- Business In Focus

The Secret of
Beautiful Skin
AS FEATURED IN BUSINESS IN FOCUS CANADA
AUGUST 2013
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AUGUST ISSUE | 2013
The Secret of
Beautiful Skin
BUSINESS IN FOCUS
Written by Claire Suttles
Elizabeth Grant Skin Care is a family owned Ontario based
company offering a wide variety of luxury skin care and
beauty products. Just a few years ago, the business was a
small startup operating out of a North York basement; today,
the team runs a 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility
and sells product in seven countries around the world.
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T
he secret behind Elizabeth Grant Skin Care’s impressive growth is very simple, President Marion Witz insists.
“We offer a phenomenal product. We became very successful because our customers love the product.”
The popularity and effectiveness of the company’s products
can be largely attributed to a very special ingredient known as
Torricelumn™. The story behind this remarkably effective compound began over 65 years ago, when a young Englishwoman
was injured during World War II. Elizabeth Grant was walking
down the street when a bomb exploded nearby, sending
shrapnel flying into her face. The injuries were devastating.
“And in those days they didn’t have anything [to help treat the
injuries],” Ms. Witz reports. “When she went to the hospital and
they were removing the glass, the doctor said, ‘you are going
to be scarred.’” Ms. Grant gave up hope of ever regaining her
beauty.
“The popularity and effectiveness of the company’s products
can be largely attributed to a
very special ingredient known as
Torricelumn™.”
Then she stumbled upon an intriguing article in a medical
journal. Her doctor had left the publication in the waiting
room and she flipped through it as she waited to be seen. “She
jokes that she didn’t have Vogue magazine to read so she read
the journal,” Ms. Witz laughs. Ironically, the journal featured a
write up on Torricelumn™, a compound that was being used
to treat wounded soldiers on the front lines. Ms. Grant realized
that she might have found exactly was she had been desperately wishing for. But when she asked the doctor about the
unique, kelp derived chemical, he simply smiled and condescendingly replied, “Oh, my dear, this is nothing that you would
understand.”
Ms. Grant was undeterred. “She has a photographic memory
and she memorized the information,” Ms. Witz reports. Ms.
Grant took this information to a chemist and asked him to
make a batch of Torricelumn™ for her. The chemist argued that
the compound was only being used to treat battle injuries. It
had never been used as a cosmetic before. Ms. Grant would
not take no for an answer, pointing out that she, too was a war
victim. The chemist relented and Ms. Grant applied the special
BUSINESS IN FOCUS
serum to her skin every day for several months.
The results were far better than Ms. Grant had ever hoped for.
“It actually healed her skin,” Ms. Witz reports. “Her skin became
perfect.” Ms. Grant was thrilled, “but she never thought that
she would launch a skincare line.” In fact, her first sale happened entirely unintentionally. Ms. Grant worked as a makeup
artist, and an actress she made up commented on Ms. Grant’s
lovely skin. When Ms. Grant told the story of her once scarred
face, the actress begged to try the serum. A month later, the
actress came back for more. And a new name in cosmetics
was born.
Ms. Grant ran the company for many years before eventually
retiring. Ms. Witz, meanwhile, had a strong background in business and a successful career, and she immediately saw the potential to restart Elizabeth Grant Skin Care in Canada. Her instincts quickly proved correct. “We have had incredible success
in Canada,” Ms. Witz points out. “We have seen growth every
year. The economy is tough but we have been able to ride it
out.”
“We have had incredible success
in Canada. We have seen growth
every year.”
A key strategy behind this success has been to manufacture all
product in-house. As a result, “we are in control of the entire
operation.” The team also develops the product themselves.
“We have an incredible research lab,” Ms. Witz reports. “We are
constantly looking for new ways to make our products better.”
This includes improving their Torricelumn™ formula, which
Elizabeth Grant Skin Care includes in every product except its
perfumes. “We’ve refined it, we’ve improved upon it,” Ms. Witz
explains. “It’s what sets us apart.”
“A key strategy behind the company’s success has been to manufacture all product in-house.”
The bottom line, Ms. Witz says, is that Torricelumn™ works. “It
puts that bounce back into your skin. It makes it hydrated and
plump. It makes it look younger.” The proof of this statement
is demonstrated by the product loyalty of satisfied consumers
around the world. “We have an incredibly loyal customer base,”
Ms. Witz points out. “We have customers today that we had
15 years ago. And in [the beauty industry], it is a really difficult
thing to keep a customer.”
Elizabeth’s Grant Skin Care’s marketing strategy has also been
an important key to success. “We made the decision when we
started up the business again that we were only going to sell
on television. And that has been a very good decision for us.”
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team have the freedom they need to exercise their talents and
utilize their experience. “I let people manage their departments,” she explains. “I am not a president who does everything. I have empowered [my employees] and watched them
do the right thing for the company. So this is not a ‘me’ thing.
This is something that we have done together. Together we are
able to make it possible.”
The supportive environment that Ms. Witz fosters is an important part of the company’s culture. “Elizabeth Grant Skin Care
is a company where everybody likes to come to work,” Ms.
Witz says. “It is a feel good company,” and not surprisingly, this
positive work environment has led to a high employee retention rate. “We still have people who have been with us since
day one,” Ms. Witz shares. The biggest secret behind this high
level of employee satisfaction, she says, is respect. “We have
a culture of respecting everybody. It doesn’t matter what job
anybody does in this company, everyone is respected for what
they do.”
“We have an incredibly loyal
customer base; we have customers today that we had 15 years
ago.”
Television gave the company the early exposure it needed.
“We were able to get our product out there,” Ms. Witz remarks.
“It really worked for us, 100 percent.” Television sales were so
strong, in fact, that Elizabeth Grant Skin Care soon went on air
in England, Australia, the United States, and Germany. “And
with each new channel that we were on, we replicated our
success from Canada.”
Careful planning and strong management have also been
foundational to the company’s success. “Wrong decisions cost
a company a lot,” Ms. Witz points out. “[We] overcame just by
making the right decisions.” Fortunately, Ms. Witz is a strong
decision maker and natural leader. She has been recognized
multiple times for her accomplishments in business, including being named one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in
Canada for seven years in a row. However, she is quick to credit
the rest of the team as well. “It isn’t all about me. It is about the
people who I have employed. I have good people around me.
I have a very good team.”
She believes that effective management means letting her
The company’s support extends to the wider community as
well. Margot Grant Witz, Vice President of Creative Global Direction, spearheads EG Cares, the business’ Charitable Fund.
The initiative was established to assist diverse charitable groups
BUSINESS IN FOCUS
with donations of money and product. EG Cares supports over
a dozen charities and is particularly committed to helping
women recover from diseases that severely damage the skin.
that will manufacture products for other companies. It is a
natural next step, Ms. Witz points out. “We make great creams
and lotions. We can make anything in a bottle.”
Elizabeth Grant Skin Care has enjoyed remarkable success –
and the team is eager to expand and improve even more. The
next major push will be a move into the Canadian retail market.
The Socializer™ is the first product line that the company plans
to sell in stores. It is also the first product line specifically designed for stylish young women with an active lifestyle. “It is
very much for girls on the go,” Ms. Witz reports. “It is about
bringing in a younger customer.”
The team is confident that these new ventures will take off.
“Things are looking very bright for our company,” Ms. Witz
remarks. “We have been able to steer the company well and
really take the company to a great place.”
“The team is eager to expand
and improve even more. The
next major push will be a move
into the Canadian retail market.”
The team also plans to start selling its products on China’s
shopping network. And, in a totally new direction, Elizabeth
Grant Skin Care is creating a subdivision called Swisspharme™
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Elizabeth Grant
375 Kennedy Road
Toronto, ON M1K 2A1
P: (416) 510-0299
TF: 1-877-751-1999
F: (416) 510-0949
www.elizabethgrant.com
www.consbottle.com
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