Forbes | Click Cosmetics, from a small dream to being one of the most promising beauty companies of 2023

Click Cosmetics has not only become a leading beauty brand in Colombia, but also as a company that helps other women get started, to create a network of businesswomen who focus on quality, creativity and innovation. Manuela Arbeláez, its creator, says that what defines her products is the wow and innovative effect, prioritizing professional quality, responsibility and continuous improvement.

The name of Manuela Arbeláez, CEO and founder of Click Cosmetics, rose to fame in the digital world for being the creator of an innovative product, a hair perfume with 100% natural ingredients to keep it healthy. It was the first Colombian brand to create a product like this and this has allowed it to generate millions of dollars in sales.

“I started seven years ago, as they say in Medellín, with my nails, without a penny. All my life I have been passionate about beauty, I had salons, I imported products, I admired big brands, but I felt that they were very expensive. I didn't think life would lead me to this, but I dreamed of it. Initially they were products for me, to restore my own hair, but my friends encouraged me to turn them into a brand.”

He researched products to bring out a complete line of 100% natural extracts because people asked for more, the shampoo, the conditioner, the repair masks. She didn't have enough to produce, she knocked on doors at banks, she went to entrepreneurship contests, for seed capital and they said no, she looked for partners and they didn't believe in the project, so she decided to go it alone and tell a different story. The good thing is, she found the support she needed in her father, so much so that he told her to take out a loan in her name because he trusted her.

His sales started very well, even influencers recommended his products for free because they liked them, he reached many people on social networks and the digital world, his team grew and, although the loan was to be paid in seven years, he managed to have a flow of box to do it in a couple of months. Today it has almost 300,000 followers on Instagram and more than 800 direct distributors of its products in Colombia and around the world.

Give more women a chance

Manuela Arbeláez, CEO and founder of Click Cosmetics

Something very interesting about Click is that it has given the opportunity to more than 800 people to have more financial opportunities and to grow alongside them. They even have training plans for digital marketing to open a digital store, I taught them

“It has been very nice because with a cell phone they can start selling, we even have alliances to give them credit, many women have created their companies through ours, they have thanked me because they have been able to buy their house, pay for university of their children, they have their equipment, they set up shops and sell large quantities. They have been the ones who have made my company grow, for me the success of Click has been due to the women and men who believe and undertake with our products.”

The challenges of this industry

Arbeláez says that with the pandemic, major challenges appeared, one was the shortage of raw materials, and especially considering that some come from Brazil and Europe, this added to the container crisis where prices rose by 30 or 40% when dealing, for For example, packaging.

“In terms of formulation, my priority is quality. It has taken me up to two years to release a product, I have to be 100% convinced, I have to fall in love with the product, the quality, the aroma, the functionality. I choose ingredients carefully, among them you can see chili, borojó, lemon, coffee, rice, avocado and many more, which today are the success of the testimonies that have positioned us in networks and made us the reference that we are. In this market it is somewhat risky because products come out all the time, but I prefer to delay to have the quality of a product with all the innovation behind it.”

Regarding innovation, he says that he is one of the first companies in Colombia that seeks to have only 100% biodegradable packaging. He says that, although it is difficult due to costs, he wants people to feel that they are an environmentally conscious brand, and they even expand it. towards formulation with non-polluting products, with ingredients that do not affect water sources or soil, but characterized by proven results.

Her advice for other women

Manuela Arbeláez, CEO and founder of Click Cosmetics

The businesswoman says that the most important thing is that one must love what one does. “If there are already difficult days when you do what you love, now imagine if you don't like it, it is fatal, sooner or later you are going to abandon it because you don't vibrate with that, because you know that it is not your purpose in life.”

Her second piece of advice is to persevere, because for her success is the result of perseverance and the effort of getting up every morning and seeing that if something did not work, you have to think of another strategy, that if there were failures in the past, they will not be You can give up, you have to work harder, not lose sight of the objective, analyze, improve and continue.

“The third is believing in yourself. Look at me, all the doors that were closed to me, but if you don't believe in yourself, no one is going to do it, if you don't trust in yourself, no one will do it, if you strive for what you envisioned, it's because you can achieve it, you must fight and find a way. , because if you were born for this it is because you are going to end up doing it, it is a matter of a sense of belonging, self-love and believing in it.”

His last piece of advice is to innovate and not be afraid to do so, not to bring more of the same to the market but to do it differently. In fact, he says that one of Click's competitive advantages is that people see the brand as unique for its innovative products. like the kit for cold waves at home “it is a matter of starting to give free rein to those dreams and make them come true.”

Your look to the future

Businesswoman Arbeláez reveals that what is coming for Click is growth in its portfolio, that they have focused on the hair part, it is their forte, but they want to explore new products for the face, body and even focus more on food after the success of Click Gummies, designed to enhance hair growth. “I had very long hair and I said, I'm going to cut it to show that gummies work, and they do.”

In the future they want to strengthen their allies for faster deliveries. They currently work in cities such as Cali, Barranquilla, Bogotá and Medellín that have warehouses to ship more quickly.

In the medium term, it will launch a new brand, By Me Cosmetics, focused on functional cosmetics for men and women, inspired by nature. It hopes that, by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024, it will bring to the market about 20 products that cover all needs, so that people have all the products in one place at home.

“Looking back, Hair Perfume made the brand recognized and gave us financial muscle. Currently there are thousands of people who we have impacted with our products, giving them back their security and self-love, helping them recover their hair after diseases such as alopecia and even cancer. We moved away from the best-known chemical product and there I found chili as a replacement. Moving forward I know that what is coming will be innovative, with quality and continuous improvement,” concludes Manuela Arbeláez, founder of Click Cosmetics.

More information at clickcosmetics.com.co