Playing with colour: Singaporean beauty start-up launches DIY lipstick system

According to Mugdha Hedaoo, founder and creator of the GoPlay Lipskit, beauty consumers have three major problems when it comes to buying lipstick: unhygienic testers, inaccurate store lightening and the discontinuation of lipstick products.

“Personally, I also realised how much waste the cosmetics industry generates when I was moving and found boxes of barely used products. I know I’m not alone. Most people have had similar experiences. That’s why I created this solution,” ​she added.

Development process

GoPlay Lipskit took about a year to develop. The whole system consists of a holder and five slots for cartridges that dispense liquid lipstick formulas in red, yellow, blue, white and black.

The formulas are dispensed into reusable jars that can be attached securely to the holder.

Hedaoo, who is an engineer by training, assures that the system is easy to use and “newbie-friendly”.  ​Users simply need to pump the colours into the jar and mix with the brush that comes with the jar.

Each kit also comes with a list of colour ‘recipes’ that help users create their own bespoke lip colour.

“The first challenge was to source the right dispenser. These dispensers release the same amount of liquid every time so we can recreate a colour accurately. This is especially important for newbies who don’t understand colour theory,” ​explained Hedaoo.

The liquid lipsticks itself are made with ‘high-quality ingredients’ sourced from countries such as the US. According to Hedaoo, the lipsticks were specially formulated not to dry out so quickly in a jar.

By default, the liquid lipsticks dry down to a matte finish. However, consumers can add the brand’s Moisture Drops to change the texture.

“Eventually, the plan to create more types of drops so people can create more textures like satin, lustre or glossy,”​ said Hedaoo.

Expansion plans

Since launching the device at the beginning of August, the brand is already generating a lot of interest.

“It is performing better than expected. We are already in talks with multi-brand boutiques in Singapore about selling on consignment,” ​said Hedaoo.

She added that the launch also highlighted the need to bring the brand offline.

“We are getting many enquiries about how the system works, after all, it’s completely new. We realised we need to do a lot of education and we need to have some face-to-face time with the consumer, which is why we are looking to do some pop-ups,” ​said Hedaoo.

The company’s first goal is to build up its presence in Singapore.

“Singapore is a good test market. It has a good mix of demographics with diverse locals and an expat community. As a mature market, Singapore has also reached a point where it is looking for something new. Also, our sustainability angle works better in a mature market,” ​said Hedaoo.

The long-term goal for the company is to expand into other markets.

“With Singapore as the headquarters, I definitely see us expanding around Southeast Asia. Then India, Australia and the US, where we are getting a lot of queries.”​

Not a one-trick company

According to Hedaoo, one of her biggest fears is that consumers will treat Lipskit as a novelty. Which is why she is actively developing initiatives to keep consumers coming back.

“We have plans to come up with a mobile application very soon, it is the next step. Essentially, it is a colour picker. You can take a picture of a colour or choose one from a spectrum and the app will formulate a recipe for you,” ​she said.

With the app, she also hopes to foster a GoPlay community, where consumers can share their creations or their own recipes.

Eventually, Hedaoo hopes to launch more colour cosmetics such as blusher or eyeshadows.

“This is not a one product company. The aim is to reduce the consumer dependency on brands to lead them.”​