Production

PRODUCTION

Let’s talk about production, what makes it special, and its strengths. To understand its essence, let’s rewind back to 2015.

I took full responsibility: from design to production. On one hand, this meant sacrificing my personal life entirely and fully committing to my craft. On the other hand, I understood that I would evolve and grow alongside the brand. So, I made a pact with fate and embarked on this journey.

For the first two years, all production was done at home. We caught the wave of popularity and surged forward. The formulas were basic: shea butter, palm oil, beeswax, various types of liquid oils, and perfume fragrance. Sales kept growing, but I knew everything had its limits, and sooner or later, it would all come to an end — such are the laws of the market.

That happened in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Many brands didn’t survive the crisis. What saved us was the rebranding I started in 2018, not just in design but also investing heavily in modernizing formulas to be more technologically advanced.

The market began to transform; oily balms were no longer in demand: they were greasy, difficult to apply, didn’t perform well under the sun, and their main strength was just one thing — intense fragrance retention. Water-based products entered the market: creams, hybrids.

The challenge of manufacturing water-based products lies in completely changing everything if the initial setup was for oil-based formulas. It’s different in every aspect. Thus, we faced numerous issues: water evaporation, mold, oxidation, color loss, and fragrance loss. But life goes on, and there’s always work to be done. It’s good to have work and bad when there isn’t any.

So, what’s the difference between oil-based and water-based production? Oil-based is a single-phase system: ingredients are added sequentially into a container, mixed, and then ready for filling. The crucial part is giving the product a pause before sealing; otherwise, the fragrance deteriorates.

Water-based is a 3-4 phase system. You need a reactor (custom-designed for your unique formulas) that maintains the right temperature to blend oil with water. Two phases are oil-based, requiring rapid melting due to their propensity to evaporate quickly. This necessitates a large mixer to break down the clumps of kaolin effectively. Once the oil and water are combined, a final phase involves components that were melted separately to enhance reactions and facilitate quicker cooling of the reactor. Mastering these intricacies involved years of experimentation and challenges, but the pain has been worth it.

Over time, we observed many competing brands on the domestic market shutting down production and outsourcing their operations. They shifted focus solely to marketing, often neglecting substantial product development. The challenges we faced, including a small domestic market and fierce competition from import brands, pushed us to reconsider our approach. Our pivotal moment came in 2021 when we conducted a critical product analysis of our competitors. We found their quality lacking, relying heavily on cost-cutting measures and marketing. This realization highlighted that we could not afford subpar products in the international market.

The Ukrainian market’s position internationally demanded high standards, and with the absence of the skills to tackle such challenges, we had to evolve. Despite occasional missteps in product deliveries and the ensuing critiques, our community’s enduring support has been unwavering. It was unthinkable to entrust our brand to others. Thus, our journey forward involves strengthening and expanding our production of men’s cosmetics.

A turning point was the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which we successfully halted, securing our independence. We now possess excellent design, rich fragrances, and high-quality products. However, our brand lacked the essential element of national and product origin image until 2022. Now that foundation is solidified, heralding a new era for our brand. It feels like we are just at the beginning of this transformative path.

Author of the article:

Nazar Eduardovych Zinenko,

CEO of Scissor Hands™

Editor:

Kurylo Svitlana Pavlivna

Photo edition:

Vavrynkyuk Ksenia Grygorivna