Pure Culture Beauty is a skin care brand that is “revolutionizing” the beauty industry by educating customers on skin health and providing scientifically proven custom skin care solutions to all consumers. It was launched in September 2020. As industry veterans, we have always recognized the waste problem in the industry – each year 120 billion units of beauty packages are produced, 79% of which have end up in landfills, or as another form of pollution. With Pure Culture, we wanted to address this growing problem. Our customized offering is working to reduce waste in the industry by dismissing the one-size-fits-all approach and eliminating patterns of consumers buying and tossing the wrong products for their skin by giving consumers a product that is designed specifically for them, since our skin tests found that 75% of customers self-reported their skin type incorrectly.
 
We provide customized products through an At-Home Skin Test, that tests users’ skin barrier and condition, and a Skin Profile Analysis Test, which is a self-reported test that gathers users’ lifestyle conditions, to help determine the unique ingredients that are used within the three products. With this unique customization, consumers can avoid the trial-and-error process that involves buying multiple products to determine what works for them – customization solves this issue while eliminating waste in the industry.

Limiting the Waste Problem in Retail

Additionally, customized beauty can also limit the waste problem in retail. Retail stores are required to purchase products in bulk – many of which sit on shelves and must be thrown out if they’re not purchased. Pure Culture only develops formulas that have been requested by the consumer – limiting the amount of product waste in stores and online. Through Pure Culture’s retail partnerships with Target and Hudson’s Bay Marketplace, the brand is helping to reshape the mindset of retailers when it comes to custom beauty while benefiting the business model.
 
On the retail level, here is how the in-store model works:

• Target consumers will purchase the At-Home Skin Test either in stores or online at Target 
• Customers will take the test and visit PureCultureBeauty.com/Target where they can assess their results and take the Skin Profile Analysis Test 
• Pure Culture Beauty will develop custom products from the results of the two tests and deliver products straight to consumers’ homes 
• It will follow the same timeline if a consumer were to order on Pure Culture Beauty’s website.

 
Our products – a custom serum, moisturizer, and cleanser – utilize clean, ethically sourced ingredients and our packaging is entirely recyclable and biodegradable. Additionally, Pure Culture’s product packaging is fully recyclable, including all paper used, and we chose to use glass and sugarcane rather than plastic for the packaging so there would be no confusion about whether it was recyclable. While choosing sustainable options are critical to limiting waste in the industry, we believe that taking a customized approach can fix the larger waste problem.
 
The beauty industry has made great strides towards offering clean and sustainable options, but many customized products are often more costly and in turn only accessible to a smaller group of consumers. Moving forward, it is important for beauty brands to continue to put consumers’ needs first by shifting their offerings to meet those needs.
 

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Victor Casale is the co-founder and chairman of Pure Culture Beauty, where he has worked to create targeted product formulas that utilize clean, sustainable ingredients. Victor has 30+ years of experience in the beauty industry. Previously, Victor worked as the chief Chemist of MAC Cosmetics and is the founder of CoverFX.
 
Joy Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Pure Culture Beauty, where she has worked to create a suite of products that meet the unique skin needs of consumers. With over 20 years of experience working in the beauty industry, Joy has held executive leadership positions at top skincare companies, including H2O+ Beauty and Yes To.