We launched this line in Denmark where I was living at the time. I was influenced by the clean living philosophy (eating, sustainability, source of ingredients) and we created formulas that used the nordic superfruits (elderflower, arctic cloudberry, sea buckthorn, bilberries, lingonberries and rose hip). These incredible ingredients have loads of great skincare benefits - help fight inflammation, uneven skintone, calms redness, repairs the skin. These Nordic ingredients are terrific for repairing skin and give the skin a radiance that the area deserves.
Scandinavian women have a certain sense of confidence about their bodies - not in a showy flamboyant way but rather a cool quiet confidence. Very natural. And this line of products was developed using the Nordic ingredients and packaged in sophisticated yet approachable packaging.
Was it a lightbulb moment or gradual moment to start The Perfect V?
This idea of The Perfect V came to me over time - going to trend presentations, visiting the beauty departments in various parts of the world and in general seeing a cultural change among women’s attitudes about their bodies. More confident and more willing to discuss formerly taboo topics. Women were demanding cleaner products and more transparency for ingredients and their end benefits.
There was however a lightbulb moment when I was working as a beauty consultant for another brand. I was working on a new BB Cream concept when I thought of the idea of a multi-tasking skincare cream for the V, the bikini area. The idea of a line of VV Creams (like BB Creams) that could take care of all the skincare needs of the delicate skin of the bikini area came to me in a flash. I could see the line-up so clearly addressing real problems (ingrown hair, uneven skintone, bumps) but position it as everyone does for facial skincare - the end benefit. Introduce product in forms women love - mists, serums and cream. Make the line less utilitarian and more about beauty - like other skincare items.
How did you validate the idea?
The idea of the beauty regimen is again based on a simple skincare philosophy - women need a daily regimen to take care of the skincare needs of this delicate area. Yes, the skin is different there - more delicate, prone to dryness and redbumps, more sweatglands and a different pH balance. Plus when women groom that area (removes any hair) it aggravates this sensitive area and there are some special needs. We make our products in Europe adhering to more stringent product regulations - no parabens, no SLS, cruelty free, vegan and no fragrance. Dermatologist and gynocologist tested so safe to use.
We call this beauty regimen for the V, the VANICURE. It obviously is a play on the words Manicure, beauty regimen for the hands and Pedicure, beauty regimen for the feet. VANICURE is the beauty regimen for the V - a daily regimen that takes care of the skincare line of the V, the bikini area
Did you have any experience/expertise in the area?
I’ve worked in the beauty industry for a long time - as VP marketing and product development for L’Oreal, Revlon and Almay and some indie brands. I’ve lived in Europe - once in Belgium and then in Denmark for a total of ten years and it gave me a wonderful viewpoint on global beauty. When we launched TPV we wanted to ascertain global acceptance so we launched in Denmark Magasin (the largest dept store in Scandinavia), then niche-beauty.com in Germany (cool trend setting ecommerce), Harvey Nichols (UK), Joyce Beauty (Hong Kong) and then US (revolve.com and various spas/salons - Canyon Ranch, Shutters on the Beach, Four Seasons and a premier beauty retailer/etailer - Blue Mercury). We will be launching in the Middle East by year end and new markets are opening to us every day. The appeal of the brand is broad - women are clamoring for a prestige beauty brand for the V - heretofore neglected.
Have you raised any money? How much?
This is a multi million dollar category - Feminine Wellness is projected to be a $40 Billion category and we are the innovators and leader of this trend of Intimate Skincare. We have the potential to be a $50 million brand and on our way to achieve this in the next five years. We have received approx $2 million in angel investment and are currently looking for new investors/potential partner so that we can scale to achieve those potential sales numbers. We own the trademarks - VV Cream and VANICURE and we intend to leverage them to own this category globally.
Who is your target demographic?
Our target demographic primarily falls into two categories: young women who want to look great in the bikini area and are already grooming and spending money there with various hair removal methods (laser, waxing, sugar). These women are conscious of their skincare needs of the bikini area but are just now understanding the different skincare needs and looking for premium skincare to address those issues. They want to have luxe formulations for every part of their body - including the V. The second target is the woman who goes to the wax/sugar salon on a regular basis.
