Estimated reading time: 10 Minutes
Naked East It is an allocution in Latin that means “to bare the being”, to be authentic, to be real, to be honest. And that philosophy pushes this brand to transform one of the most hermetic and complex industries in the world, through science and integrity, creating solutions with and for the consumer as its main focus. Nuda Est creates multi-ingredient solutions that comprehensively solve skin problems, and they do so safely and in the shortest possible time.
Today we spoke with Eduardo Ramón, Director of Operations of Naked East, a company founded by América Fernández and Sergio Alanis, to discover how this Mexican cosmetics brand was born, which is committed to honesty and comprehensive solutions as the only marketing tools.
An innovative cosmetics brand that opted for Cubbo as an ally for sincere, flexible and fast logistics.
A Healthy Response to an Abandoned Industry
Frank: Let's start by telling you how Nuda Est was born. Because I understand that right from the start they have a very clear idea of what they want to offer and why they are going to enter the market. Right?
Edward: Yes. Naked East was born in 2017 when our founders realized that there is a very large business opportunity in the cosmetics industry because it is very poorly managed. They sell products that are not what is advertised and that are also very expensive. And at the ingredient level, there are products that use ingredients that are not really right or good for the consumer, they really harm the person's skin.
Frank: And some of the ones that don't do harm, like they don't do good either, right?
Edward: Of course. In addition, there are products that use the right ingredients but not with the right amounts to really be effective. Companies sell you the idea that you have to have a five or ten step routine for your skin to be healthy and for their product to be effective. That's not true. With two or three products, with the right amounts of compounds, you can notice real changes and you can have healthy skin.
Frank: As a sector as complex as cosmetics, you would think that you are a company with many employees. But that's not the case. How many are there and with how many people did Nuda Est start
Edward: We started operations with a team of four people and our first objective was to research the market, see what I needed, what was trending, what products were trending in Asia, etc.
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Operating in different cities
“The company operates throughout Mexico, with offices in Mexico City and Mérida. The team is in various locations around the country... We are pioneers in remote work in Mexico.”
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Frank: Where are they currently distributing?
Edward: We distribute throughout Mexico, in the United States and in Latin America. We have had an organic presence of our e-commerce in Spain as well, but mostly in Peru, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and other Central American countries.
Frank: How could we define the products offered by Nuda Est?
We primarily offer treatments for the health of your skin. They are not cosmetic products as people normally understand them, but rather for treating complicated problems, complex problems that people may have with their skin.
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Quality and accessibility
“We have had customers with serious problems, who have received dermatological treatments and who have not been able to solve them, but using our products they have been able to solve. 2,000-weight routines that have made incredible changes where other brands or treatments have failed.”
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Frank: Why do your products work, when others from large pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies don't get results? Because this seems difficult to understand.
Edward: I think the reason lies in a combination of factors: the research we do on the ingredients, that we have excellent suppliers and that we don't skimp on the ingredients: our products have the right amount for the compounds to be truly effective.
Frank: How is it that they are vegan and cruelty free?
Edward: Our products are vegan and cruelty free. This is because many of the ingredients in cosmetics are extracted from animals. The traditional industry removes squalans from shark fins. This causes enormous ecological damage. We are looking for alternatives and our squalans are derived from vegetables. That's why we say we're vegan, because our entire product is biotechnological. Besides, we don't do a farm-to-face. In other words, it's not that we take the products out of the field and put them directly in the hands of our consumers, but that all our compounds go through a scientific process. This helps us to be innovative and to be truly efficient.
We have never performed these scientific processes on animals. We are completely against that. And in fact, it has been part of the heart of this company since it was founded: we believe that we have to be something better for society and for the world.
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Looking for the unboxing experience
One of the biggest obstacles that Nuda Est had at the logistical level was to be able to maintain that experience of Unboxing in their products. Something that for the brand was a fundamental part of its concept. An experience of Unboxing which requires making customized packages for their customers, something that many logistics providers did not welcome, due to the added complexity that this brings.
However, this honest brand committed to its customers, found a logistics provider that was also honest and committed to its customers: Cubbo.
Frank: How was Nuda Est born, as an ecommerce or did they start as a physical store?
Edward: We are directly born as ecommerce. We are a company that was created from scratch as an online store. And our products have always been designed as ecommerce. But now, precisely, they are pulling us into retail. Because there are companies that come to us and say “hey we want your products in our stores”.
Frank: And how do they get to Cubbo?
Edward: We arrived at Cubbo because in 2018 the Picking it was something that very few companies did. There was no concept that a ecommerce I needed assistance to control the packaging process and that this process also took up a lot of time. Checking that you put on the right product and the right guide seems easy, but it's not.
Frank: Did they have difficulties at first?
