Sigma Beauty

Sigma Beauty
Industry Consumer goods
Founded 2008
Founder Simone Oliveira Xavier
Rene Xavier Filho
Headquarters Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Products Cosmetics & beauty
Number of employees
90+
Website www.sigmabeauty.com

Sigma Beauty (also known as Sigma) is an international cosmetics company, selling brushes, makeup, and accessories.

History

Sigma was founded in 2008 by Brazilian natives Simone Oliveira Xavier and her husband, Rene Xavier Filho, in their basement in New Brighton, Minnesota.[1] They serve as Executive Creative Director and Chief Executive Officer, respectively.[2] Oliveira, a former veterinarian[3] who holds a PhD in infectious diseases, was previously working as a clinical professor at the University of Minnesota. She received two patents in the field of swine medicine.[4][5] Filho is a civil engineer and longtime entrepreneur.[6][7]

The couple, who moved to Minnesota in 1999,[8] combined their knowledge of engineering and scientific research to pioneer the company, which began as a way to simply export American cosmetics to family members in Brazil.[1] Seeing an opening to expand, Oliveira and Filho quickly grew the business, designing brushes and sending products to influential fashion bloggers.[6]

Products

Sigma’s brushes and kits are designed in the United States.[9] Some of their items include the Sigma Dry‘n Shape®, a patented brush care product that dries and reshapes brushes 4 to 6 hours after cleaning them;[7] a cruelty free line of brushes made with synthetic fibers, for improved makeup application;[10] and a patented glove one can use to wash brushes.[3]

Their products have been recommended by American beauty magazines and websites, such as Allure,[11] InStyle,[12] Glamour,[13] Cosmopolitan[14] and PopSugar,[15] as well as international outlets such as Elle Taiwan,[16] InStyle Germany[17] and Vogue India.[18] Furthermore, Sigma Beauty’s brushes have won awards throughout the fashion and beauty industries, including Allure’s 2016 Best of Beauty Awards, winning in the “Best Tools” category for its F80 Flat Kabuki™ brush,[19] “Best Eye Makeup Brushes” and “Best Face Makeup Brushes” in Nylon Magazine's 2015 Beauty Hit List Awards.[20]

Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, has said that Sigma’s are one of his favorite lines of brushes, and that he and Kardashian love the Sigma extravaganza body brush in particular.[21]

Store

In December 2012, Sigma opened its first physical store in the Mall of America in Minnesota,[22][23] the most visited shopping mall in the US annually.[24] The store sells Sigma brushes, kits and makeup.[8]

Distribution

Sigma Beauty products are sold by many luxury and fashion retailers in the U.S., such as Nordstrom, Von Maur, Urban Outfitters and Lulu’s. Sigma Beauty products are sold globally by authorized retailers, such as Sephora SE Asia, Douglas, Look Fantastic and ZALORA, among many others.[25]

References

  1. 1 2 Michelle Knoll, “MN-Made Beauty Company Goes From Basement to Booming Business,” Channel 5 ABC Eyewitness News, October 17, 2011.
  2. “Sigma Beauty,” Star Tribune. Accessed August 16, 2012.
  3. 1 2 “Local Makeup Company Exploding Across The Country,” WCCO This Morning, CBS Minnesota, July 30, 2013.
  4. “Inventors Honored,” University of Minnesota: News, February 25, 2011.
  5. “Modified live (JMSO strain) Haemophilus parasuis vaccine,” Simone R. Oliveira et al, December 28, 2006.
  6. 1 2 Thomas Lee, “Social media a thing of beauty,” Star Tribune, November 6, 2011.
  7. 1 2 D. Graham Kostic, “Simone Oliveira Xavier,” Glossed and Found. Accessed August 21, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Allison Kaplan, “A Brush With Success,” Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, July 1, 2013.
  9. Shannon Buonsanti, “Guide to buying gifts for women,” The Orange County Register, November 16, 2011.
  10. “New year, new makeup brushes,” Insiderbeautybuzz.com, January 4, 2012.
  11. Allure "The Best New Way to Clean Your Brushes," Allure.com, September 2, 2014.
  12. InStyle, "10 Insta-Famous Beauty Brands to Keep on Your Radar," InStyle.com, January 6, 2016.
  13. India-Jewel Jackson, “$10 and Under: Best Budget Hair, Makeup, and Skin Beauty Buys Of The Week,” "Glamour", July 20, 2012.
  14. Cosmopolitan "The 16 Best Beauty Innovations of 2015," Cosmopolitan.com, December 21, 2015.
  15. PopSugar "20 of September's Buzziest New Makeup, Hair, and Skin Care Launches," PopSugar.com, September 12, 2016.
  16. Elle Taiwan "Makeup Brushes Professional Makeup Artists Can Not Do Without," Elle.com/tw, May, 7 2016.
  17. InStyle Germany "Clean Immediately! The Dirty Truth About Makeup Brushes," InStyle.de, September, 2015.
  18. Vogue India "5 beauty tools that will change your life forever," Vogue.in, October 16, 2015.
  19. Allure"F80 Flat Kabuki Brush Review," Allure.com, 2016.
  20. Nylon Magazine’s 2015 Beauty Hit List Awards."Presenting: The 2015 Nylon Beauty Awards," Nylon.com, September 23, 2015.
  21. Emma Bussey, “Celebrity beauty special: Kim Kardashian’s make-up secrets,” Starlounge.com, November 25, 2011.
  22. Thomas Lee, “Role reversal: Online retailers seek physical stores,” Star Tribune, June 15, 2013.
  23. Maria McGinty, "Now Open + Giveaway," MOA blog, December 10, 2012.
  24. Joe Yogerst, "America's Most-Visited Shopping Malls," Travel + Leisure, December 2011.
  25. "Sigma Beauty Authorized Retailers," SigmaBeauty.com, 2016.
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