The beauty industry is home to thousands, if not millions of skincare products, but I can’t be the only one who often thinks there’s just something missing. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve come up with a ‘brilliant’ idea for a ‘life-changing’ new skincare formula (in my humble opinion, of course).

I’m sure I’m not alone. How many times have you felt frustrated at a lacklustre moisturiser (we know the best moisturisers) and vowed you could make a better one? Or thought that with just a few tweaks, that serum could be undeniably perfect for your skin. And I bet that at least once in your skincare-wearing life you’ve conjured up a genius solution to a time-old beauty bugbear. 

The problem is, our ideas tend to stop right there. Just as ideas. I mean, who actually has the know-how, confidence or funds to turn their dream beauty products into reality? Well, that might be about to change, and it’s all down to this new beauty brand, Volition. 

Volition is a crowd-sourced and community-driven beauty brand from the US. The brainchild of two industry veterans, Patricia Santos and Brandy Hoffman, the duo has brought their respective supply chain and financial experience to radically rethink the way beauty products are made.

Traditionally, the products that end up on shelves start life in a boardroom, the end result of long pitching sessions in which sales figures and competitor comparisons are converted into flashy new product suggestions. But Santos and Hoffman felt this model needed a switch-up, and so they conjured up a brand model that would put the power into the hands of those that actually use the finished product: the consumer.

That means each and every formula has been conceived by members of the general public, who Volition then team up with the greatest skincare labs around the world to turn their dream product into a reality.

It’s pretty simple. Have a bright idea for a new skincare product? Head to the Volition website, where anyone and everyone can submit their product suggestions. You don’t have to be a skin expert, or even work in beauty: you just need to be a clever skincare user that’s spotted a gap in the market begging to be filled.

The team behind the brand sift through all the submissions, and put the ones with the strongest case to the beauty community to vote. Anyone can have their say, and the voting process takes place on the brand’s site.

Garner 2000 votes, and the product goes into production. Volition will collaborate with the owners of the chosen ideas (who they call ‘innovators’) to bring the product to life. And better still, these innovators get a cut of the profits from all products sold.

In beauty, the word ‘revolutionary’ is bandied about far too much. Yes, there are loads of clever people trying to do something different, but if you ask me, there are only a handful of true disruptors (Beauty Pie, The Ordinary…) whose innovations really hold the potential to change the entire industry for the better. And I think Volition might just fit that change maker category.

It really does put the power in consumers’ hands, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t love being able to say ‘I made this skincare product’? But a great business idea will only ever be as good as its formulas. Want to know if the products make the grade? Below, I walk you through my verdict of my favourite ones.

Images: Courtesy of Volition