New Club Alert: Business of Beauty
What is the biggest, yet oldest, industry in the world? One that is currently dominated by Tik Tok influencers like Alix Earl and fresh, celebrity-developed brands like Rare Beauty? You guessed it - the cosmetics industry, an ever-evolving world. One that generates over $100 billion in revenue worldwide.
BOB, short for Business of Beauty, is a student-founded and run organization that can address all of your beauty problems, questions, and curiosities. Brand new, right here at the U, BOB is dedicated to providing a space for students of all backgrounds and majors to share their interests in the cosmetics industry. Business of Beauty explores all aspects of the business side of cosmetics including makeup and skincare products, well-known and start-up cosmetic brands, and current industry trends.
Founder and President, Olivia Johnson, said on the creation of this enriching club that “BOB offers students a great way to escape the analytical, critical side of business and dive into a more creative, captivating one.”
While learning inside the classroom has many perks, students continue to seek ways to channel their personal passions and hobbies into a separate facet outside of school that hones in on their typical niche area of interest. Johnson also strives to ensure “everyone feels comfortable being themselves and no one is above anyone no matter what.”
BOB brings students of all ages together through bi-weekly meetings, virtually and in-person, to cultivate connections and foster relationships in the business beauty world. Last semester, BOB brought in guest speakers from companies such as Kosas, Estee Lauder, and The Stable to highlight different professions within beauty: Kosas discussed the entrepreneurial roots of the now immensely successful brand, Estee Lauder shared career development tips for beauty-passionate students, and The Stable offered insight into the behind-the-scenes of the hair category in retail specifically.
Club co-founder & Vice President, Megan Tomas, also crafted a case study on Bobbi Brown for one meeting, which shone a light on how she uses BOB to express herself. Tomas said she has “a passion for cosmetics, so planning meetings don’t feel like another task on [her] to-do list”. Instead, while preparing engaging meeting content, Tomas learns more about the industry, such as trending clean beauty products.
BOB curates frequent social media content and a weekly newsletter to provide beauty fans with trending makeup products, beauty hacks, and the best skincare routines. This newsletter also highlights BOB’s book club by including questions readers can mull over as they dive into the selected book of the month. This upcoming semester, BOB will rebrand this book club to a podcast club to offer students a more unique, convenient, and affordable way to remain engaged with the club and stay up to date on the cosmetics world.
This upcoming semester, Business of Beauty plans to host a collaboration with other organizations within the campus community like Business of Fashion and Women in Business. This will expand the BOB circle and allow students to foster further connections within different branches of the creative side of business.
They also hope to bring in more guest speakers, including a team member of Clinique. The executive team ultimately wants to center meetings and club content around what students hope to gain from the organization, so feedback is highly encouraged.
Follow along with BOB’s journey and events on their Instagram @umn_bob and website here! Be sure to stop by their next meeting with Business of Fashion this Wednesday at 6 PM in Bruininks Hall. Stay tuned for further details on their social media platforms!
Thumbnail image done by Kaci Kopf
