gmreverie.com

How Garrett Markenson Built a Multimillion-Dollar Clean Beauty Empire

February 14th, 2025

Founded By

Garrett Markenson

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2010

Customer

B2C

Founded By
Garrett Markenson: Founders
2

Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2010

Customer
B2C

Who is Garrett Markenson?

Garrett Markenson, co-founder of gmreverie.com, is an experienced hairstylist based in Los Angeles who translated his passion for client-focused, innovative haircare solutions into a successful clean beauty brand. He balances running the business with working in his salon.

Garrett Markenson, co-founder of gmreverie.com

What problem does gmreverie.com solve?

gmreverie.com solves the challenge of finding clean, high-quality haircare products by offering thoughtfully curated, effective solutions created by hairstylists who truly understand their clients’ needs.

How did Garrett come up with the idea for gmreverie.com?

Garrett Markenson, the founder of gmreverie.com, came up with the idea for his beauty brand after years of working as a hairstylist. He noticed a gap in the market when he couldn't find hair care products that matched his standards for clean ingredients and performance. Listening closely to his clients' needs in his salon, he realized there was an opportunity to develop products that catered to both professional quality and the growing demand for clean beauty.

Garrett's inspiration was deeply rooted in his day-to-day experiences in the salon, where he actively engaged with clients to understand their hair care challenges. He started by creating products to address these specific needs, initially developing a styling balm that met his personal criteria. Before launching, he extensively tested each product with his clients to ensure they delivered on performance.

The process of refining his ideas involved gathering feedback, emphasizing quality, and ensuring that every new product introduced solved a real customer problem. A major challenge during the ideation phase was finding the balance between his creative vision and the practicalities of product development, which he overcame by maintaining close communication with his network of hairstylists. Through this journey, Garrett learned the importance of staying true to his passion while being responsive to the needs of his customer base.

How did Garrett Markenson build the initial version of gmreverie.com?

Reverie was developed through a precise and boutique approach, starting in Garrett Markenson's salon, where products were crafted to address both personal and client needs. The initial product creation involved leveraging high-quality vegan ingredients sourced from small family farms, aligning with the clean beauty ethos the founders committed to. Reverie's product development was iterative, heavily influenced by feedback from salon professionals and clients, ensuring that each product released over 14 years was both necessary and refined. Creating the first versions was a labor-intensive process, taking meticulous time and effort, as Garrett balanced product formulation with his day-to-day salon work. Challenges included scaling production to meet Sephora's demands, which required about six months to prepare inventory without compromising on their rigorous quality and sustainability standards.

What was the growth strategy for gmreverie.com and how did they scale?

Affiliate Marketing through Hairstylist Network

gmreverie.com grew significantly through a strategic affiliate marketing program that embraced the power of professional hairstylists. By engaging hairstylists who already used and loved the products, they created a network of roughly 1,000 salon affiliates across the country. This extended their reach through trusted recommendations directly to salon clients.

GM Affiliate Program

Why it worked: Hairstylists act as both product users and brand advocates, providing authentic endorsements to their clients. Unlike traditional influencer marketing, this approach strengthens credibility, as it leverages the expertise of professionals. As each stylist serves numerous clients monthly, the reach and influence multiplied significantly.

Partnership with Sephora

Another pivotal growth channel for gmreverie.com was their partnership with Sephora. Although initially hesitant, they eventually embraced Sephora's offer to feature them as one of the first clean hair care brands. This partnership not only increased their visibility but also aligned them with Sephora's reputable standards for clean beauty.

Why it worked: Sephora's vast customer base and established reputation provided immense exposure. By being featured under the "Clean at Sephora" campaign, gmreverie.com tapped into a niche market of consumers actively seeking clean beauty products, enhancing both their brand prestige and sales.

Direct to Consumer (DTC) and Educative Content

Reverie leveraged their direct-to-consumer sales channel by focusing on personalized customer communication and education. They crafted emails and content akin to personal interactions, encouraging customer engagement. This included educating both consumers and affiliates about the products and their uses.

Why it worked: Personalized communication fosters a sense of community and trust, encouraging repeat purchases. The education-focused content helped potential and existing customers understand product benefits, increasing customer retention and lifetime value. The direct connection with consumers also enabled Reverie to gather valuable feedback for ongoing product development.

What's the pricing strategy for gmreverie.com?

Gmreverie.com prices its clean haircare products from $36 to $72, focusing on high-quality, limited offerings to appeal to both salon professionals and consumers.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building gmreverie.com?

Value Authentic Networks: Reverie leveraged hairstylists, who were already fans of their products, as affiliates. This network of trusted professionals provided genuine recommendations, boosting credibility and expanding reach.
Tackle Challenges with Grace: Saying 'no' to Sephora initially was tough, but Reverie used the time to prepare and adapt. Patience and readiness ensured a successful partnership when the opportunity arose again.
Commit to Quality: Slow, deliberate product releases aligned with customer needs helped maintain high standards and customer trust. Each product was carefully tested and filled a genuine need, ensuring relevance and success in the market.
Educate and Engage Affiliates: By investing in teaching their affiliates, especially hairstylists, to market the products effectively, Reverie built a more empowered and engaging network, leading to stronger sales and brand loyalty.
Adapt with Intention: The brand's gradual growth allowed them to refine operations and optimize their approach. Embracing changes and new technologies continuously improved their business efficiency and customer experience.

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