Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Patrick-André Wilhelm, Beautymates: Beautymates stands for vegan, highly concentrated active ingredient cosmetics as a personalized skincare concept. We see ourselves as a community brand, as all products are developed exclusively with the community. With the Beautymates Mix & Match System, every customer can find the perfect skincare routine for their specific skin needs, as all products can be combined with one another, and the intensity is individually determined.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Patrick-André Wilhelm: During my 15 years in the E-commerce At leading cosmetic brands, I found that most of the products from other beauty companies were not tailored to the needs of the customers and that the customers were not involved in the development process - but that is exactly who the products are made for.
AI analyzes skin based on a selfie
Beautymates focuses directly on the customer – customers approach us with their needs and desires, and together with them and top-class experts, we develop our highly concentrated boosters. This is precisely where we differ from other companies, which dictate or create their customers' skin needs.
It's important to us that every customer finds their optimal skincare routine with us. We want to give the skin only what it needs—no more, no less. All products can be combined or used alone. To ensure the best possible skincare experience, we also support our customers with our consulting tools, such as the 3-step skin consultation using our questionnaire and artificial intelligence, which analyzes the skin based on a selfie and suggests the right products.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Patrick-André Wilhelm: I wanted to develop highly concentrated, effective cosmetics and thus create a beauty brand whose products are not only individually tailored to the customers' skin needs, but also involve the community in product development from the very beginning.
I started my vision alone, working from home. With reliable partners from my network of skin experts, developers, and scientists, and my many years of e-commerce expertise, I was soon able to launch the first products. Close collaboration with consumers and influencers was, and still is, an important part of Beautymates.
This has resulted in a series of nine boosters and two creams. The products are designed to be one thing: simple and uncomplicated. The highly effective ingredients absorb quickly, boost the skin, and give it exactly what it needs. Reduced to the maximum, because our boosters contain highly concentrated active ingredients, some of the highest concentrations on the market.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Patrick-André Wilhelm: As a startup, you always have to contend with various challenges. As a new, largely unknown online beauty brand, we had to deal with the shift of marketing activities of the big players to e-commerce at the beginning of COVID. We were forced to rapidly adapt our strategy and our measures with a small team. We were able to draw on our many years of e-commerce expertise, which quickly got us back into the game.
However, we have learned that we can act particularly effectively in times of crisis and adapt quickly to new circumstances – such as, unfortunately, the current international conflicts and their effects.
New markets and additional products
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Patrick-André Wilhelm: Since its founding in 2019, the startup has grown continuously every year. We plan to expand our omni-channel strategy (possibly offline markets) to further diversify our risk. In the coming years, we also plan to conquer new markets outside of the EU and develop additional products with the highest concentrations of active ingredients.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Patrick-André Wilhelm: We are very satisfied with the startup ecosystem. The proximity to key partners and the high concentration of skilled workers are particularly attractive. The proximity to markets such as Switzerland, Austria, and other EU countries is also a major advantage.
Munich Startup: Long breath or quick exit?
Patrick-André Wilhelm: We are currently focusing on further growth and developing new products together with our community.
