BEAUTY BRANDS TO KNOW: ROUT
ROUT
Veronica Jimenez is a Mexican-born product designer and founder of beauty brand ROUT. After shaving her peach fuzz for years with regular eyebrow razors, she was horrified at how much it contributed to plastic waste. Veronica was inspired to design the facial razor, Adios Peach Fuzz, that’s eco-friendly while not compromising on quality to keep your skin glowed up.
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
VERONICA JIMENEZ: I'm a first generation Latine from Mexico and moved to the USA around 11 years ago.
SHEER: How would you say your cultural/ family upbringing influenced your path to becoming a creative?
VJ: I was exposed to art at a very young age because my dad was a photographer and painter. I ended up interested in film photography during my teens. I believe this was one of the main reasons why I ended up being a designer.
SHEER: What was it like for you to leave Mexico and build a new life in the U.S.?
VJ: It was pretty challenging. I had to start from zero (I studied International Business and that wasn't getting me any job interviews). This made me decide to transition my career into product design. I took graphic and UX design courses as well as learned how to code websites. Knocking on doors, never giving up, and working hard ended up bringing me to where I am now.
SHEER: How did you transition to a beauty entrepreneur? What was that process like for you?
VJ: I found the process of creating a physical product is quite similar to digital products: you have an idea that requires you to do research on the space as well as talk to others that use similar products to understand their pain points and opportunities that inform your design. The rest of my skills translated into creating the branding, packaging, website, and social media for ROUT.
“The beauty industry contributes 120 billion units of plastic to the environment per year. With the rise of peach fuzz shaving also known as dermaplaning in the last couple of years, items like single-use razors add to our plastic footprint every day.
ROUT rethinks the plastic eyebrow razor to create an effective eco-friendly solution. Our alumina metal razor is made with refillable blades that come wrapped in recycled plastic, and save up to 4 single-use plastic razors per customer.”
SHEER: Why did you decide to tackle the subject of body hair when entering the beauty space and creating ROUT? And what inspired the name of your brand?
VJ: We know that body hair on womxn is still a stigma nowadays. I grew up believing that body hair is gross, unfeminine, and unattractive. It's socially acceptable for men to have body hair, but for us not to, which confirms the constant shaming & policing of our bodies. Deciding to shave or not shave your facial and body hair should be a personal decision. The only important beauty standards that matter are our own, no one else's. This is the reason why ROUT embraces body and skin positivity for all womxn as our core values. The name ROUT comes from the word "beauty routine" which I ended up simplifying to read “ROUT” (also, it can be pronounced in both English & Spanish. ;)
SHEER: How is your brand promoting sustainability in the beauty space?
VJ: The beauty industry contributes 120 billion units of plastic to the environment per year. With the rise of peach fuzz shaving also known as dermaplaning in the last couple of years, items like single-use razors add to our plastic footprint every day. ROUT rethinks the plastic eyebrow razor to create an effective eco-friendly solution. Our alumina metal razor is made with refillable blades that come wrapped in recycled plastic, and save up to 4 single-use plastic razors per customer. Through our affordable refills subscription, we help to cut out the plastic used by the beauty industry each year.
Also, our razor tubes, instructions, and blade refills box are made out of 100% recycled paper. This allows us to deliver a great unboxing experience while being sensitive to mother earth.
“We know that body hair on womxn is still a stigma nowadays. I grew up believing that body hair is gross, unfeminine, and unattractive. It’s socially acceptable for men to have body hair, but for us not to, which confirms the constant shaming & policing of our bodies. Deciding to shave or not shave your facial and body hair should be a personal decision.”
SHEER: What has it been like for you as a Latine-owned beauty brand creating an all-inclusive product? How do you ensure your values are present in your branding and partnerships with major retailers like Urban Outfitters?
VJ: It's very humbling to me to be able to create a product and a brand that challenges everything I grew up with back in Mexico. In regards to Urban Outfitters, they are committed to inclusivity and sustainability which ROUT aligns pretty well with.
“The only important beauty standards that matter are our own, no one else’s. This is the reason why ROUT embraces body and skin positivity for all womxn as our core values. The name ROUT comes from the word “beauty routine” which I ended up simplifying to read “ROUT” (also, it can be pronounced in both English & Spanish. ;) ”
SHEER: How are you staying grounded in your creative and business practices as a new entrepreneur? How are you juggling managing so many different aspects of your growing business?
VJ: For me just setting up realistic goals keeps me focused. At times when I'm starting to feel overwhelmed, I take breaks and remind myself that the most important thing is to keep learning. Whether something works or doesn't it's all about self-growth.
SHEER: What do you envision for the future of ROUT?
VJ: I see ROUT continuing to push boundaries by creating products with the planet in mind while making others feel good and bold in their own skin!
SUPPORT & FOLLOW ROUT BELOW
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SUPPORT & FOLLOW ROUT BELOW 〰️
Photography by Nabila Wirakusumah
I first stumbled across Nia Winslow’s work, totally by accident, and there was a piece titled “Secret Keeper” which I couldn’t believe was entirely paper because of the intricacies and detailing of the bobos and barrettes that took me back to my childhood. While digging deeper into her catalog I was shocked to realize her art is entirely collage and paper-based. The level of detail and intention behind her work is so incredibly impressive and even more so once I learned she was self-taught and only started making art in 2019!! Nia’s collages connect the Black and African diaspora by portraying our shared experiences from the seemingly mundane to the more poetic while simultaneously using unique strips of paper to also highlight we are not a monolith and to honor our diverse range of cultures.