Edward: Yes. In fact we have an anecdote in Naked East, In the first shipments, we once had to send about 40 orders at a time and we all had to start packing and preparing and reviewing everything, because it's a time-consuming process, and we were against the clock with the parcel and shipping company that was already on its way. Because of that urgency, that process didn't work out so well for us, and three customers received the wrong orders. That lesson led us to look for an ally who could, professionally, carry out this operational part for us. And so we came to Cubbo.
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Smart alliances
“As a start-up, you don't have all the technology to ensure that a logistics process works out correctly. That's why it's important to get an ally to help you do this, so you can dedicate yourself to the things that will really make your business grow.”
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Frank: In addition to being inefficient, this caused them a problem with human resources. Because you had to put people trained to do tasks that weren't what they were in the company for. Right?
Edward: In the peak seasons, we had to go to the warehouse to help the equipment. And this takes you away from being able to do other things that really are what make the company grow.
Frank: And how do they get to Cubbo?
Edward: The first logistics partner What we had in Mexico, unfortunately, he couldn't solve. The service was not the best. But then we came to Cubbo through a contact to whom I am very grateful, Susana Arévalo. With her we met Cubbo and we saw the team they had, very professional and with a lot of technology and that gives us confidence.
Frank: Tell me a little about that approach. What convinced them?
Eduardo: We went to Mexico to visit their warehouse, we listened to their proposal, we saw them very capable and eager, and with Josu we also saw a hunger for growth, which for us as a business is also very important and desirable. Because that desire for growth of Cubbo it also helps us to grow. So we gave him the vote of confidence and now we are very happy.
Frank: Has Cubbo worked, has it complied with them?
Edward: So far they have had a quality service and Josu has given us a very pleasant closeness and hospitality, they have been very attentive and very open to collaborating and helping in everything. In addition, they know that we need to be very fast and very flexible, because so much Cubbo as we understand that operations are not perfect. And that's why the flexibility it has Cubbo for us it was very important.
Frank: Was there anything they asked Cubbo to be a deal-breaker, if they didn't, you didn't work with them?
Edward: Yes. There was something that we were looking for with a lot of suppliers and they wouldn't give it to us. They put a lot of buts on us: we have always tried to have great customer service. And that's something that's a competitive advantage of Naked East. For us that was vital. Our customer is number one, and he is above everything. This philosophy is part of the heart of Naked East: Our success metric is how many people we make happy.
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Generating experiences through unboxing
“We asked all suppliers to open the box of Naked East was it an emotion, a joy, and that it was an experience the Unboxing. And this was not given to us by any supplier. They put up a lot of obstacles for us. This is what we asked Cubbo: keep up our process. AND Cubbo accepted. This was what finally convinced us to work with them.”
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An Honest Present, for a Successful Future
The heart of Nuda Est is its honest proposal and its absolute dedication to providing real and effective solutions to its consumers. This dedication to the consumer matches the way Cubbo operates, a customer-driven logistics provider that Nuda Est hopes will be its ally in expanding throughout Latin America.
Frank: What would Nuda Est's competitive advantage be? What defines them as a brand?
Edward: We tell you everything: the exact ingredients, the exact quantities, the way to use it, the real results. We want you to know the truth about the products we sell. There are a lot of products on the market and we are not going to lie to you that we are the only ones who are good, we are the best, but there are more and we respect that. What we do want is to be the most honest. That you can talk to us, seek advice, really know what could work for you and what real compounds we use.
Frank: What are your plans for the next five years?
Edward: Five years from now, our plans are to continue growing, to be one of Mexico's challenging companies and to conquer the industry. We want to be the option for traditional cosmetic brands. With a different, innovative culture.
Frank: And in Latin America, do you plan to expand?
Edward: We hope to be able to expand to Latin America in these coming years with an ally such as Cubbo. And so far Josu has given us an excellent opening. It is a market that is also very similar to the Mexican one and we believe that it will work very well for us.
Frank. And in the United States and Canada?
Edward: In the United States, we have had very good results in the Latin part, the US-Hispanic. Especially on the border side. But we have also reached Mexicans in Canada. In the United States, shipments are already more consistent. We haven't done the logistics yet with Cubbo, but it's the idea to be able to centralize everything with them in the future.
Frank: Eduardo, would you give us some advice for an entrepreneur who wants to enter the online market in Mexico or the world?
Eduardo: Naked East means “to bare the being”. Be honest, always be honest with your product, your brand, your customers and your life. If you're honest and passionate about what you do, things will work out.
Are you looking for an ally that enhances your delivery process, compliance and customer satisfaction? Do not hesitate to contact us, we are the best Fulfillment center for ecommerce in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, just click Here.
During 2021 in Cubbo:
* Our customers registered savings of 21% in operating costs
* 97.1% of the products received, were processed and were ready to sell In 24 hours.
* We had a 99.7% shipping compliance
* We registered a precision in order preparation of 99.9875%, that is, 1 error for every 8,000 shipments.
* 60% of our deliveries in CDMX were made The same day
* We carry out nationwide deliveries in 1.3 days Average
