by Andrew C. Stone
The world of beauty is one of the most lucrative, vital, influential, and galvanizing industries of the modern age. Now more than ever, our distinctions are celebrated as the traits that make us truly beautiful. It’s in this spirit that beauty blogger- publicist Jodie Patterson (creator of the Georgia by Jodie Patterson skin and hair line and star of web series Girl Crush) and industry influencer Benjamin Bernet (of L’Oreal and Giorgio Armani Fragrances acclaim) have created DooBop.com.
Trading on their combined knowledge, style, and far-reaching perspective, they’ve created a user-friendly and engaging website, complete with expert advice on makeup application, nutrition, hair care, and dermatology from an eclectic panel of experts. Instructional videos are easy to interpret, while top-tier beauty, skin and hair lines—right for you, no matter who you are—are easy to identify and purchase.
Here, Patterson and Bernet share the secrets to their newfound success.
NEW YOU: Jodie and Benjamin, how is DooBop bringing a new dimension to the beauty industry?
Benjamin Bernet: DooBop’s mission is to fundamentally disrupt the multi-ethnic beauty retail space by offering a state-of-the-art go-to online destination with personalized and curated product recommendations, specific expert beauty advice for brown skin tones and textured hair, and superior service—meaning free shipping and free samples. We want to become the premier destination specifically designed for multi-ethnic and multi-cultural beauty.
Jodie Patterson: Our industry has become a bit sleepy for women of color. Up until now, it hasn’t pushed us forward. It has almost held us back with very old school ideas of beauty. Women of color have had to self-define our own beauty in the midst of “cookie cutter” aesthetics. Now, women want more from brands. We want them to incorporate us in their edit.
NY: How is DooBop bringing a new dimension to the beauty industry?
BB: Beauty retailers in the US traditionally don’t cater to the specific needs of brown skin tones and textured hair. While multi-ethnic women overspend the general population in personal care and beauty, they are being underserved by the main retail players, and are usually relegated to the so-called “ethnic aisle” of drugstores or the neighborhood beauty supply stores, which—for the most part—do not offer a very upscale, service-driven environment and quality product assortment to their customers.
NY: What are some unique features of DooBop that will captivate its visitors?
JP: DooBop has a particular eye for women of all shades. We scout the best products that celebrate diversity.
BB: DooBop focuses on service, discovery, and community by offering free shipping on every order—whatever the amount of the purchase, delivering two free product samples with every order, and donating $1 for every purchase to Community of Unity, a New York-based organization offering tailored after-school programs in public schools for at-risk youth. Then, DooBop will offer only a limited curated assortment within each brand we carry, to focus on the prevalent beauty needs of women of color and to help our customers find the right products easily. For instance, we have chosen to distribute only three products from the entire Caudalie line—the VinoExpert Dark Spot Radiance Serum, the Beauty Elixir, and the Divine Oil, as we believe they will resonate the best with our customer base.
Finally, we have a team of “experts in residence”—two hair stylists, two make-up artists, a dermatologist, and a nutritionist-wellness expert who provide advice and share their knowledge through how-to videos and Q-and-A sections. In addition, customers are able to ask them questions directly on the website, to receive an individualized answer. This kind of personalized expert service will be key.
NY: Why is it particularly important to look at beauty from a multiethnic perspective?
BB: America’s face is changing—mixed ethnicity individuals have grown by 32 percent in the past ten years, African Americans are growing 30 percent faster than the general population, and there are now more than 50 million Hispanics in America. In twenty years time, there will be more “non-white” Americans than whites. We believe that it’s about time the beauty industry starts behaving like we’re in 2014.
