Starting a beauty brand is one thing – scaling it internationally is another challenge entirely. In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Lorraine Dallmeier – Chartered Environmentalist, Biologist, and CEO of Formula Botanica – is joined by Karmen Novak, founder of Flower and Spice, who shares how she turned her passion for botanical skincare into a thriving global brand.
What began as a kitchen experiment quickly evolved into an international business. Karmen shares how she tackled the challenges of distribution, investment, and branding, all while expanding into one of the world’s most competitive beauty markets – China.
If you’ve ever dreamed of growing your beauty brand beyond borders, this episode is packed with real-world strategies from someone who’s done it. From overcoming rejection to breaking into China’s booming beauty industry, Karmen shares the lessons she’s learned – and why she’s now helping other indie beauty entrepreneurs do the same.
“I was so confident that this brand is great and I’m going to make it, that failure was not even in my mind.” — Karmen Novak
In this episode with Karmen Novak, you will hear:
- How Flower and Spice was born. Karmen moved to the Netherlands for love, and with no clear career path, leapt into natural skincare formulation.
- The power of education. Learn how studying at Formula Botanica equipped Karmen with the skills to formulate, launch, and grow a successful beauty business.
- Choosing a contract manufacturer. Karmen shares why she partnered with a Swiss lab instead of making her own products.
- How Flower and Spice broke into China. A chance conversation led Karmen to her first distributor and Flower and Spice quickly became a bestseller in China.
- The challenges of global expansion & entrepreneurship. From cultural differences to Covid-related disruptions, Karmen reveals the biggest challenges she faced and the lessons she learned along the way.
Key takeaways include:
- China is an entirely different market. Chinese consumers prioritise high-performance formulations over flashy packaging, and immediate results are a must.
- Influencer marketing is key in China. The right KOL can sell hundreds of units in hours through live-stream shopping.
- Indie beauty and entrepreneurship is a long game. After eight years, Karmen still faces financial pressures, but strategic growth in China is helping her scale sustainably.
- Lessons learned. Karmen shares the lessons she’s learned along the way.
Meet our guest: Karmen Novak, founder of Flower and Spice
Karmen Novak is the founder of Flower and Spice Modern Apothecary, a natural skincare brand that blends the power of flowers and spices into high-performance, luxury skincare. At 35, Karmen relocated to the Netherlands, unsure of her next career move.
With a background in marketing and video production, she soon discovered natural skincare and fell in love with formulation. After enrolling at Formula Botanica, she launched Flower and Spice.
Now, six years later, 85% of Flower and Spice’s sales come from China, thanks to strategic distribution partnerships and an understanding of the Asian beauty market. Karmen now helps other indie beauty founders navigate the Chinese market through her advisory service, Beauty in China, and her YouTube channel, Beauty Business with Karmen.
Where to find Karmen & Flower and Spice:
- Website: Flower and Spice
- Instagram: @flowerandspice/@beautyinchina.co
- Facebook: Flower and Spice
- LinkedIn: Karmen Novak
- YouTube: Beauty Business with Karmen
You can also try Karmen’s Flower and Spice Sample Set here.
Related episodes:
- Episode 233: From crime journalist to skincare entrepreneur
- Episode 247: How to build a heritage beauty brand – Evelyn Akande from Kanda Natural
Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.
