Former Glossier Execs Debut Arfa, With Consumers As Co-Creators

Industry executives have teamed up to create Arfa -- a new type of consumer goods company, watch the video below.

Drug store aisles are uninspiring -- and full of nearly identical things, Arfa states. "We’re here to give a voice to people across the country who haven’t been heard. Your tastes, opinions, and images of who you are have been ignored by conglomerates that have just been trying to hawk you the same things they have made for over a hundred years," the company says.

Dubbed as "a platform for people, and the brands they truly want," Arfa says it is building personal care brands co-created alongside customers.

Arfa was created by Henry Davis, co-founder/chief executive officer (former president/COO, Glossier); Ariel Wengroff, co-founder/chief content officer (ex-Publisher of VICE's women and LGBTQ+ identity channel Broadly); Bryan Mahoney, co-founder/chief technology officer (former CTO, Glossier); and Shabdha Chigurupati, vice president of business development & finance (former chief of staff and assistant to the president, Glossier).

Co-Created By The Collective

Arfa's Collective is made up of "everyday people aged 16-65, living across the U.S. The Collective will suggest and test products, as well as provide feedback on all key decisions of brand creation and building.

Arfa will also give 5% of its profits to its Collective, in recognition of their active involvement and vital contribution. The company's website states: "if you’re going to put something onto your body, you deserve to have input into what it does and how it’s made -- and be financially compensated for your contribution."

Essentially, Arfa isn't conducting product development or marketing in the same way as a typical direct-to-consumer business model -- it is opposite. It is finding products for its customers, rather than finding customers for its products. 

Arfa's investors include Forerunner, Index, White Star Capital, Thrive, Box Group, and more.

Stay tuned for upcoming news about the company's first product launch.

Photos via Arfa/about