Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Glass.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My entire professional career has been in beauty and I’m extremely lucky to have “stumbled” into an industry that I love at an early age! After about a decade of working with other brands, first in sales and eventually ending up in product development, I noticed a huge divide in retail between products marketed for men and products marketed for women. I personally saw this as very old school and couldn’t understand how such a progressive industry could still be selling products like this. I slowly began developing my idea for a truly genderless brand and over the course of about a year, Non Gender Specific was born. I wanted to create a brand that showcased the beautiful ingredients within the formulas versus using a supermodel or celebrity. We launched with 1 product called the Everything Serum, a multi-tasking powerhouse that addressed seven major skin concerns at once, and have slowly developed our collection since with meaningful products that we feel were not being seen in the market.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Whenever something new comes out that “breaks the mold” there can be an adjustment period, and it took us about a year for retail buyers to fully grasp our concept of genderless beauty. We heard a lot of “no’s” before we started receiving “yes’s.” We’ve strategically grown and developed over the years at our own pace, which has kept it an enjoyable experience. Being 100% self-funded, I knew I couldn’t afford to grow too fast because that wouldn’t have been sustainable.
As you know, we’re big fans of Non Gender Specific. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At NGS we’re known for botanical-rich products that promote less consumer waste by way of multi-correctional formulas. We believe in using less to get more. That really sets us apart from other brands who believe that more SKUs equals more money. We’re also famous for our visuals. We create very elaborate almost couture costumes for our model shoots that are made from real plants and flowers. Our goal is to visually show the ingredients on the skin and what they’re doing for the skin. I’m extremely proud that we’ve been able to grow year after year and still be completely self-funded. That was an important part of making this work. At NGS we offer a tightly curated assortment of skincare products that each address at least seven major skin concerns in each formula. We’re vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, synthetic fragrance-free and synthetic dye free. Using our products is a beautiful experience deeply rooted in nature.
Any big plans?
We have some exciting formulas in development that are game-changing and first to market! We’re also excited about expanding internationally over the next year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nongenderspecific.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nongenderspecificofficial/?hl=en
Image Credits
Non Gender Specific
