After more than a decade in the beauty industry, even Shannon Erley felt overwhelmed by skincare treatment options.
“I found that I was still struggling with my skin. The beauty industry is so incredibly crowded that I was even having a hard time finding products that worked for me and my skin,” she told Colorado Inno.
As most people don’t have the time, money or interest in seeing a dermatologist or esthetician, Erley began looking for a way to bring those services to a wide audience.
“I wanted to bridge the gap of the professional side of skincare and bring it to the masses,” she said.
After nearly two years of research and development, Erley launched Denver-based Pomp, a consumer skincare platform that leverages professionals to offer unique product recommendations.
The process is simple, customers fill out a short questionnaire about their skin type and budget, and that gets sent to one of Pomp’s estheticians.
Within 24 hours, customers will receive a text from a skincare professional who will ask a few follow up questions. Estheticians then make product recommendations based on skin type and concerns and add the recommended products to the cart, allowing the customer to checkout through Pomp.
“Because we are cherry picking the best products for the customer, we aren’t pidgin-holed into choosing one brand,” Erley said.
Once in their cart, Pomp customers can add or delete products before ordering.
As they have direct relationships with the brands they sell, Pomp takes a cut of each transaction and also pays its estheticians for interacting with customers.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down many skincare businesses, Erley said Pomp has become a new avenue for estheticians and dermatologists to continue making money and offering their skills.
“I have an overabundance of skincare professionals that are providing content,” she said.
The company, which soft launched late last year, is taking part in San Diego accelerator Ad Astra and is in the process of raising a $1 million seed round. Erley said the current pandemic has slowed her fundraise, though she’s still moving forward.
“There is still some movement on it, but I have definitely pulled back my efforts and how aggressive I’ve been,” she said.
Launching a new venture is always a tall task, especially so during a global pandemic. Erley said she’s trusting in her product and forging on during this uncertain time.
“If anything, what I have learned from this is to really lean in,” she said. “It’s been challenging, but really eye-opening for me to keep pushing forward.”
