We caught up with Beauty Skincare YouTube Star Fiona Frills. An entrepreneur by her own merits. She explains how she fell into being a YouTuber and entrepreneur by following her passions. Referencing her love for makeup, she explains how she was constantly frustrated with acne growing up. Having seen a lot of her friends go through similar struggles, she wanted to create a clean skincare brand that was dedicated to supporting teens with specific skin concerns.
“When I looked around at the “teen skincare” already out there, it seemed like none of the brands had met an actual teenager. Companies full of adults way beyond their teenage years marketed quick fixes that might kill a breakout in the short term, but irritated skin in the long term. I created Friliance to help teens become skin confident”.
The Frilliance Journey
Fiona opens up on her humble beginnings. Pointing to a great depth of research she went into on the ingredients of the skincare and makeup she was using at the time. Taken aback by how bad some of the ingrediants being used were for teen, sensitive skin. This led her to collaborating with a local cosmetic chemist in her hometown to develop her skincare products. With special reference to her mom who she highlights was fundamental in guiding her through all the processes of building and launching her own brand.
Accoding to Fiona, one of the key challenges is getting the products tested and certified for claims [inc. non-comedogenic; dermatologist-tested, hypo-allergenic, and cruelty free]. For the young entrepreneur, these are incredible important for her brand as she is keen to have teens know Frillance for being a moral, safe & tested beauty product for teens. As well as being a long and expensive process to get certified.
“I LOVE makeup and skincare. I think building Frilliance vs just being and influencer/YouTuber has more long term potential and broadens my skills. It’s always hard to tell from the inside if I’m making a difference”.
Fiona believes skin issues are such a common problem for teens and is on a mission to help them feel better about their skin. To build a brand that genuinely helps empower teens. With an ambition to expand from 500 Walmart Stores in the USA, to 1000s of retailers across the US, and abroad. To create affordable skin care products that can empower the next generation.
Managing Expectations
Fiona explains that is always harder than you think it will be when taking that leap of faith. Opening up about the twists and turns, and new knowledge you learn along the way. “I think if you knew everything you had to do it would take the fun and mystery out of creating your idea and bringing it to life”. She goes onto explain that product development with the lab opened her eyes to working with new ingredients and learning a few things about chemistry that she didn’t expect to.
Her advice is to just get started. To not over think. Find your why? Why this product, service or company is needed. Highlighting that whilst it is tough, to be persistent and work through it! Pointing out that as there is no course or class that teaches you to be an entrepreneur. The key is to watch, listen and learn from others.
For those aspiring to follow in her footsteps. Her advice is to learn a filming style that showcases you and your story the best. To actively watch different YouTubers and vloggers to get a sense of their style and what would suit you best. To learn how to edit your own videos, build your following (audience), and then build your business. #watchthisspace
