May 13, 2020

Meet Yannis Rodocanachi of BH Cosmetics in Culver City

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yannis Rodocanachi.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
French with Greek origins, I have always been blessed to navigate into a multicultural environment. My parents from different cultures spontaneously educated us around well-being and art (especially music). While achieving business and music schools I had the chance to participate in the music creation of a Cannes festival awarded movie for its soundtrack. Very soon, I realized that I wanted to work in an ecosystem where I could express creativity and impact positively people’s life. This is how I started in the cosmetic industry at L’Oréal almost 20 years ago, creating products for people to take good care of themselves and feel more beautiful. This journey led me from Europe, in Paris where our son was born, to North Asia, we were based in Seoul, South-Korea, where our first daughter was born. Then we went to Indonesia and Singapore where our second daughter was born. After Europe and Asia, the US West Coast was meant to be our new home. We arrived in L.A. at the end of 2016. I was in charge of the global business development of NYX, a make-up brand, freshly acquired by the company I used to work for.

Los Angeles is a unique city for us as it regroups everything we love: multicultural, profusion of businesses with a purpose, outdoor outstanding options – it did not take long to decide that this is where we wanted to stay as a family. Luckily, I embarked into a new project rooted in Culver City working for an investment firm that want to impact positively the cosmetic market through its BH cosmetics brand. I had the chance to become a board member of a foundation “Tierra’s Angels” helping kids around the word provided them access to education. Our three kids are going to an international public school, my wife started a new journey after graduating from the Institute for integrated nutrition and she now starts a personal trainer credentials to initiate a new career in wellness. L.A. is definitely our city, our community, our tribe.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a long and exciting road – not seamless. We spent almost eight years in four different countries, we moved more than ten times and in places where the culture, the language, the medicine, all the environment needed a deep adaptation – but we loved it. We remember all the good things as discovering the amazing Korean Food (full of surprises), for the anecdote it is funny to see my kids again today asking for bibimbap and seaweeds for their snacks. We also miss the kindness of Indonesian people or the modernity of Singapore the perfect hub to discover Asia. All those experiences were eye-openers for us, and positively impacted my management style and my way of running business.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about BH Cosmetics – what should we know?
I am the C.E.O of BH Cosmetics, this company is genuinely connected to its community. It gives the opportunity for every “fan of makeup” to create its own product and get amazing quality at affordable price. Diversity, inclusivity and sustainability are the core values of everything we do – we are not perfect but we are committed to improve every day. We believe we all have a role to play to impact in a positive way our community.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Successes are team successes – it is never a one-man show. I had the chance all along the journey to have been helped by a fantastic team. Today I am surrounded by extremely talented people who share the same values and we are building our company together around the same pillars and the same willingness to impact positively.

My family has been an essential support for this amazing journey. We would have never landed in such a great place without my wife’s assistance and help.

Contact Info:

Address: 5203 Bedford Avenue
90056 Los Angeles
California
Website: BhCosmetics.com
Phone: 4243546887
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @yrodo

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Meet West LA Series Sponsor:

Megan Gallagher: Hi! My name is Megan Gallagher! I’m a 24 year old 2x TED speaker, #1 best selling author, afterbuzz tv host, mental health advocate & podcast host! I am very passionate about helping teenagers and changing the school system to have mandatory classes about self love, mental health and following your dreams! Growing up, I started struggling with anxiety as young as three. As a got older, I became more aware of my body and by 14, I knew that something was wrong and I needed help. It was really scary to be sitting in class(in High School) and all the sudden feel hot, sweaty, a fast heart rate and like I was going to pass out. These “episodes” happened every day, in all seven of my classes. After a few months of struggling, I decided to sit my parents down and vent to them. It was so scary and surreal, yet I felt so understood and safe. I then started therapy for three years and went on a journey to discover who Megan was. Now, having overcome it all and being in such a different place in my life- I have dedicated my life to being that person I craved as a teen. I speak at middle schools and high schools across the country in hopes of spreading positivity and inspiring teens to reach for the stars!