01.08.07
Building a Market Leader
American International Industries is cementing a foothold in the personal care sector, one brand buyout at a time.
By Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor
Revlon, Estée Lauder, Procter & Gamble, Coty, American International Industries – wait, what’s that last one? Why American International Industries is only one of the largest privately-held manufacturers and distributors of beauty and skin care products in the United States. Helmed by president and CEO Zvi Ryzman since the company’s inception, American International Industries (AII) has steadily built a cache of retail and professional brands spanning nail lacquers and related acrylic nail products, anti-acne solutions, hair colorants and depilatories by scooping up brands and reinvigorating them with a dose of panache.
Purist Naturals includes a cocktail of botanical extracts. |
But just how much AII is worth, is anyone’s guess. Mr. Ryzman is decidedly tight-lipped when it comes to revealing his company’s annual sales, but he does admit sales have grown 18% over the last five years.
AII’s Los Angeles, CA-based corporate headquarters is situated within a 250,000-square-foot facility used for on-site manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Managing the production of so many brands is no easy feat, but Mr. Ryzman attributes the success to the long-standing, tight-knit nature of his operation. “I have the best team in the business,” he exclaims. “We have been together for years and work well together.”
Of the company’s brand categories, the most successful in 2006 were hair removal, nail care and false eyelashes, and Ryzman predicts they will remain strong in 2007 as well.
Among AII’s latest new product launches is Blush, a 12-color spring collection within its China Glaze nail lacquer line. The company also added to its Gena family of pedicure products designed for salon professionals with the debut of spaCaviar, the brand’s first-ever regimen of “age-reversing” hand care products. The line’s Hand Crème, Hand Mask, Hand Serum, Hand Scrub and Nail & Cuticle Crème are formulated with “extracts of moisturizing caviar with peptides,” concentrations of essential amino acids, vitamins A, D, E, B2 and B6, plus marine DNA to strengthen nails and pamper hands.
Blush is AII's new spring coor collection. |
Beyond initiating more new product launches, Mr. Ryzman’s plans for 2007 don’t stray too far from the blueprint his company has followed each year since the its inception – with more acquisitions, of course. “I am always keeping an eye out for companies with strong brand names but they are struggling with distribution or management issues,” he says. “If they are contemplating an exit strategy, I hope they will talk to me.”