In the business lottery of COVID-19 (in which some firms thrived, and others became extinct), one Conshohocken cosmetics manufacturer, Embellish Beauty, is now glowing. Lisa Dukart brushed up on the facts for PHIL INNO.

The brand launched in 2011, as owner Marcia Williams provided makeup and hair services primarily to weddings-related clients.

She repeatedly heard from them about allergic reactions with gluten-based products like lipstick.

That insight motivated Williams to shift professions from service provider to creator-owner-operator of Embellish Beauty.

Early on, she recognized the need to revise her by-hand manufacturing and packaging processes. Seeing her launch-mode method as time consuming and unscalable, she shifted product creation responsibilities to a Canadian firm.

The brand now includes magnetic eyelashes that can be reworn. Mask-wearing protocols of COVID contributed to that latter breakthrough, as face coverings boosted a trend of cultivating attractive eyes.

The solo product with which she started has now bloomed into a catalog of more than 50 items and products.

One of them is a makeup line with colors suitable to an array of skin tones, a strategy Williams adopted to ensure market-wide inclusion.

“I want all women to feel beautiful and luxurious and sexy when they have my product,” she concluded.

More on Embellish Beauty is at PHIL INNO.