In 2018 Dr. Sumita Butani was named Vice President of Product Development at Rodan + Fields, the dermatology-inspired skin care brand that was created in 2002 by Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, two Stanford-trained dermatologists. (They also founded Proactiv in 1995.) According to the company, the female-led firm generated $1.5 billion in revenue in 2017. Focusing on expanding the brand into several different categories, paired with releasing innovative skin care items, they tapped Sumita to focus on driving the brand’s product strategy, while creating and expediting global launches. Prior to joining R+F, Sumita was the Director of Global Beauty Marketing and Product Innovation at Alticor. She also and served as Director of Global Product Innovation of Hair Care and Personal Care at Avon Cosmetics. Her 15 years of experience working with nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and beauty companies led the overachiever to develop approximately 1,500 oral and topical products. Over the past year Sumita has launched a variety of products including Spotless, Active Hydration Body Replenish, Radiant Defense, and her most recent, a line of masks. Somehow, Sumita found time to speak with Beauty News for our 5 Minutes With…feature.
Beauty News: What changes or new directions have you implemented since you’ve been with the company?
Sumita Butani: I’ve focused on building our innovation strategy and our five-year pipeline. I’ve restructured the Product Development team to focus on our four core regimens (Soothe, Unblemish, Redefine, Reverse) and future innovations/adjacencies. I’ve also implemented new processes to develop a best-in-class Product Development team.
BN: Where specifically do you draw inspiration and information from when creating new products?
SB: Medicine, technology, health and wellness, beauty, fashion and the world around me. I read medical journals and stay abreast of the latest in dermatology to learn about the most cutting-edge procedures, technologies and latest discoveries to see what applications they can have for our future product portfolio.
BN: What’s your specific business approach to helping grow a successful company?
SB: Always have a pulse on competition; know your customer; listen to feedback; be willing to respond to change and try new things.
BN: What have you found most challenging about your first year with Rodan + Fields?
SB: In order to succeed, you must be able to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
BN: What kind of market shift have you seen over the past year?
SB: Consumers are becoming savvier and more knowledgeable about ingredients, products and brands. Transparency and authenticity are crucial. Brands also need to focus on researching and developing products for a wider variety of skin types, ethnicities and ages.
BN: How will the brand’s new masks differentiate themselves from others already on the market?
SB: We wanted to ensure they delivered a fun and efficacious experience with a trifecta of benefits. The collection offers concentrated key ingredients and scientifically-backed formulas, including a bubbling gel mask, a gold metallic-colored cream mask and a formula with color-changing beads, that act quickly to provide instant and visible skin benefits within 10 minutes. The complexity in development was that these masks had to be able to seamlessly integrate into our core regimens to amplify the benefits and also be able to provide secondary benefits.
BN: What kinds of beauty trends are you seeing?
SB: The convergence of health and beauty; sustainability; personalization; transparency and the digital revolution for skin diagnostics.
BN: What are some specific strategies you’re using to reach a younger consumer?
SB: Consumers are becoming more engaged with skin care from a younger age, so we want to ensure they have a routine to help protect their skin and prevent damage later in life. Our most recent launch of masks is the perfect example of products that can deliver immediate and lasting results over time to all ages and skin types. We also leverage the power of our Independent Consultant community through social media to spread awareness about our brand and the effectiveness of our skincare solutions. Nothing demonstrates life-changing results better than a picture, so there is a camera icon on all of our packaging to encourage our customers to post about their before and after results.
BN: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the years?
SB: Embrace change. It takes me a while to adjust to a new position, job, team or project. Once I get into a groove, I don’t particularly like it to change. Through the years, I have learned that you absolutely need to be adaptable, have a positive attitude and open mind to try new things.
BN: Greatest accomplishment thus far?
SB: I took on an expat assignment back in 2010 in Shanghai to set up an Asia Regional Product Development Team. I had never been to China or that part of the world before so it was a scary and exciting opportunity. The experience really broadened my mindset, humbled me and changed my style of doing things. It also introduced me to my greatest passion, traveling.
BN: What’s a specific business mistake you’ve made?
SB: Years ago I worked on a wellness business that was ahead of its time. I do feel we were very visionary launching into beauty supplements, aromatherapy, homeopathy and spa skin care products at a time when these trends and categories were barely even known. Unfortunately given our customer base and the brand’s reach, it didn’t succeed. Now, looking back, I realize that if I had understood our customer better, I would have approached our innovation very differently.
BN: What beauty product (not your own) is your favorite and why?
SB: Parachute Pure Coconut Oil. This is the first beauty product I remember using and it wasn’t by choice! Little did I know all the benefits it has.
BN: Best advice for newbies entering the business today?
SB: Find your passion and be the best you can be at it. Always be willing to listen, learn and stay humble until you are confidant, knowledgeable and passionate enough to really own it.
BN: What’s something no one tells you when starting a business?
SB: That actually starting it is the hardest part.
BN: What’s a mantra you live by?
SB: Positive mind, positive vibes, positive life.
BN: If you were to write the note found in a fortune cookie, what would it say?
SB: Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.