Colour theory: GoPlay moves to target US market with new and improved DIY lipstick system

GoPlay's Lipskit is a make-up tool that lets you make any lip colour in various textures, from long-lasting opaque mattes to sheer tints.

Since unveiling the Lipskit in August 2019, the beauty market has experienced huge shifts triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of which impacted the beauty start-up greatly.

Like many online direct-to-consumer brands, it benefitted greatly from the great online shift of 2020.

“There were no testers in the market, and people were moving to online shopping. At the same, time long-lasting lipsticks came into play because of masks. All of a sudden, things were playing in our favour,” ​said Mugdha Hedaoo, founder of GoPlay and creator of the Lipskit.

At the same time, the pandemic had also created hurdles for the brand in terms of supply chain. However, Hedaoo saw the delays and disruptions as a time to make improvements.

The introspective period resulted in new packaging, improved product quality and a new direction for the GoPlay Lipskit.

“What came as another result of COVID was that consumers now wanted personalised solutions. They don’t want and do any more trial and error; they don’t want to buy and see how it works,” ​said Hedaoo.

To play up the personalisation aspect of the Lipskit, the firm developed a mobile application that educates users on colour theory and help them find the most suitable lip colours.

“We have a set of questions that help consumers identify their colour seasons, which takes into account hair, eye and skin colour as well as undertone. There are four colour seasons and within them there are sub-seasons as well. For instance, you could be a cool winter,”​ explained Hedaoo.

“Once you understand what your colour season is, it is super powerful for you and you won’t have to select mindlessly.”​

The application will recommend a suitable choice of colour kit, cool or warm, and offer colour recipes that will most suit their colour season.

The brand also plays into the increasing focus on conscious consumerism, which has pushed beauty giants like L’Oréal to publicly commit to 100% eco-friendly packaging by 2025.

“There’s a whole sustainability angle [to the Lipskit] and with people moving towards more sustainable practices, that has accelerated our messaging and because that’s what resonates with people today,” ​said Hedaoo.

New pastures​

This year, the company launched a 30-day Kickstarter campaign that saw it exceed its goals by 800%. At the moment, it is also raising funds via another crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, which it will continue until it can fulfil orders in November.

The crowdfunding initiatives have introduced the Lipskit to an international audience and opened new possibilities for the firm, namely in the US.

“The US has become our default audience after the Kickstarter campaign, so now we are looking to ride that momentum and push the product more in the US market. Our website is undergoing some changes at the moment and it will be optimised for the US market. We are also working with some agencies in the US,”​ said Hedaoo.

The US market will be a big focus for the company in the next year. At the same time, it is also planning to launch two more new products – a personalised eye and face kit.

The company’s target is to reach its goal of U$2m in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2022.

Once it does, it will also be looking at improving its mobile application with functions such as virtual try-on.