07.01.21
ilona, inc.
(Formerly, Ilona of Hungary)
Ilona, President & Founder
Headquarters: Denver, CO
Founded: 1971
Celebrating her brand’s 50th anniversary this year, Ilona Beauty’s namesake president and founder has had her fingers on the pulse of the beauty industry since 1971. With her son Robert Makari as CEO, Ilona remains involved with every formulation.
Your brand has been active in the US since the early 1970s. What do you consider to be the biggest change in the beauty business during the past 50 years?
Everything has changed since the company’s founding in 1971—it is almost unrecognizable. The proliferation of skin care is one of the most notable. Today, cosmetics and beauty marketing are so seductive the public is easily influenced into a purchase that does not necessarily benefit their skin. For example, a client suffered from adult acne sought anti-aging products due to her age, not her true skin condition.
What has remained the same?
The desire to remain young and youthful looking will always be a trait of the human psyche.
Do you have a formulation philosophy? What is it?
It is more a quality and integrity philosophy. I have often said ‘any product that has touched your skin, has first touched mine.’ We have and continue to enjoy working with many of the beauty industry’s top chemists and laboratories, but insist every product meets our seven ideal principals: performance, efficacy, texture, touch, luxury, aroma and quality. I do not think these qualities are changing anytime soon.
Your son is CEO. What are his strengths? And, what do you love about working with him?
My son Robert was introduced to the industry at a very young age. We often brought work home which the family participated. He loves every facet of the business from the minutiae to the grand scale. He is my alter ego if there ever was one. After college, Robert immersed himself in the DNA of the company, its manufacturing and products, packaging, finance, trademarks—everything. There is no department he is not fluent or unfamiliar.
As a female founder and an indie company, do you have advice for young entrepreneurs?
The beauty business is more work than glamour. Be prepared for disappointment—not everyone will recognize your genius. Be thankful for opportunities this country provides and the spirit of capitalism behind every great idea. All you need is already within you.
(Formerly, Ilona of Hungary)
Ilona, President & Founder
Headquarters: Denver, CO
Founded: 1971
Celebrating her brand’s 50th anniversary this year, Ilona Beauty’s namesake president and founder has had her fingers on the pulse of the beauty industry since 1971. With her son Robert Makari as CEO, Ilona remains involved with every formulation.
Your brand has been active in the US since the early 1970s. What do you consider to be the biggest change in the beauty business during the past 50 years?
Everything has changed since the company’s founding in 1971—it is almost unrecognizable. The proliferation of skin care is one of the most notable. Today, cosmetics and beauty marketing are so seductive the public is easily influenced into a purchase that does not necessarily benefit their skin. For example, a client suffered from adult acne sought anti-aging products due to her age, not her true skin condition.
What has remained the same?
The desire to remain young and youthful looking will always be a trait of the human psyche.
Do you have a formulation philosophy? What is it?
It is more a quality and integrity philosophy. I have often said ‘any product that has touched your skin, has first touched mine.’ We have and continue to enjoy working with many of the beauty industry’s top chemists and laboratories, but insist every product meets our seven ideal principals: performance, efficacy, texture, touch, luxury, aroma and quality. I do not think these qualities are changing anytime soon.
Your son is CEO. What are his strengths? And, what do you love about working with him?
My son Robert was introduced to the industry at a very young age. We often brought work home which the family participated. He loves every facet of the business from the minutiae to the grand scale. He is my alter ego if there ever was one. After college, Robert immersed himself in the DNA of the company, its manufacturing and products, packaging, finance, trademarks—everything. There is no department he is not fluent or unfamiliar.
As a female founder and an indie company, do you have advice for young entrepreneurs?
The beauty business is more work than glamour. Be prepared for disappointment—not everyone will recognize your genius. Be thankful for opportunities this country provides and the spirit of capitalism behind every great idea. All you need is already within you.
Richard Walker, founder of Dr Botanicals, asks: Which is best to focus on first for a socially and environmentally friendly business—creating a product and service that complies with these ethical standards or to take an existing product and service and reshaping it to be socially and environmentally responsible? “The two are not mutually exclusive. One should not give significance over the other. Try not to over-complicate your message; also, do not allow anything to go to waste—neither a good idea or an opportunity.” —Ilona |