Shipping Glam Bags and Supporting Our Community During COVID-19: A Letter From Our CEO

When we started IPSY in 2011, I never in my wildest dreams imagined we would be facing the current situation. We launched the company on November 21st, and just 24 hours later—after five influencers, including IPSY co-founder Michelle Phan, posted about the Glam Bag—we were sold out of our entire supply of 7,500 bags. It was an amazing start, but we were unprepared for this sudden demand. I was the company’s sole employee, and together with my wife Ana, we had to post on social media, respond to member emails, and ensure we could assemble and ship all of the Glam Bags—something I had never done. By Thanksgiving Day, three days later, we had over 1,000 member inquiries and I had to politely excuse myself early from family dinner to make a dent in the email volume.

Fast forward to March 2020, and we now have the most amazing team I could ever hope for. It now spans the world and includes a global IPSY Care team, warehouse-partner associates, a manufacturing and packaging team, and thousands more employed by our brand partners. With the COVID-19 pandemic upon us, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the safety of every single one of our extended team members. I’ve written previously about the aggressive measures we’re taking to combat the pandemic, and I’m extremely relieved that so far no one at our company has been diagnosed with the disease. 

Having adapted strict working practices for safety, we are not only on track to ship your April Glam Bag but we are also aiming to ship it early. So, how are we doing this? First, we’re aiming to ship out the bags as early as April 3rd. Second, we will move the Add-Ons window to begin on Monday, March 30th, at 9 a.m. ET. Finally, we will shift billing by 48 hours to this Sunday, March 29th. We believe these changes will allow us to serve you best in these difficult times. I’ve heard from so many of you in the community that the Glam Bag is truly a welcome respite in the midst of the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding COVID-19. Our team is working safely and diligently, and we promise you that we will do everything in our power to get your Glam Bags to you in April and beyond. 

Finally, IPSY is a company built around community. At this moment, we are in a position to help, and we believe it is our moral imperative to do so. Every day, our healthcare workers are at the front lines risking their lives for us; they are truly heroes. Just as they care for us, we want to do our small part in sending them a self-care package. Starting next week, we’ll be reaching out to over 50,000 healthcare workers to ship them a self-care package with beauty products. It’s a small token of appreciation, but we know from our community that a delightful surprise at the end of the day waiting for them when they get home can help ease anxiety. We hope to give healthcare workers a moment of self-care after the hours they spend caring for others. We’re also partnering with the American Nurses Foundation, and will be matching every dollar donated to them by our community, up to $50,000. All of the full details around these plans will be announced in the coming week. 

Thank you from all of us at IPSY. Nine years ago, I never imagined we would be here. I couldn’t be more proud of the community that we have built together and everything it represents.

Stay healthy and safe,

Marcelo