When Ariana Mouyiaris and the founder of Mana Cosmetics, Nikos Mouyiaris, launched Make Beauty in 2013, it was in many ways a predecessor of the World Glossiers, which started to hit the market in 2014. With its millennial packaging and its cool vibe, Make was unlike anything on the market.
After a two-year hiatus, Make Beauty is relaunching this week under a new owner. Ben Bennett, founder and CEO of incubator and investment firm The Center, in partnership with Carrie Barber, formerly of Violet Gray and Sephora, bought Make late last year. The brand was available for sale following the death of Nikos Mouyiaris in 2019 and Traub’s acquisition of cosmetics maker Mana Cosmetics in September 2020. Benette and Barber did not disclose the terms of the deal.
“Make was ahead of its time. He had great worship and essential products that people worshiped. It was by no means a huge brand, but it was loved, ”said Bennett, who explained that after Nikos Mouyiaris passed, Make was trying to forge its course. Bennett is best known for founding the Hatch Beauty agency and incubator in 2010 before launching The Center in 2019. The Center’s brands include Naturium and Phlur.
Barber, who is co-owner and creative director of Make, said: “[Make] was one of New York’s first beauty brands – bold, super cool, and you wanted to be a part of it. They did a lot of things early on and didn’t get credit for it.
The new iteration of Make debuts with four skin care products: a pre-cleansing fluid, a cleanser, a cream gel, and an essence of rice, with prices ranging from $ 24 to $ 30. Unlike Make’s past life with retailers like Net-a-Porter, Revolve and Selfridges, the brand is only relaunching DTC. Ahead of this week’s debut, Bennett and Barber pulled old products from the above retailers.
Barber has a career behind the scenes of beauty, but this is her first foray as a founder. As such, she’s ready to showcase her own personality. “[Being forward facing] is now part of my job. Honestly, it’s been really cathartic for me to have to work while being shy and not so genuinely forward; I’m very organized on Instagram, ”she said. “I’m doing my best to kind of remove the diapers. It is really important that people know who is behind the brand.
Arguably, resurrecting a beauty brand is harder than starting one from scratch in today’s market, but Barber plans to respect Make’s DNA while pushing it forward. “The logo is so identifiable,” she said. “People know that, and there is a story in that branding.”
The focus on skincare at launch is probably the best example of Make’s modern vision. Rather than claiming a clean or natural positioning, Make has spent time establishing what he calls “LENI”, or natural ingredients designed in the lab. Barber said Make uses botanical and plant-derived ingredients, as well as tested synthetic ingredients, to consider beauty’s environmental impact on the ingredient supply. For the launch, the brand will use the brand’s content and ethics to market on social platforms.
With these updates, Bennett believes a new customer will come to Make. “We know there is a consumer who is a clean consumer in quotes, and we love that consumer base. But there is a large consumer base that focuses on science, skincare formulation and technology, ”he said. “We want to use botanical and natural ingredients where it makes sense, but we don’t shy away from or apologize for looking into the science. “
