Looking back on the experience of launching an indie beauty brand, some entrepreneurs say that they went in with too many SKUs. Not so for noyah Natural Cosmetics. The brand started in just one category—lip care. And while there are plans to expand the product portfolio, four years out Gordon is still focused on lip care and building the company slowly and steadily.
Here, the beauty entrepreneur shares a profile of himself and the noyah brand.
Name: Joshua Gordon, CEO and Founder
Indie Beauty Company: noyah Natural Cosmetics
Launched: 2013
Headquarters: New York, New York
Cash flow: Gordon says that being able to pay my staff – and then myself – a salary is the best feeling ever!
Team work: 2 full-time employees and 1 part-time
Distribution: We sell noyah Natural Cosmetics in spas, gift stores, natural and organic stores throughout the US (both direct and through distributors) as well as in some international locations, including China and Australia. And we sell online through e-commerce at noyah.com, and we ship internationally.
Years in beauty: 6
Years at noyah Natural Cosmetics: 4
Entrepreneurial experience: Before noyah, I founded Nios Shield – a line of haircare products containing SPF, as well as Nios Electrolysis Permanent Hair Removal Center, a successful hair removal center in New York City.
The business: noyah is all about high performance natural cosmetics (lip care for now, but we plan to branch out in the future!) formulated to be as simple and healthy as possible, without compromising quality and wearability.
The wow-factor: Our natural lipstick and lipgloss come in pretty eco-friendly bamboo packaging, and our organic, edible lip balm is the world’s first fully edible cosmetic, formulated in a kitchen – not a cosmetic plant. Our adult edible balm is made with natural vanilla flavoring and contains just 5 ingredients, while our version for babies is flavorless and contains only olive oil, coconut oil and ethically sourced beeswax.
The customer: Health-conscious, with style!
Milestone moment: We’ve gained brand awareness through multiple large-scale partnerships with the largest subscription boxes in the world, a partnership with JetBlue to distribute our products to all of their Mint passenger is in 2017, and multiple writeups in beauty magazines.
Advice for fellow indie beauty entrepreneurs: If someone tells you “no,” use that as double the motivation to succeed and prove them wrong!
Just one: Asked about his go-to product, Gordon says, I’m a typical guy and am “bad for business!” I use shaving cream and soap.