Despite the beauty industry’s reputation for rapid innovation and trend evolution, many brands continue to grapple with outdated and fragmented methods when sourcing suppliers and managing product development. Addressing these long-standing inefficiencies, NOUN Connect, a newly launched AI-powered platform co-founded by Flavia Zhamo, presents a transformative solution aimed at modernising how beauty products move from concept to retail.
NOUN Connect, introduced in beta form at the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) Suppliers’ Day, is designed to revolutionise product development by converting brand briefs into intelligent, data-driven matches with a curated and vetted community of manufacturers. By integrating real-time collaboration tools into a shared dashboard, the platform facilitates seamless communication between beauty brands and suppliers, dramatically reducing traditional bottlenecks in research and development (R&D) and accelerating speed to market.
Flavia Zhamo, who also leads Everyday Chemist and EC Studios, explains that her inspiration for NOUN stemmed from recognising the fragmentation and manual nature of product sourcing—even within an industry so dependent on innovation. She noted in a recent interview that NOUN leverages multiple language models and a proprietary algorithm that analyses project briefs, behavioural signals, and production constraints across diverse categories and geographies. The platform’s database indexes manufacturers using over 50 data points covering capabilities, certifications, formats, and compliance zones. This enables precise matchmaking based on real manufacturing fit rather than guesswork.
A core feature of NOUN is its on-demand access to a diverse ecosystem of manufacturers, combining boutique labs, global manufacturers, and specialised niche suppliers across North America, Europe, and Asia. The platform’s rigorous vendor curation prioritises innovation, transparency, and speed, allowing brands to explore new categories with confidence, validate concepts swiftly, and mitigate risks in early-stage development. As Zhamo highlighted, this dataset-driven approach can yield real-time insights such as identifying the ideal manufacturer for a refillable sunscreen compliant with EU standards or an expert in aluminium-packaged lip balms.
Beyond matchmaking, NOUN aims to dramatically enhance collaboration efficiency. By connecting brands with vendors that already meet their criteria, the platform can save weeks or even months in development time. Brands gain instant access to expert partners, samples, and feedback, while upcoming tools promise integrated workflows where teams can iterate on product packaging, performance, and claims within familiar communication channels like email, Slack, and WhatsApp.
With increasing consumer and retail pressure driving the need for faster product launches yet maintaining high standards, NOUN’s intelligent ingredient and SKU suggestions—soon to be introduced—will align brands with retailer requirements and technical specifications. This not only streamlines internal processes but also showcases supplier innovations, enabling manufacturers to highlight breakthrough R&D. The ambition is clear: a more efficient process benefits everyone—brands innovate faster, suppliers gain visibility, and consumers receive better, more exciting products.
Flavia Zhamo’s journey to this innovation platform is illustrative of a broader ethos blending scientific integrity with creative exploration. Originally from a small town in southern Albania and now based in Toronto, Zhamo’s background as the daughter of a chemist and a poet, combined with her entrepreneurial experiences, shapes her approach to beauty. Her existing ventures, Everyday Chemist and EC Studios, exemplify ‘slow beauty’—a considered, collaborative approach centred on inclusivity, sustainability, and craftsmanship. EC Studios itself is a boutique development house merging science and creativity to support brands with clean, sustainable formulations and small-batch manufacturing, underscoring Zhamo’s commitment to innovation through partnership.
Looking ahead, Zhamo envisions AI-driven platforms like NOUN evolving beyond sourcing tools into fully integrated innovation engines. Future capabilities may include simulating product concepts, testing claims through real-time data, predictive product roadmaps, formulation assistance, and supply chain optimisations tailored to individual brands’ needs. This vision positions AI not just as a technical utility but as a creative and operational partner in propelling the next generation of beauty innovation.
As the beauty industry wrestles with its paradox of fast trends and slow, cumbersome development cycles, platforms like NOUN Connect may well mark a pivotal shift toward a more streamlined, transparent, and connected ecosystem—one where technology and collaboration unlock the true pace of innovation.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Subscribe to Industry Updates
