The Future of Beauty: James Jo of Symphony Beauty On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Beauty Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Invest your time and efforts into taking care of your skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and investing in it would not hurt a soul. Spend an extra 10 minutes a day to finish your skincare routine. Do not pop those pimples even if it is so tempting. Drink water and get enough sleep. It is the small things you do that go a long way.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing James Jo.

From the battlefield to the beauty industry, Former US Marine, James Jo, founded Symphony Beauty as a way to bridge the connection between inner and outer beauty, regardless of budget. In 2015, during his wife’s pregnancy with their second of two daughters, Jo launched Symphony Beauty to create clean, safe, high-quality products his wife (and everyone) could feel confident using regardless of their budget. Under the Symphony Beauty umbrella, Jo founded two brands, Purifect and Clara’s New York, which are now collectively sold at over 6,500 locations and online.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

It’s a long story actually. Back on September 11th, 2001, I witnessed the planes hit the Twin Towers through my apartment window while I was still in college at Parsons School of Design. It was in that moment when I knew that I had to do something to protect my country. I decided to join the Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq soon after.

After serving in Iraq, I came back home and landed a job in the beauty industry. During my decade-long tenure, I travelled to over 24 countries and gained extensive experience in product knowledge, marketing, operations, and sales.

Even though I had a stable career in the industry, I knew it was the time to follow my passion and true calling. I decided to then quit my job and founded Symphony Beauty for my wife, Alicia, who had extremely sensitive skin and difficulty finding skin care that was suitable for her skin type. My goal is to make clean, natural, and high-quality beauty available for everyone.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I think the most interesting story is how I switched from being in the military to being in the beauty industry. These two fields are on seemingly complete opposite sides, and they do not really cross paths often. However, I have managed to use my interchangeable skills to maneuver these two paths and become who I am today. Now I carry serum bottles in the beauty ‘battlefield’.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

One thing about me is I do not measure success using numbers. I value success by the knowledge, experience, networks, and societal impact I have made along the way. Of course, I understand the importance of numbers when seeing how far our company has come; however, I always keep in mind that numbers are not the only way to evaluate achievements but other elements like treating people the right way, launching great products to the market, or giving back to the community are equally, if not, more important. I believe that when we do things the right way, great numbers will come eventually.

I would say the most important takeaways that I would like to share is that people are the biggest and best assets you can have. Having a great team who is passionate about what we do, motivates me every day.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would like to use every chance I get to thank my wife and my team for helping me get to where I am today. My wife has sacrificed so much to support me and my dream because she believes in me and in the company. When we first started Symphony Beauty, Alicia sold her wedding ring to support us. She has been by my side through thick and thin since the beginning of it all. And for my team, I can never be close to where I am today without them, they are as passionate about our goals as I am. We work side by side, day and (sometimes late at) night too, to achieve our goals one by one. And for them, I am truly grateful as well.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

We use nano-emulsion technology to formulate our products. This technology allows a significantly higher potency of active ingredients in skin care and is designed to improve the delivery of those active ingredients, ensuring they penetrate the skin easier and faster. It is valued for its powerful hydrating power as well. All in all, by using nano-emulsion technology to formulate our serums and creams, the products be layered without decreasing the efficacy.

I often say that layering our products is as fun as cocktail mixing. You layer what your skin needs and let the ingredients do the work for you.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

Technologies are created to make our lives easier. It is true that because of new technologies appearing every day, our lives rely more and more on these innovations. I think one thing that we need to keep in mind is to only use technologies when it makes sense. Nothing good comes out of overdoing something and trying to incorporate technologies into every aspect of our lives can do us harm. Know the limits and understand what you truly need.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

1. I am most excited about what artificial intelligence (AI) can do for the skincare industry. As you may know, we are already seeing a lot of major companies use AI to identify and discover the exact skin concerns that consumers have and offer products most suitable to solve those concerns. I am eager to see in 3, 5, or 10 years from now what else AI will do to improve and advance the industry. I also look forward to seeing a lot more personalized experience that AI will create to each individual’s skincare journey.
2. I am also very excited to see what other technologies will appear to improve the quality of skincare products. Up until recently, creams and serums were formulated using micro-emulsions technology. But thanks to the hard work of our scientists, nano-emulsions technology was introduced to improve the delivery of active ingredients. I look forward to seeing more and more technology like this that will help advance the beauty industry.
3. I am eager to see new at-home beauty tech gadgets that will come out in the next 10 years. Right now, we have many cool at-home beauty tech tools like LED mask, face lifting tool, spot treatment tool, or electronic silicone face cleanser. We always have to see what gadgets consumers love to use and see the opportunities to incorporate our existing products in there or come up with new products to respond and lead the trends.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

