TikTok is the perfect platform for savvy marketers looking to get attention. One company that has cracked the viral marketing code is Youthforia, a sustainable makeup line that is revolutionizing how we think about makeup. Founder Fiona Co Chan pitched her brand on Shark Tank and got a deal with Mark Cuban. As of 2023, Youthforia is worth an estimated $5 million.
About the Founder
Fiona Co Chan is an Asian-American beauty entrepreneur based in Miami, Florida. Despite having a strong interest in makeup, she initially studied economics at Dartmouth College.
After getting her bachelor’s degree, she sold advanced software for data centers. Her job required her to stay in cities with bad air pollution and always wore an N95 mask to sleep.
Like many women, she had a tendency to fall asleep wearing makeup which was harmful to her skin. This gave her the motivation to change how makeup was made.
Founding the Company
Chan started her beauty venture during the pandemic. While in quarantine in Hong Kong she had the idea to attend beauty school before launching her startup.
The entrepreneur learned that traditional makeup was made up of a lot of fossil fuels, which are bad for the skin. Instead, she wanted to make skincare products that could serve as an extension of skincare.
Chan slept in the lab samples she created, trying to observe how her skin reacted to each of them. In 2021, she came up with the BYO Blush, which became famous for transforming the wearer’s skin tone.
Getting on Shark Tank
A big part of Fiona’s marketing strategy was using TikTok to promote her brand. In the first year, she attracted 40 million views and over two million likes on the platform.
This turned her business into one of the top beauty brands to come out of TikTok. Renowned publications such as Vogue Business featured Youthforia and the startup became profitable in less than a year.
The ambitious entrepreneur got approached by a producer from Shark Tank to apply for the show. Little did she know the application process was quite thorough and kept in contact with producers for six months! She came into the Tank with an $8 million which is slightly on the high side despite doing $2 million in sales since last April.
After Shark Tank
Although the episode has recently aired, Fiona is expecting to get a surge in sales. The publicity alone from Shark Tank will be huge for the company. Youthforia has now served over 70,000 customers and that figure will easily surpass 100,000 soon. The deal with Mark Cuban should close within the next three months. Hopefully, she won’t pull out after the show like Woobles did to Cuban.
Fiona is planning to expand her product line by starting with eye makeup and foundation. Her products are available to buy at Amazon, BeautyBay, Revolve, Credo Beauty, Ulta and Youthforia.com. Depending on where you live, it will take 5-14 days to receive your order.
BYO Blush is their top-selling product and it has a 4.9 average rating from 366 reviews on their website. They’ve also released a special Shark Tank bundle for $98. Currently, Youthforia is worth around $5 million.
