Heather Reier
With her vegan beauty products now launching in the UK, we discover how entrepreneur Heather Reier hit on an idea that was ahead of its time and has won both critical and celebrity acclaim
Sixteen years after Cake Beauty was conceived, the award-winning Canadian Beauty brand is making its UK debut in 290 branches of Boots. For founder and CEO Heather Reier, it’s the latest step in an 18 year journey that began in her kitchen and has seen her products adored by consumers and celebrities alike.
The 100 per cent vegan, natural and cruelty-free beauty brand has its roots in 2003 when Reirer’s visits to farmers’ markets local to her Kitchener, Ontario home left her feeling disappointed by the smells and look of the Shea and cocoa butters on offer. Longing for something natural, cruelty-free and vegan - and that satisfied her “girlie indulgence” – she set to work making her own. For the University of Western Ontario graduate, then working for a casual clothing brand, it meant getting her hands dirty – or at least mucky with ingredients.
“I researched a great deal on the internet about different ingredients,” she told Entrepreneur Girl, “and then began to mix them together and test them on family and friends – a brave and supportive bunch!” The parallels with baking is how the ‘Cake’ name came about, and another differentiator from the beige, boring products she’d seen locally that she recalls smelt like patchouli and usually came in austere mason jars.
That’s not to say the early days weren’t tough. Often the results wouldn’t smell or feel great. But practice makes perfect and with recipes honed –‘Desserted Island Supreme Body Mousse’ came first – she secured a 500 yard square ft space and started up a little assembly line. In scenes familiar to many entrepreneurs, she sought help in those early days from friends and family but Reier was determined Cake would be more than a hobby business. To achieve scale meant realising her skillset didn’t naturally lie behind a blender, so she outsourced the manufacturing and worked closely with a chemist to replicate the formulas she loved.
Within the first year of operation 40 magazines featured the collection. Her strategy was to tell Cake’s story in a way that resonated with consumers and made it likeable. The strategy worked and soon the brand was selling in stores.
“Branding is absolutely paramount to our success,” Reier told Entrepreneur Girl. “It’s what people recognise you for, what attracts attention, builds confidence, reaches out to new customers and keeps existing customers coming back to you. Cake is a successful brand today because I am clear about who our customer is, what they want, and how to ensure that new products will meet their needs.”
Behind the scenes it also meant building and maintaining strong relationships. Offering advice to other start-ups she told Entrepreneur Girl, “ensure you have a great deal of passion for your products or idea. Surround yourself with good people who are generous with their knowledge and skills and don’t be dissuaded by people who aren’t supportive at first.”
Speaking to Business Rockstars, she said: “Make sure you tap into your resilience to see you through the ups and downs – because there’s going to be plenty of both. And when you are down, get up right away. Also stay even-keeled and don’t rest on your laurels.
“Anyone can create a goal, but it’s really important to create a vision. Because you’ll be able to visualise, feel, taste and see what this end result is going to be and it’ll help through every step of the way.”
Fast forward to the present day and Cake has become a cult hit with millennials and celebrities including Kate Hudson, Rhianna and Kristen Bell. Online growth has hit double digits.
But there’s no typical working day for Reier. One day she might be personally testing a new product at Cake’s Toronto HQ; another, working on sales or developing creative strategies. “I always say I wear two hats, my entrepreneurial, beauty junkie hat and my CEO numbers hat,” she says. “Both are essential to running a successful business.” As a working mum, she says she’s accomplished more since having her two boys. “I’m one of those people who gets off on crazy,” she told LoveMom. “I am in my best zone when I am balancing spreadsheets, offering creative direction, keeping on top of school work and sports, planning get-togethers and baking granola bars.”
Last year the company was acquired by Canada's largest independent haircare brand, Marc Anthony Cosmetics and became part of the MAV Beauty Brands family. International expansion has seen the brand launch as wide as Mexico, Turkey and Russia. It finally hit the US to acclaim too.
“MAV is an interesting animal,” Reier told Business Rockstars. “Their whole platform is very entrepreneurial. They really embrace and support founder-led brands and they see the magic in that. As the founder, it’s been fantastic to have access to a really robust infrastructure and a global sales team, while I continue to innovate and lead the brand and marketing strategy.”
Cake’s UK debate appears to be perfectly timed. According to Marketing Week, vegan beauty product sales in the UK grew 38% last year. No doubt British consumers will be keen to get their hands on such items as Cake’s ‘Do Gooder Dry Shampoo’, the ‘Thick Trick’ and the ‘Gloss Boss’. If so, it will mark yet another tasty ingredient added to Reier’s recipe for entrepreneurial success.