Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Akhavan.
Friends since childhood, Dermasuri’s co-founders discovered that the commonalities of their soft, youthful looking skin led back to the traditions of their Middle Eastern and Japanese ancestry. The two met at University High School in West LA. Cultural exchanges and learnings were daily. Keeping friendships going 25 years later, and in their mid-30s, the two were talking about anti-aging, and exfoliating ingredients and rituals respective of their Japanese and Turkish Persian ancestry- secrets that have worked for centuries that were tried and true. Then, Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt was born.
Dermasuri brings the ancient skin care traditions of the East to the West with their Deep Exfoliating Mitt which visibly removes dead skin cells, providing the benefits of expensive spa services like microdermabrasion and scrub treatments at a fraction of the cost.
Originating from the traditional Hammams of Turkey and Morocco, Japanese and Korean baths, Dermasuri comes from the words “Derma” (skin) and “Suri” (Japanese for scrub). Unlike loofahs or bath sponges, The Deep Exfoliating Mitt is made of a unique fabric texture that sloughs off rolls of dead skin. It can be used in the shower to deeply exfoliate, to prep the skin for waxing and tanning, or as a dry-brushing tool.
Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt improves circulation, stimulates lymphatic drainage and collagen production reduces ingrown hairs and clogged pores and increases the absorption of skin care products, revealing smooth, glowing, younger-looking skin. Deramsuri Deep Exfoliating Mitts are now sold worldwide at www.dermasuri.com.
Dermasuri sold out 2,000 units in one week. The product was mentioned by celebrity influences Giuliana Rancic and Kim Vo from E! Celebrity makeup artists were starting to use it for their clients. Dermasuri was written about in Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Health and consumers voted on it and won Best Exfoliator by Cosmopolitan Magazine. The mitt also gained popularity in the tanning market – a staple for a premium exfoliator prior to a spray or self-tan. The mitt was used in shows and competitions – Miss USA, Miss Universe and bodybuilding competitions to prepare girls for their spray tans. Within two years, Dermasuri was in over 700 U.S. retail stores.
Shortly afterwards, the Dermasuri Rice Milk Brightening Face Exfoliator followed. Rice Milk is a highly-coveted elixir used for centuries by beauty enthusiasts in Japan, Korea and China to enhance skin radiance, improve texture, firmness, and reduce spots. Rice Milk is rich in minerals, antioxidants, and Vitamins B and E. Rice Milk helps to leave the skin brighter, softer, and more supple than many other exfoliating ingredients.
Dermasuri is now working on new products and expanding internationally.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like any business, there have been bumps on the road. We learned that our mitt needed more stitching and reinforcement, we corrected that in our design. We have struggled with our shipping warehouse, changing three times. Excellent customer service is important to us to work with partners that can meet our expectations.
In the Beauty industry, there have been many changes as Amazon has grown. We have had to adjust to new modes of business. Some of our distributors were hurt by the changes, so finding new avenues of growth have been challenging but exciting.
Please tell us about Dermasuri.
We are most proud of bringing rituals and ingredients from our ancestry to America and sharing it with our friends and customers so they can have soft, youthful skin. Beauty Secrets of the East to the West is our tagline and we remain true to that mission daily and want to share that goal daily.
What sets us apart is that the ingredients and products we use are different from what is typically sold – You can see results quickly and you will see a positive difference in your skin when you use products in our brand. It’s also at an affordable price point for prestige products, making premium skincare attainable.
I am proud of the relationships we have with our customers, that we always do the right thing to provide excellent customer service, We are also proud of spreading our mission of sharing soft skin beauty secrets to our customers and retailers. I am also very proud of our employees and contractors that have been working with us to help us grow. They have all put their hearts into the organization and we’ve worked together to grow the company to unexpected levels.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing. I believe that failures and learning are key. Without them, we wouldn’t be smarter and experienced and better. And every entrepreneur fails, but it’s an opportunity to grow… Every beauty brand owner mentor that we have worked with, has failed. It’s just not about quitting and not about your ego. My favorite quote some wise person on Instagram once said, “Your ego is not your amigo”. That remains true for developing your brand.
There are setbacks to any business and major bumps. but there are always solutions to work through. Sometimes it’s about reworking your strategy or going against what you thought, because it because about what the customer and retailers want.
Pricing:
- Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt $20
- Dermasuri Rice Milk Brightening Face Exfoliator $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dermasuri.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dermasuri/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dermasuri
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/dermasuri
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