Previously an investment banker and corporate development consultant, Jeremy Adelman was entrenched in the beauty industry for years: overseeing the sales and advising on financials of companies including Philosophy, SkinCeuticals and Physicians Formula. During this time, he assessed countless business pitches on products, both new and established, from like-minded creators and visionaries all who were seeking white space opportunities and new ways to enhance their customers’ experiences.
Fast forward to 2013, when Jeremy combined his interest in the beauty industry with his experience in determining a brand’s viability to bring the now industry-leading beauty brand Artis to life. Identifying a product category that was long overdue for disruption, Jeremy and the team at Artis have grown the company from one online shopping destination to nearly 600 global retail locations. A major force behind Artis' growth is Jeremy's wife and business partner, Leigh Parrinello Adelman. As General Manager, Leigh has evolved Artis from a cult-favorite to a staple in the beauty world; she is focused on designing and managing a path for Artis' future, starting with a corporate structure of passionate, forward-thinking innovators that support the company’s rapid growth. Together, the duo splits their time between West Chelsea and Upstate New York with their two young children.
The aha moment for Artis' innovative brushes came from realizing that while conventional makeup brushes work well for putting pigment on someone else, they can be cumbersome to use for self-application. Artis brushes use a more natural and ergonomic configuration for the brush, as they mimic the experience of using your own fingers to apply product to your face. The fibers are positioned like the pad of your finger tip and the handle is configured like the length of your finger. This makes self-application a much more natural experience. To further elevate the experience, they patented a proprietary new fiber called CosmeFibre. Engineered to be used with cosmetics and across all types of formulas, each bundle is packed with 3-10 times more fibres than their closest makeup brush counterpart and the tip of each CosmeFibre tapers down to 3 microns (which you can't see with the naked eye!) so you get the softest application and superior results.
In April, Artis expanded into skincare for the first time ever. Not one to follow existing trends or products that have been done in hundreds of iterations, the new Phantom Cleansing Silks are a true innovation in skincare. Phantom Cleansing Silks are dissolving textiles that use breakthrough, patented nanofibre technology to deliver a complex clean without a complex routine. Through the magic of design and technology, these oval-shaped Silks transform a traditional 3-step process – oil cleansing, foam cleansing and gentle exfoliation – into one graceful, meditative and effective beauty ritual.
You're behind the Ferrari of beauty brushes! Tell us about your original inspiration.
JEREMY ADELMAN: I launched Artis 5 years ago with my partner, beauty industry world-class inventor, Matthew Waitesmith. As a brand we believe that your beauty experience should be beautiful in itself: that means the end result should be terrific, the experience of using the product should feel good and the product should be incredibly well designed. Our brushes did just that: made the experience of applying and blending skincare and makeup products graceful and meditative.
Artis brushes are designed with self-application in mind. The brush handles are ergonomically designed to fit more comfortably in your hand and the fiber bundle is positioned on the handle to mimic the way the pads of your fingers would move across your face. The secret to that airbrush-like finish is in our trademarked animal-free CosmeFibre –- it’s engineered to be used with all formulas (liquids, creams, powders, skincare). Each fiber bundle is densely packed with fibers that taper to a microscopic tip, so your product sits on the very tips: because of this, you get a flawless application and end up using less of your favorite products, meaning they’ll last longer.
What should people remember when applying makeup?
JA: It doesn’t have to hurt to be beautiful! Your experience should feel good. Conventional makeup brushes were originally modeled after paint brushes, to be used on a canvas or on someone else. When you apply makeup with them, you’re poking and prodding to achieve results, because that’s how people have been taught to use conventional makeup brushes. If you allow yourself to reimagine what makeup application should look and feel like, you can have a more meditative, intuitive, enjoyable experience.
What's your go-to tool?
JA: I’m a busy father of two children under the age of 3, so everything I use needs to be efficient. My go-to tool is our Palm Brush: I use it to apply all my skincare products. It’s handle-less so it’s super travel friendly and the CosmeFibre is chemically resistant so the fibers hold up to the active ingredients in my favorite skincare products.
What's been the best part about shifting from the banking world to the beauty one?
JA: When I was in the banking world, I worked in consumer products, with a specialty in beauty. So I got to see firsthand what did and didn’t work in the space and always knew there was an opportunity to create better beauty experiences that would be good for the consumer and good for the bottom line. Now, not only do I get to live out that dream, I also get to work with my wife, who completely complements all of my skill sets and we are working together to continue to propel the Artis vision forward.
What are you excited for this summer?
JA: One thing I’m excited for this summer is our new product launches – some that just hit, including our first skincare product, Artis Phantom Cleansing Silks and some that are coming up at the end of the summer. I can’t say too much about what’s coming up just yet, but it’s something our customers have been asking for for a long time and we’re excited to reveal it. Personally, my wife and I are renovating our house in the Hudson Valley, it’s very inspiring to work on a project that’s creatively fulfilling that is all about our home, not our business.
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