Celebrating Axiology Launching in 100 ULTA Stores with a Bit of Nostal

Celebrating Axiology Launching in 100 ULTA Shops with a Little bit of Nostalgia

To have fun the launch of Axiology in 100 ULTA shops, I needed to take a second to reminisce on how we obtained right here. 

How I began

I’ve been devoted to animal welfare since I can bear in mind. Rising up, I used to be the child at college who had Peta stickers throughout her binder with messages like “I’m not a nugget” over an image of a child chick. 

I had already been vegan for a number of years and vegetarian for many of my life after I discovered that animal testing in magnificence nonetheless exists, and that each one the make-up I had been utilizing for years supported animal cruelty. So, yeah, I used to be fairly devastated — a lot in order that the invention pushed me to start out Axiology.

It was then that I made a decision that I’d solely use make-up merchandise that had been vegan (no animal derived substances in any respect) and cruelty-free (no animal testing). 

Oddly, this was not a straightforward swap. On the time, vegan cosmetics could possibly be discovered largely solely on Etsy and had kinda lame branding that I wasn’t enthusiastic about. There was one vegan lipstick model that was fashionable on the time and I ended up buying like 5 of these vegan lipsticks — however each single one I attempted to use broke in half on the primary strive as a result of the formulation was so dry. 

I had simply completed the well-known e book, The Artist’s Method, which is a workbook centered round creating a extra artistic and inventive life (it’s life altering, and I extremely suggest it). As a result of I used to be fueled with all of this artistic power, I assumed to myself, “effectively perhaps I’ll simply make my very own lipsticks” and so it started. 

The Lipstick-Making Journey

Right here’s the reality: I’ve no background in any of this. I’m not a chemist, nor did I’ve any expertise within the magnificence trade. I did, nevertheless, have drive. I used to be decided to create a lipstick that didn’t hurt animals. Interval. 

I regarded up recipes for lip balms and lipsticks on Youtube and blogs, investigated different lipstick firms’ substances, and acquired tons and tons of uncooked substances. From there, it was simply trial and error in my tiny Brooklyn kitchen (Aspect observe: I extremely suggest not having roommates should you resolve to do one thing loopy like this or your roommates will find yourself hating you). 

It took me greater than 200 formulations to give you a lipstick I used to be able to launch. Not exaggerating right here — greater than 200 formulations! I used to be mixing/melting/pouring/testing lipstick on a regular basis earlier than and after work. 

At one level, my now fiancé mentioned to me, “hey, should you’re actually going to do that, we must always transfer someplace that we are able to stay rather a lot much less expensively than NYC so you’ll be able to actually get your enterprise off the bottom.” 

Bali 

That is when and the place I actually obtained severe about Axiology and realized that the hassle I put into making a lipstick would result in the delivery of a enterprise.

So, with this new understanding that YES, I used to be making a enterprise, Eric (my fiancé and, sure, we’ve the identical identify) moved to Bali. Why Bali? Two causes: 1) Bali is a giant entrepreneurship hub, that means a lot of entrepreneurs stay and work there and it was essential for us to have a neighborhood, and a pair of) We may stay and eat inexpensively so I may put all my time and power into Axiology. 

We packed up our suitcases (one among which was packed filled with uncooked butters, oils, pigments and lipstick molds). My bag at all times obtained searched at safety so I’d clarify to everybody that I used to be beginning a vegan lipstick firm. The TSA employees would smile and say, “oh, wow, good luck” and I used to be so grateful they didn’t take away my treasured substances. 

Whereas in Bali, I used to be formulating even MORE and determining all the mandatory issues like packaging (discover out extra about our Axiology containers, which I found in Bali, right here), legalities, creating a web site, choosing a reputation, the record goes on and on. 

Whereas I used to be getting a lot executed in Bali and had on a regular basis on the earth to work on Axiology, there was no means I may truly launch a enterprise whereas there. A few of the causes embrace 1) Eric and I had been sharing a studio that solely had a 2 burner range (not sufficient for melting all these lipsticks!) 2) Delivery and receiving from Bali is a nightmare 3) Discovering random issues I wanted was actually laborious. Eric and I spent an entire day as soon as looking for glass Pyrex so I may soften substances 4) I obtained Dengue fever and that was that. 

Bend, OR 

We ended up transferring to Bend, OR as a result of we love nature and needed to be surrounded by timber. We moved there sight unseen and got here with a number of suitcases (one among mine having all my lipstick making provides once more) to maneuver into an Airbnb for six months. We figured if we ended up not liking Bend, we may simply transfer once more. 

We fell in love with Bend and it could’ve been unimaginable to maneuver, anyway, as a result of I ended up launching Axiology right here from my kitchen in November 2014. 

Rather a lot has occurred since that launch together with unimaginable highs (we had been the smallest model ever to launch in Sephora, being written up in Forbes, hiring unimaginable workers, and creating our personal actual lab) and severe lows (this needs to be a weblog put up in its personal, and perhaps I’ll make one quickly). 

This loopy trip has led us to a different milestone. Our launch at ULTA! We couldn’t be extra excited to promote our zero waste multi use Balmies at ULTA. It’s been my dream to create a enterprise that cares for animals, individuals and the planet. And to see that different individuals need merchandise from companies that care is actually the most effective reward. Balmies are 100% vegan and cruelty free and they’re the primary multi use product to comprise no plastic and no packaging (that means nothing pollutes our planet). We’re tremendous happy with them.

We love you all and thanks x 1,000,000 for supporting us again and again. 

XO, 

Ericka 

PS — If you want to assist our enterprise and launch at ULTA, decide up one among our Balmies units in individual at one among our 100 ULTA places discovered HERE.