BeautyTalks with Cassandra Geld, Co-Owner and COO at Ruby May Cosmetics

What was the inspiration behind Ruby May Cosmetics? 

Ruby May Cosmetics was founded by sisters, Nicole Rhodes and Cassandra Geld. The company is named after Niki’s, daughter, Ruby May. 

Tell us the backstory behind Ruby May Cosmetics and how it all came to be! 

Niki and I started Ruby May as a clothing company and were selling clothes out of Niki’s home!  We made the perfect team because where Niki excels in creativity and marketing, I excelled in handling customer service and operations and to this day we still have the same roles in the company. After about a year, we discovered our passions were in the cosmetic industry and as they say, the rest is history! 

With a background in the visual arts and as our Creative Director, Niki has been the creative genius behind all of the Ruby May products released to date. Eventually as the company grew and we outgrew our home office/fulfillment center we re-located and decided to bring on additional team members.  In 2020 Jennifer Jackson was hired as CEO and co-owner and Belle Megalis was brought on as the Social Media Content Creator.

What is Ruby May Cosmetics’ best seller? And your personal favorite? 

Our cruelty free 3d silk lashes are hands down our best selling products. We wanted to create lash styles that were just as beautiful and fluffy as the mink lashes that were wildly popular at the time, without using animal products. My personal favorite product that we have right now has to be the Colored Gel Liners. They are the best thing to use to look chic, without spending an hour on your makeup in the morning.

“We wanted to create lash styles that were just as beautiful and fluffy as the mink lashes that were wildly popular at the time, without using animal products.”

What sets Ruby May Cosmetics apart from other cosmetics brands? 

A lot of people don’t know this but we are entirely woman owned and operated! We are a micro team that manages to keep our sales high and operations small. We do all of the work with a team of 4 including fulfillment. 

What are some challenges you had to overcome with Ruby May Cosmetics?

We struggled at the beginning to find investors. It's no secret that banks are less likely to lend money to female-owned and run businesses. We continued to grow for years prior to COVID.  When COVID hit, we had a team of 6 full time employees and a huge warehouse for fulfillment. COVID brought our sales to a halt and we were forced to lay off several employees. However, we are slowly making a comeback and are confident that we will be back to our pre-pandemic ways in no time.

Walk us through your night-time routine! 

We are very into skin care here and are hoping to launch our skincare line in 2023!  We like to keep it simple, but we also are very conscious of ingredients.  Right now we are enjoying Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser and Air-Whip Moisture Cream and the Ordinary Matrixyl and Copper Peptides, which are great for anti-aging and building collagen back into the skin.

Can you share any makeup tips with us? 

Using the Ruby May Lash Liner Adhesive has been a game changer for applying false lashes! No more clumping and using too much glue!  

Ruby May Cosmetics is vegan and cruelty free, how important is this to you?

This is very important to us as a small business and we know it’s equally, if not, more important to our customers.

How has Ruby May Cosmetics evolved throughout the years? 

We have come a long way since Ruby May began in 2015.  We have several products and continue to design more.  We have the best team and are looking forward to launching several new products in the future!

What does the future look like for Ruby May Cosmetics? 

We are hoping to launch our skin-first makeup and care line next year!

What has been your most memorable moment with Ruby May Cosmetics?

I remember the first time Niki and I logged in to our shop and saw that we had received over 100 orders in 24 hours. We literally could not believe it! Soon after that we began to receive emails from customers telling us how much they loved a product or begging us to restock certain things. 

Besides Ruby May Cosmetics, what are you passionate about?

We are all very passionate about our families and we have tried to create a safe work environment where we are able to always care for our families first. When I had my first baby, Niki set up a whole nursery in the office when I was ready to return from maternity leave because I didn’t want to leave him. During the pandemic we set up a child friendly space so those with kids would not be forced to choose between work or taking care of them.

As far as the business goes - we are all passionate about continuing to bring affordable high-quality items to our ever-growing customer base.