Monthly Vendor Interviews
Interview 2: Danielle Malka from ê Shave
Interview 2: Danielle Malka from ê Shave
Often on this forum consisting of different points of view on wet shaving, one point of view is conspicuously absent: that of the people that create and sell the products we love to discuss to no end. In an effort to give you the member insight into the other side of wet shaving, we will periodically interview vendors to learn more about their experiences, and their take on this hobby of ours. The questions you see here were submitted by members of Badger & Blade, and were narrowed down by the Development Team.
This month, Badger & Blade e-talked with Danielle Malka of ê Shave:
[imga=RIGHT]http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/images/f/f3/Eshave_photo.jpg[/imga]
Name: Danielle Malka
Title: President
Company: ê Shave, Inc.
Location: New York (Manhattan), NY, USA
Years in the industry: ê Shave: 10 years, Danielle: 15 years.
1. Could you provide a brief history of ê Shave? What inspired you to get into the shaving cream arena?
Actually, I got into the wet-shave arena, which I find to be absolutely fascinating because of the magic of using a shaving brush. I had started as a marketing consultant in the toiletries sector for several European companies in the early 90s. While doing so, I realized that the shaving products that were available on the market at that time were geared towards older men and there wasn’t anything on the market for young guys. They simply could not relate to the products and were not interested in smelling like their dad or their grandfather. So, I decided to start a company that modernized the wet-shave with products that were fashion-forward, extremely hip, and geared towards the young, urban man. Voila! ê Shave was born.
2. Why is the company called ê Shave? Did your initial business plan revolve around Internet sales and not a brick and mortar store?
Actually, the company is called ê Shave by accident. Shortly after we launched, whenever our customers would reference the company they would morph our trademark ê and our corporation name Shave together and call us ê Shave. The name has since stuck with us and we love it!
When we first started we had absolutely no plans of being an Internet business, in fact, we were primarily a manufacturer and wholesaler and our first clients were Nordstrom’s, Barney, and Neiman Marcus. We did however, have the foresight to launch a website, even though no one was using the Internet for e-commerce purposes.
From the very beginning, ê Shave has put everything in place to carry the message of being a very innovative and progressive company. As a way to really separate ourselves from the very stodgy conservative grooming industry, we decided that we needed to change something very fundamental with our products, which was what we were calling them. I decided to change everything I could about the traditional names of grooming products and modernize it. For example, rather than calling it a shaving brush, we call it a shave brush; shave soap; shave cream; etc. It helped to really distinguish the brand right from the start. Also, ê Shave introduced its product line with our trademark silver packaging, which at the time, people were pointing their nose at. Today, silver is almost synonymous with masculinity. With the implementation of a website in the 90s to renaming the products from what they were traditionally called, ê Shave has always gone one step further to be a company that is fashion forward, very cutting edge, and always ahead of the trend.
3. What is the time line, roughly, from thought to implementation of a new cream? What is the worst cream scent you have tried to create, and what is the best?
Timeline to create a new cream is approximately 6-12 months. The worst scent I have experimented with was called Mandarin Mint. Don’t get me wrong; I have the best memories of this scent from growing up in Morocco. The scent is sweet and smells of sunshine. However, when I attempted to reproduce the scent into a shave cream I tried every fragrance company there was, and each time the smell got worse resulting in a candy smell for children. So, I scratched it.
The best scent has been by far, the White Tea. This scent is loved globally whether you live in the Middle East or Australia, this scent is truly a winner because the scent is so fresh and invigorating.
4. What complaints/suggestions for improvement have surprised you the most? How did/will you react to them?
Well, first, we always listen to and appreciate customer feedback. In fact, to me, that’s market research when our customers are talking directly to us.
One of the most interesting complaints we’ve had is that our shave cream is not available in a tube. At first, I did not think the tube would be a good value for our customers because they’d squeeze out too much cream and it would be a waste. However, after getting their feedback on this matter, I realized they were not looking for “value” per se, rather, what they wanted was quality and convenience in one. As a result, we have been doing some research and testing with the tube, and within a year all of our creams should be available in tubes.
5. How do you go about choosing the scents that the creams and soaps are made with? The White Tea is awesome.
There are a few things that go into choosing a scent. The most important thing is that a scent must be unusual and different for a cream/soap. Secondly, the scent must be ahead of an emerging trend. Thirdly, the scent must be unisex. Why? Well, if you walk past your lady and your scent turns her off, then you are out of luck, right? It only makes sense to develop a scent that appeals to both guys and their gals.