Looking good there is important to her and she is already spending money on grooming that area but has never had the products to continue the maintenance at home. We find these women at our various salons/spas and online sales through our partners (Current Body, Revolve and Blue Mercury).
What is the funniest/most strange customer request you’ve had?
I guess the funniest is that women initially think our product is for the face. They are drawn to the beautiful, elegant design of our product and it is not until they begin to read the package that they realize it is for the V. They invariably smile - they can’t believe there is actually a skincare line for the V - it makes sense - they just never saw it before.
How did you fund the idea initially?
Friends and family helped to fund this idea. I met a terrific angel investor - a woman in another totally different industry who just fell in love with the concept. I brought another private investor in soon after - another woman in Denmark who also loved being part of this exciting new concept.
Where did you meet your co-founder/founding team? Any tips for finding first employees?
As for our team I’ve found some very competent and driven executives to help drive this business. It does take special people to become part of an entrepreneurial venture - i suggest looking for people who have the same drive as you do and understand it is marathon, not a quick sprint to the finish line!
Did you run any companies prior?
I’ve been involved with several start-ups as a hire to help with the branding and marketing but not as a true founder. I had extensive background in the beauty field and have introduced new brands and products for many companies in the past.
What motivated you to start your own business?
This was such a great idea - to fill a true white space - that I just felt I had to do it myself! Of course nothing is accomplished by yourself - you need the right team and that is what is making the difference.
What were your family and friends first thoughts on your company?
My friends and family applauded the effort and were supportive from the start however I will say they thought the idea was super innovative and kind of ‘out there’ - but it made everyone smile and it certainly is great as a conversation starter!
What motivates you when things go wrong? What is the end goal?
Covid 19 has been a real drag - we feel for our spa/salon partners and try to support where we can - by doing liveIG, selling on their websites, etc. Some of our bigger deals are on hold and we will pick them up once this turns around. We keep plugging away and just support all our partners through this together.
What has driven the most sales?
Of course our online business is super important and has been growing every month as more people are staying home. We are even pening up some new online accounts. We love social media - our IG is a great way to connect with our clients. We do need more brand awareness and that is why we are looking for our next round of capital - to spend on digital marketing - to get the brand word out there. When women hear about our brand, they immediately love the concept and want to learn more and social media is the best venue for us to educate them about our brand.
What is stopping you being 3x the size you are now?
When we obtain our next funding target, we could easily be 7-10X our current size - we have the opportunity to own this new category- we just need brand awareness. The introduction and acceptance of this category among the industry took longer than I anticipated but now they finally get it and the category is taking off!
How do you protect yourself from competition?
We own the trademarks globally - VV Cream and VANICURE - the category name and the hero product name. What’s unique about this is the example of BB Creams - when they launched and became the next big beauty trend - everyone ran out and launched their version of a BB Cream.
Well, The Perfect V is the only brand that can have a VV Cream and this gives us an advantage because it communicates to the consumer the multi-tasking benefits of the product line. We also named the category - since it did not exist before. VANICURE, the beauty regimen of the V is also registered by TPV and we plan on introducing this concept globally.
Do you have any trademarks/IP/patents?
We own our formulas and they are efficacious premium formulas made in the EU under stringent guidelines. The Nordic ingredients are unique to our product line and have a great formula story behind them - ingredients that are clean and actually work!
What are the next products you’re working on? Are there any releases you can tell us about?
As mentioned, we are planning on owning this category globally - through our brand The Perfect V and licensing of our marks to other powerhouse brands interested in owning this new category in a different channel. We are working on several groundbreaking products to be launched in the near future - suffice to know that they will indeed continue to be in the clean beauty realm and deliver great results.
Where do you see the company in 5 years?
We see this company growing exponentially over the next few years - with the right investment and partners - we can take this company to great heights. As for selling, that is always on the table - for the right opportunity. We just want this brand to flourish and it would be great to partner with someone with incredible resources to make this happen sooner rather than later.
| Company Name: | The Perfect V |
|---|---|
| Founder: | Avonda Urben |