1. I would like to make the beauty industry more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Up until recently, the beauty industry was not as inclusive and accessible as it is supposed to be. Now we can start to see the change with clean and natural products being more affordable, with skincare items for different age groups, as well as foundation and concealers coming in 30 different skin shades. I want to be a part of this positive change, and I also want to be leading the movements where products are more inclusive and accessible to people of all ages, colors, backgrounds, etc. I know that skincare is a personal journey, and my goal is to make high-quality skin care available for everyone.
2. I know that everything is moving towards the digital world now. Consumers’ buying behavior has shifted since the pandemic with more online purchases being made. I think it is very challenging for every brand and retailer to give consumers the same experience they have in-store, online. However, if brands and retailers can maneuver through this new way of life, many opportunities await in the digital world. Some of the ways that we have incorporated changes for our brands, Purifect and Clara’s New York, is by providing consumers with media such as videos and photos of the products and showing products reviews from customers to support and encourage buying decisions. We have also collaborated with several beauty subscription boxes to share the experience of our products by getting them into the hands of consumers.
3. I understand that the whole beauty industry has a bad reputation when it comes to sustainability. My concern is the environmental impact that the industry, as a whole, has created, and how to do it better. The good news is that a lot of minor and major brands now are focused more and more on creating sustainable formulas and packaging. I think it is the beginning of decade-long work that we all must put in to preserve the only home we have. For Symphony Beauty, we only work with glass jars and bottles because they can be recycled repeatedly. In the coming years, we are working to create even more sustainable packaging and formulas with earth at the top of our mind. We strive to deliver consistent levels of quality, performance, and safety while continuing to work hard to minimize our impact on the environment. Our ultimate goal is to create products that are not only good for skin, but also great for planet.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Invest your time and efforts into taking care of your skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and investing in it would not hurt a soul. Spend an extra 10 minutes a day to finish your skincare routine. Do not pop those pimples even if it is so tempting. Drink water and get enough sleep. It is the small things you do that go a long way.
2. Invest in good skin care. Using skincare products with natural ingredients and cruelty-free formulas can tremendously help with your skin. Both our brands, Purifect and Clara’s New York, offer facial serums and creams that use 90% to 100% natural ingredients. We never use harsh chemicals in any of our products. All the ingredients are sourced from South Korea and the products are made here in the U.S. We are held to the highest standard when it comes to quality, performance, and safety.
3. Take care of your mental and physical health. When you understand what your body wants, that is when you can truly take care of your health. Workout to stay active during the week. Take a rest whenever you need. Do something that will clear your body and mind. You only have one body so you must take care of it.
4. Find something that will bring you joy and happiness. Whether it is a hobby, a routine, an activity, find something that will make you appreciate the moment and the little aspects of life. For me, I love golfing and spending time with my family. Golfing brings me joy and helps clear my mind, and my wife and two daughters bring happiness and laughter into my life.
5. My personal favorite is to be confident and comfortable in your skin. Beauty comes from within so when you are confident and comfortable, the light always shines through. I believe that beauty comes in many ways, shapes, and forms so when you stay confident and true to who you are, you can bring out the best version of yourself.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Whenever I am asked this question, I am always eager and excited to answer. As a veteran and a father of two beautiful young girls, I created Symphony Beauty for my wife and our daughters and have always valued that the foundation of our business is to help improve women’s lives from the inside-out while also giving back to the community. We have partnered up with Foundation for Women Warriors, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women veterans and their children. I would like to start a bigger movement that helps support veterans across the country and I think working with FFWW is a very good start.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Don’t give up.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

These two quotes have pushed me through the hardest times of my life. But I believe that if I work hard enough and stay persistent with my goals, there will be ways to achieve them. I stay focused and try not to get burnt out. My family is my source of energy, so I look at them and tell myself that everything I do is for them and there is no time to give up.

How can our readers follow you online?

Follow our Instagram and Facebook at @ClarasNewYork or @SymphonyBeautyBox.

Check out our website on www.ClarasNY.com and www.SymphonyBeauty.com

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.