When you think of Phil Smith, you think of big ideas, sharp business instinct and products that reach far beyond the salon. From building global salon brands to launching multiple mass-market haircare lines, Phil has carved out a formidable career in product development. In this edition of Hairdressing Unbound, we sit down with Phil to explore how hairdressing expertise can translate into successful products – and what it really takes to build a brand.
I always wanted to do products. I’d worked with TONI&GUY during the early Bed Head days, and I had a fascination with products anyway. Then, I had the fortuitousness of meeting Umberto Giannini on holiday! If I was unsure before, he totally convinced me that products were the way forward.
At that point, I was also competing for British Hairdresser of the Year, and I was the only finalist who didn’t have their name on a bottle. I was approached by Sainsbury’s – would I be interested in endorsing an entry-level hair product? They saw an opening for me that could mirror the success of Jamie Oliver at the time, who was relatable and accessible compared to the more high-end chefs. I think they saw me as the Jamie Oliver of the haircare world!
Everyday is a pinch-me moment! I still can’t believe I’m doing this after 20 years. The thrill, the sense of achievement or satisfaction – whatever word you want to use – still hits home today, exactly the same as it did the first time I ever saw my products on the shelf. It’s a remarkable feeling because it’s just a tiny handful of hairdressers that have achieved that. When you put aside ego and financial reward, I get off on the fact that I’m part of that tiny group globally.
My biggest highlight is the fact my brand is still going after 20 years. Innovation has always been important to me. I was the first named hairdresser to launch dry shampoo, for example, and that was a defining moment. Seeing the first brand on the shelves in Sainsbury’s was massive, but probably the biggest success was hair accessories. I spotted an opening and that really propelled my profile. On the back of the hair accessories, my haircare grew tenfold, and it got me into Argos and Sainsbury’s with electrical products too. That was the turning point; that was when I knew I had to leave salons behind and focus more on products. Every production line visit is overwhelming – you’re about to manufacture thousands of bottles of a product with your name on it. I try desperately hard to remain humble and keep my feet on the ground, but I do have moments of sheer excitement. And when someone tells you, ‘I use your product’ – that’s a really nice buzz.
In the whole time I’ve been doing this, I don’t think there’s ever been a month where I’ve not been under pressure! From changes in raw material laws, to container shipping costs going up and manufacturing costs skyrocketing… it just goes on. When you’re dealing with retailers like Sainsbury’s, you have a duty to supply product when you say you will, or you lose shelf space. But that’s tough when manufacturers tell you production is pushed back eight weeks because there’s an aluminium shortage. Retailers demand better margins constantly. If you put it on a scale: 80% of the time you’re unhappy or stressed and 20% of the time you get little glimmers of achievement – but it’s those glimmers that keep you going. It’s not for the faint-hearted; I estimate that I’ve taken ten years off my life doing products!
I’m not sure I can answer that because I don’t consider myself to have been truly successful yet. When I started this, my idea of success was to be in that tiny group of people that manage to exit their brand – to take it as far as you physically can, then hand it over to a bigger manufacturer to scale it further. Success is exiting – whether that’s for a pound or ten million pounds. The money doesn’t bother me anymore; I just want to achieve an exit knowing that I’ve taken the brand as far as I possibly can. There’s no rhyme or reason to what makes a brand successful, but I’ve always refreshed my brand – appearance, fragrance and story – every 24 months. I invested heavily into that, and I think that’s why it’s survived for 20 years.
You’ve got to stop thinking like a hairdresser and think more like an investor. If I invest a million pounds into this, how do I get my million pounds back? You’ve got to understand spreadsheets, you’ve got to be competent on a computer, you’ve got to understand lead times, you’ve got to almost be a chemist and you’ve got to know how to hold yourself in listing meetings with retailers.
My early years were wrapped up in dealing with staff issues every day, and trying to find enough money to pay VAT and wages. Today, I’m still doing all of the above, but on a much smaller scale on the salon side. I’m still fascinated by products – I’m obsessed with finding the next super ingredient or innovation, and I’m still working with chemists and manufacturers to test products and develop my pro range. There’s never a day without meetings. All of that said, my absolute favourite thing is walking with my dogs!
Toni Mascolo was my biggest mentor in virtually everything I’ve ever done. When I have a problem, I still think, What would Toni do?’ Also, my dad and John Carne – they were the first two people that instilled personal ambition in me. Lee Stafford is also an inspiration – he’s the last hairdresser I’ve known to exit a brand really successfully.
That it’s a long game. And how difficult it is to get a product listed in store. I thought you came up with something and retailers jump all over it… they don’t. It’s very, very difficult! When you embark into product development, you should do it for passion and not for profit. If your only driver is financial, you’ll never succeed. Passion should always come first.
Give us your top three tips for breaking into product development:
