With a focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs from around Greater Philadelphia, "The Creators" is a weekly feature presented as a part of PHL Inno. Check back each Monday for a new story on a local business. Have a story you think we should know about? Email associate editor Lisa Dukart at ldukart@bizjournals.com.
“Nothing great comes from a comfortable spot.”
That’s what Christopher Cieri told himself several years ago.
Having grown comfortable in his role as the vice president of Philadelphia information technology company Springboard Media, Cieri challenged himself to break free of that comfort and pursue something new and unknown.
The result was skincare brand Franklin & Whitman, which debuted in 2015.
While the company is thriving today – its products are used in the spa at the recently opened W Hotel in Philadelphia, at several of Lokal’s boutique accommodations, and in the celebrity-founded Kinder Beauty Box – it began modestly in a South Philly basement.
Its genesis came about by chance. Cieri decided to grow a beard that November for Movember – a foundation that challenges participants to not shave for the month to raise awareness of men’s health issues. As his facial hair grew, it became itchy, so a friend told him about beard-specific grooming products like oils and balms. They all had a “stereotypical masculine spicy, woodsy, musky scent, which I don't like,” said Cieri, who prefers floral and citrus notes.
Ordering essential oils, Cieri began tinkering with different combinations and created a bergamot, vanilla and lavender formula that he liked. Soon, others were asking about it and Cieri found himself making small batches for friends.
At the same time, mounting frustration at his day job led Cieri to incorporate and develop a plan to sell his products via e-commerce. Marketing would be through social media.
The business remained in his South Philadelphia basement and the products soon expanded beyond beard care. Franklin & Whitman — named for Benjamin Franklin and Walt Whitman — developed into a skincare line.
The brand differentiates itself by focusing on food-grade ingredients that are PETA-certified cruelty free and vegan.
As a part of his business model, Cieri also committed to giving back, donating a portion of every sale to dog rescues, something he’s expanded on through pop-up events. “I want to have these business ideals and these foundations and promises that I believe in,” Cieri recalls of his initial vision. “I just want to leave the world a little bit of a better place than how I found it.” To date, he estimates he’s donated $48,000 through the combined initiatives.
Franklin & Whitman eventually outgrew the basement, moving to the Bok building in South Philadelphia in 2017. The business occupies about 3,000 square feet there, most of which is dedicated to Franklin & Whitman, though Cieri’s new side hustle, a photography studio, also shares the space.
After the move, Cieri spent another year splitting his time between his VP job and Franklin & Whitman until it became too much. With his passion firmly entrenched in Franklin & Whitman, he decided to leave Springboard in May 2018.
Since then, his skincare line has grown exponentially and is now up to 68 products. They range from best sellers like facial serum, cleanser, toner and clay masks to a belly serum intended to help with stretch marks, as well as hair and nail care products.
Each of those products begins its journey the same way it did when Cieri first launched – by mixing ingredients and testing them on himself. His family and friends also aid with testing and when products are almost ready to market, he taps a select group for additional feedback. Cieri, a Saint Joseph’s University grad, admits his process can sometimes take months or years, with starts and stops along the way for certain products, while others come together much more quickly.
“The most important thing is to put it in my customers' hands, human beings' hands, and it work for them, while still meeting all of our brand promises,” he said. “It's emotional currency, this trust that people put in you.”
That’s not something he takes lightly.
Continuing to make products on-site by hand using original formulas, the products and the brand’s ethos have caught the attention of some high-profile individuals. Franklin & Whitman has been tapped for inclusion in the cruelty-free and vegan Kinder Beauty Box, which was founded by actors Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter franchise, and Daniella Monet of Nickelodeon show "Victorious." A subscription box, Cieri anticipates such ventures becoming a bigger part of his revenue stream in future. In the fourth quarter, Cieri is fulfilling two orders for Kinder of 15,000 items each.
The celebrity cachet doesn’t end there. Franklin & Whitman products were tapped for behind-the-scenes use in the 2020 Philadelphia-based season of “Queer Eye” on Netflix, and made their way on-screen, too.
Recently, the brand landed a deal for use of about a dozen products in the newly opened Philadelphia outpost of W Hotel’s spa, which is also selling a selection.
Cieri has also landed a deal with Lokal, the hospitality brand behind boutique hotels in Old City and Fishtown, plus A-Frame Boutique Luxury Cabin and Cape May Micro-Resort in New Jersey. At select properties, Franklin & Whitman supplies shampoo, conditioner, hand soap and body wash for the rooms, which are shoppable.
As the business continues to grow, Cieri will have to decide in which direction. At present, he’s the only full-time employee but has part-time staff, many of them college students.
Today, revenue is between $500,000 and $1 million a year, Cieri said. “There's been steady growth since I first started.”
The Philadelphia native just finished paying off the loans he took to launch the business, which was entirely self-funded. As he eyes $1 million in annual revenue, Cieri is looking to reassess what the next chapter will look like and which revenue streams he’ll further pursue.
Whatever direction he chooses, Franklin & Whitman will remain true to the brand’s roots. “This vehicle is not for me to get wealthy, it's for me to … do some good in the world and prove that you can run a healthy company [and] help people's lives…,” he said.
Franklin & Whitman products appeared on Season 5 of "Queer Eye," which was filmed in Greater Philadelphia. How did that come about?
They just reached out. I thought it was a scam. I had to wait like a year and a half – I didn't know if any of them would show up. And then I watched that season and we wound up popping up in three episodes. I cried like a baby when it happened. It's this cool thing, this show I love and to have Jonathan [Van Ness] putting our mask on with our brush and our bowl and me seeing our jar there.
You’re in a number of Whole Foods locations, too.
We're in like 15 regional [Whole Foods]. The funny thing is we're not in the South Street location. … A couple of them are in Pittsburgh. And then the local buyer from Philadelphia left to go to Colorado and she loved our stuff so much and just became such a friend of the brand that she was like, 'I'm going to try to get you into Whole Foods in Colorado.' They actually opened up a new concept called Ideal Market in Denver and we're [stocked there]. They're probably one of our top locations.
You launched with men’s products. Are men still a big part of your target demographic?
All of our products are for men. I don't market it that way and I have to do a much better job of that. ... Our product doesn't hit "male" skin or "female" skin. It's skin. … It's for everyone. We have some men's grooming products, absolutely, but I would love if our customer population was made up more of men because it would mean that they were taking care of themselves.
How did the Kinder Beauty Box partnership come about?
I feel like we've grown up with them. These two actors that are famous started this company that's vegan and cruelty free and I remember Daniella Monet [direct messaged] me. … Our first order with them was like 800 units and now they're at 15,000.
What’s next for Franklin & Whitman?
Hopefully the launch of a deodorant. I have a whole line of home cleaning products that I want to start. My view is if you trust us on your face, you can trust us on your kitchen countertop. We can do things the right way, make sure it's biodegradable and it's clean and it's plant-based, but it still cleans. They're all the things I'm working on now. It might be next year, it might in 2023.
