relying on that community and knowing that
16:41like we're in this together.
16:43Right.
16:43And like, how can we continue to serve our customer, continue to serve people that, you
16:48know, resonate with what we're doing and try to wean ourself off of maybe platforms or,
16:53or spaces that aren't us and, and, and can pull the rug out.
16:58Right.
16:59And so I think for me, as scary as a lot of things get with, with press and decisions around
17:04BIPOC anything, I think it's like, if we continue to like lean into our community and
17:09lean into our supporters, like our, our site will be there and our customers, but you feel
17:14me. And so that keeps me steady when, when conversations get difficult, um, around just
17:21being a black founder.
17:22Yeah. So I think that is it for today. Is there anything else you want to say, you know,
17:26mic drop about Rosen, about 2020, because we're halfway through the year. So these next
17:32six months are bake or break. Cause at this point we're planning for 20, can you believe
17:36we're planning for 26? Somebody, I say, y'all do not text me about January of next year.
17:40Like I am literally still standing in July, but as a business, a business owner, we're
17:46two or three years ahead. So how does, how does the rest of 25 look for you? And like,
17:51you're like, this is what I'm focusing on. This is where I'm at. This is what the brand
17:55is going to do. Like, what does that look for you? Look like for you?
17:58No, I think for us, um, on the Rosen side, it's very much kind of, like I said, leaning into
18:03our community, really leaning into our platforms, you know, our website and, and how we directly
18:09connect with customers. And with that, I would, I don't know, I guess have a call to action
18:13because I think there's obviously a lot going on with retailers right now. Um, but there's
18:18not a lot of transition into supporting those brands directly. And so it's, Oh, I'm not shopping
18:24here, but now their sales are down, but I'm also not shopping them online. So now just overall
18:28the business, that's a whole nother conversation. And so I would push to support, you know, support
18:33black home brands directly. And so that's a big focus for us is driving to our website. And
18:37then obviously on the floor side, it's just continuing to work with emerging brands and
18:40building out our facilities. So I'm really excited for that.
18:43Well, thank you for sharing. Thank you for flying in to make this happen. And I just want
18:49you to stay encouraged as a founder because it's going to get interesting in the marketplace,
18:53but we've been given a purpose for a specific reason. And I just, I can feel that you are
18:58Rosen in through and through. And I'm just so proud of you as a fellow, a new voices, family
19:03member, but continue to do what you do. And excellence is guaranteed. Thank you so much.
19:10It's great. Thank you. Thank y'all for having us.
19:33Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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