One example is our White Tea scent. When we first came out with it, spas were just starting to become a bigger part of the luxury/travel industry and we wanted to create a scent that embodied the calming, Zen-like qualities that spas offer. So, we decided to go just one step further and introduce our customers to the sophisticated and fresh scent of White Tea; which no one had ever really knew anything about.
We also came out with our Cucumber scent right as the beauty market was just starting to launch cucumber-scented products such as lotions. Prior to us, there wasn’t a cucumber shave cream on the market.
6. How are your products tested? Do you need beta testers for new products?
We try all of our products ourselves. In addition, our dear friends, family, employees, and even our interns test all of our new products! This has been, by far, our greatest resource because they are brutally honest with us. If they don’t like it, we change it.
There is no need for beta testers for our new products. Once our products have been approved to go to market, we do a series of lab testing to see how the product reacts and evolves over time by measuring its shelf life and levels of bacteria, etc.
7. Any clues on new scents that might be available from ê Shave this year?
Yes! I’ll let you on a little secret. Within the year, ê Shave will launch its Lavender Collection. Stay tuned!
8. Are there any plans for introducing a DE razor in addition to your Mach3/Fusion offerings?
Great question! No, at this time we have no plans. The DE razor is a very old razor that is making a comeback. We feel that the Fusion razor works just as well and also has the fifth razor on the back to meet the same needs.
9. Why do only the cucumber and white tea shaving creams have a matching aftershave cream?
The Cucumber and White Tea Shave Creams were our two latest additions to our line and at the time we only had an aftershave soother that was fragrance free. Again, taking input from our customers who wanted scented shave creams, we decided to launch matching scented aftershave creams in conjunction with the cucumber and white tea scents that were highly moisturizing and nourished the skin.
10. Would you consider making a lighter after-shave balm, still oil free, for the summer months?
Our After Shave Soother is a very light formula that is both fragrance and oil free. This is a great product during the summer.
11. What is your topselling cream? What creams have received the warmest reviews (if different from the topseller)?
White Tea all around!
12. What did you first think when approached by moderators for a large wetshaving forum to answer questions regarding your business?
I was absolutely thrilled! I love that this forum provides us direct access to our customers and to those who are just as fascinated with wet-shaving as I am. We at ê Shave put 100% of our focus on making products that work for our customers and clients. Therefore, it’s important for us to stay in touch with consumers. This type of forum provides us with so much great information and we not only appreciate the feedback; we take it into consideration when developing new products and accessories.
13. How big an impact did Badger & Blade have when it came to ordering samples from your company?
It had a great impact. We knew right away something was happening because we started to get regular requests for our products at the same time. We needed to see where the interest was coming from and we found out if was from this forum.
14. What do you foresee in the future of this renaissance in men's grooming?
I foresee having my vision become reality. My vision is this: One day, everyone will be using a shave brush, just as everyone uses a toothbrush today.
15. Is most of your advertising by word of mouth?
Yes, we rarely, if ever, advertise. Since we put so much emphasis on producing high-quality, results-oriented products, our reputation speaks for itself. The other half of our business comes from editorial coverage.
16. Most of the English shave creams are manufactured by Creighton’s. Do you outsource your production too?
Yes, we do outsource. Our shave creams are blended in the U.K. and finished in the U.S.
17. Tell us about the two French gentlemen who answer the ê Shave phone number. Are they just employees or co-designers or picked for previous customer interaction experience? They are both good guys who listen to the customer.
That’s so funny! Actually, we only have one French guy here and that’s my husband, Pierre. Prior to working with me at ê Shave he was a teacher for 21 years who taught French and Hockey. I will let him know that he has great phone etiquette!!
18. Who does your labeling and bottling of your products? The sample containers are high quality and I like to have them out on my counter as an in-use presentation piece. Any plans to provide your larger product offerings in a glass container like the Crabtree & Evelyn creams?
Our labeling is done all over the world and the finishing is done here in the U.S.; some of it is done in a plant in Long Island and the rest is done in-house at our location in Manhattan. As far as glass containers, no we will not use glass at it’s a hazard in the bathroom. That’s why our containers are plastic and our shave soap bowls are made of non-corrosive metal.
I’m so happy to hear you like to display our products, I designed them myself! The purpose from the very start with our products was to have fun and to design grooming essentials that served as a reflection of today’s fashion-conscious, urban male, who will not settle for using his dad’s shaving products. By upgrading your shave routine with products that deliver unparalleled results, we hope to continue the upward trend of helping men to look and feel their best – every day.
We'd like to thank Danielle for her time, and wish her and ê Shave continued success.
This interview will be available in the ShaveWiki shortly.
