The Ugly, Lovely Effects of the Coronavirus Crisis on Beauty Businesses
The Ugly, Lovely Effects of the Coronavirus Crisis on Beauty Businesses
How are the women entrepreneurs behind small firms selling skincare and hair products, makeup and more navigating a time when customers are no longer seeing - well, anyone?
Mar Cavallone, founder of makeup line Dome Beauty in Chicago, has been grappling with similar problems thanks to COVID-19. She says she began to notice the effects in early January, as much of her packaging is sourced in China. She was planning a new product launch at the time, and had to find workarounds to make it happen. The additional five new product launches planned for this spring have either been delayed or postponed indefinitely, she says.
In addition, Cavallone’s products themselves are manufactured in hard-hit parts of Europe such as Italy, where lockdown projections are continually extended — leaving her fielding questions from worried customers about the safety of products. (She reassures them that all of her current inventory was made before the crisis began.)