Tell us about bit about your background:
I have been operating my own body care businesses for over 25 years. I started my initial business with my husband (before we were married) and we operated it for over 20 years. We sold this business right as HiBAR was ramping up, but it was through this business that we learned the importance of quality ingredients, how to sell through the natural markets, and how to formulate products…this was invaluable knowledge once we launched HiBAR and was actually how HiBAR came about.
Why did you decide to start your own company?
There are four co-founders at HiBAR. We met because we were all parents to children in the same school. We were all concerned about the devastating statistics about plastic-waste and wanted to make an impact in the world for our children.
What makes your brand different from other beauty brands?
We have reformulated beauty products to eliminate the need for a single-use plastic bottle. Our products are the world’s first in many cases, such as our solid amino acid based gentle daily cleansers. There are no other amino acid-based bars in existence.
Describe your brand in three words:
Effective, beautiful, and plastic-free.
Do you have plans to expand HiBAR globally? If you can say, what is your direction for the future of the brand.
Yes. In order to achieve our mission and help eliminate plastic waste, we need to get our products out into the world. We are expanding in Canada this year. We are also having our ingredients tested to ensure there are no concerns to sell in the European market. We are also highly interested in getting our products into international markets in Mexico and South America where plastic pollution is high and there are few solid options.
What is the best piece of advice someone gave you? What advice would you give a budding entrepreneur?
The best advice someone gave me was to pursue your passion. The advice I would give a budding entrepreneur is to have a clear mission and purpose. We use our mission and core values to filter decisions. If it is off mission, we say NO and we don’t compromise.
What does exhibiting at Cosmoprof North America mean for HiBAR?
We are so excited to be part of Cosmoprof. We wanted to participate a few years ago, but COVID interfered. Our products are high-end beauty products, and we wanted the opportunity to get in front of salon and beauty buyers. Cosmoprof is the cream of the beauty industry, and we are thrilled for the opportunity.
What is it like to work alongside your husband? Are your kids involved in HiBAR?
My husband and I are a really good team. We come at things from two different perspectives and somehow, we have figured out how to meet in the middle. We discuss and work through issues that might come up on a project because we are comfortable pushing the other person’s perspective, but we also know we have each other’s backs. We have two boys, Liam and Owen, and they both work for us. We shut down our factory during a COVID wave and put employees on furlough. Because we were all cohabitating, we were able to go into the factory and keep the business going. Jay made product, and the kids and I wrapped and filled orders. It was a bonding experience. The kids still work for us, but our oldest is in college, so he works in fulfillment on breaks and over the summer (he has a fantastic accuracy rate), and our younger son has been on a gap year but is starting college in the fall. He is our factory assistant, and he has done everything from helping Jay on the manufacturing floor, to welding equipment, taking out the recycling, building equipment and organizing ingredients. It is so fulfilling as a parent to see how well the kids work, and I love how proud they are of their mom being the company President and dad being the inventor of a product that is helping make the planet better.
As a previous owner of a body care brand, can customers expect to see plastic-free bath bombs and similar products from HiBAR?
Maybe! The method we use to determine what our next HiBAR product will be is to walk down the Health and Beauty aisle in a store and see which items are best sellers and in a plastic bottle. Our goal is to eliminate a lot of plastic, so we want to offer effective, beautiful alternatives for the items that produce the most waste. We have our eye on lotion, body wash, shaving cream, and other beauty products so keep an eye on us!
ABOUT HiBAR
HiBAR is a beauty brand working to inspire the removal of single use plastic by redesigning personal care products to be beautiful, functional, and plastic-free. We set out to eliminate plastic waste, but realized our mission is bigger than that. HiBAR is here to inspire change, disrupt the industry with sustainable options. Beauty products can be reformulated to be as high-performing (if not better) than the liquid counterparts thus both saving the water resource and eliminating the need for a single use package. Making simple swaps can make a difference. Save the planet and look good doing it!
For more information, please visit https://hellohibar.com and @hellohibar on Instagram.
You can visit HiBAR at Booth: DBS109 at the 19th edition of Cosmoprof North America.
Categorized in: Spotlights