Launching a new skincare product is a success in itself. Cutting-through a crowded market and capturing the Millennial consumer is a rare feat. But that's exactly what former lawyer Ryan Channing has achieved with his brands BLAQ and Generation Clay™.
To find out exactly how he did it, BEAUTYDIRECTORY chatted to Channing about the inspiration behind the products and how the brands found a voice in the midst of Instagram's booming beauty category.
You launched your first product range, BLAQ, based on activated charcoal. What inspired you to create this brand and why charcoal?
I discovered activated charcoal on a trip to Japan in 2016 and instantly saw the benefits, so I wanted to create a skincare line using this as the key ingredient. Skincare has long been an interest of mine, and I’ve always been a big believer that what you give your body, your body gives back to you. While I always had an interest in skincare, my background is vastly different. I was at university studying law and accepted a coveted internship at DLA Piper in Paris in Human Rights Law after which I returned to Australia and put law on hold to focus on developing BLAQ skincare full time.
How involved were you in the development of the products?
Product Development is one of my favourite part of the business. I am hands on when it comes to the creation of the products, from ingredients that we incorporate into the product, to the design aesthetic of packaging and its messaging. We deal with formulators, manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and creatives around the world and I enjoy the diversity and expertise that this brings to Blaq and Generation Clay™. I feel that we are the cutting edge innovation and delivering the best product experience to the customers.
Did you experience any pain points in the development of the BLAQ brand?
With any startup, there are always times when issues arise with product supply, demand and cash flow is an issue. While we are having We have been having huge success with building the brand via subscription beauty boxes in the US and around the world, there are challenges when the demand increased exponentially. As an example, at the moment we are working to fulfill but having to turn around an order for 1.63 million eye masks in a short time. This brings pressures on cash flow, new leanings about logistics, and managing the change in scale with the manufacturer and this from production to supply in a matter of weeks has given me a few extra grey hairs.
What has been most surprising about the success of BLAQ?
We seem to have hit the target with millennials through the launch of the Blaq mask and the volumes surprised us. From packing orders on the kitchen table at now to being ranged in all Priceline stores. As an Australian, this is a hugely proud moment for me.
Internationally Having BLAQ ranged in all Priceline stores. Receiving the rst first orders from Ipsy and Birchbox were important for us. This has lead us to being distributed in the UK, USA, New Zealand, Denmark and Iceland and with our E-Commerce, we ship to 141 countries.
What was the inspiration behind the launch of your latest range of masks, Generation Clay™?
I’m always in brand/product development mode and looking for new ways to grow the business, and I’m constantly inspired by everything around me. On a trip to Port Douglas I had the opportunity to take in Australian botanicals, and one super fruit really spoke to me; Kakadu Plum and it’s skincare benefits, I knew the next brand/product I wanted to develop was to be purely Australian made, that contains homegrown ingredients and to support indigenous producers as well..
How important is the inclusion of Australian ingredients in the masks?
Australian native ingredients have incredible skincare benefits, and I wanted to offer a trio of Australian clay masks for multi-masking to address different concerns on the face and neck areas. We use local super fruits Davidson Plum and Kakadu Plum due to the rich and bioavailable vitamin C content, Old Man Weed (the official name is centipede Cunninghame) - a traditional indigenous medicinal remedy which fights acne-causing bacteria and Desert Lime which hydrates and stimulates collagen.
Generation Clay™ is all over social media. Has this been instrumental in opening up retail opportunities overseas?
Social media is the communication tool that our millennial consumer identifies with and communicates to their friends with. When they see one of their own using and demonstrating the product, they get an immediate understanding if this is for them. Having celebrities like Mariana Hewitt endorsing the product also provides immense cred to the brand.
This trust has to lead the consumer to seek us in retail outlets internationally where we have gained distribution. We don’t have any plans for our own bricks and mortar at this stage. At the moment we are focusing on expanding our distribution in the US and are really excited to now be sold at Barney’s, Space NK, Riley Rose, Anthropologie, Credo and Neiman Marcus in addition to some independent retailers nationally. Online we are available on Revolve, Net-A-Porter, GOOP, Luckyscent, Dermstore and more. We definitely wouldn’t rule out future pop-ups in some fun places, however!
What’s next for Generation Clay™?
In the next year we will be expanding Generation Clay™ and will launch a more extensive range of skincare/beauty products that will be suitable and beneficial for all skin types, and most importantly a range for everyone – including the boys!
To find out more and download hi-res images, visit the BLAQ and Generation Clay™ listings.