One of the internet’s most beloved beauty brands, Cocokind, has finally found a new home at Ulta Beauty and it’s been a long time coming! For Priscilla Tsai, the beauty brand’s founder, the venture into Ulta Beauty was a daunting journey and an amazing achievement. In our latest chat with her, she tells us why she made the pivot to Ulta, the secret behind creating viral beauty products and her favorite thing about leading Cocokind from its inception to superstardom.
Moving into a large beauty retailer like Ulta or Sephora is a huge deal, but I feel like it’s much more complex than many of us realize. What was the process actually like and when did you start considering the move?
PRISCILLA TSAI: It’s nuanced getting into a retailer, and getting into Ulta was a several-year journey! Our first contact was back in 2017 and at that point, we were much smaller. We didn’t have the audience we do now and Ulta advised us to go online only. We had to prove ourselves online first to get an in-store opportunity but it has been a dream of ours for a really long time!
Obviously getting into a retailer sounds like a simple and exciting decision, but I’m sure there were some things the average person might forget about. Did you have any concerns when moving into Ulta?
PT: It is a big decision to go into a retailer because it is an operational risk, and a financial risk, but we always knew we wanted to be at a beauty retailer! It is very on-brand as it is accessible and has a wide range, and Ulta feels like a warm and open place for consumers all of which we feel resonate with Cocokind.
What do you think makes Cocokind stand out amongst so many brands?
PT: In the current beauty industry, there is so much noise out there. We created Cocokind with the pillars of sustainability, luxury formulas and accessibility. One of our core tenants is our investment in what’s inside the bottle as opposed to outside of it! We are going to invest in bioplastic and PCR plastic tubes that may have more basic shapes, but the packaging may cost more than the formula at times because we pursue a sustainable route. The only time we invest more in packaging is when it helps support a product’s efficacy or to minimize environmental impact. We’ve chosen to invest our dollars into the formula, which ends up being multiple times more expensive than the packaging.
Sephora recently expanded its inventory with the addition of price-point accessible brands The Ordinary and the Inkey List. Was there a particular thing that still drew you to Ulta despite that?
PT: One of the biggest factors in choosing a retailer was accessibility! I grew up in the suburbs of Michigan and there was an Ulta near me and the feeling was always very warm and open, and it’s nostalgic for me. It makes me feel good and that is exactly what beauty should do, and it’s why this retailer is such a good fit for us.
Cocokind has some of the most unique and innovative products on the market, especially at its price point. What are some of the behind-the-scenes things that go into making some of the internet’s favorite skincare products?
PT: We are very in tune with consumers, and our team has a lot of expertise! We pride ourselves on being out there. We meet with raw material providers, review research, avoid stock formulas and go bottoms up. We spend a lot of time in the thick of it focusing on what’s new, what’s the sourcing sustainability, best environmental practices and efficacy. We travel to meet the actual makers of the raw materials and pride ourselves on being on the ground with our community.
And finally, what is your favorite thing about leading Cocokind through this transition?
PT: It is definitely our community. Our community is extremely important to me. There is a humility we really value, and our relationships with our team, our creators and our consumers that is so important. It is a core value of ours, and we are just so thankful and humbled. There is a lot of heart in our brand and there is so much appreciation for everyone across the wide array of parties. For us, it’s not just a transactional relationship. It’s a real human story of having successes and failures. I think there is so much heart in what we do and I really hope that comes through with every Cocokind creates for the world!
