Interview on ozmi with Udo Eberlein, CEO at Chemster GmbH

Udo Eberlein, CEO
Chemster GmbH

Mr. Eberlein, you recently launched ozmi. What is ozmi?

ozmi is the first one-stop digital ecosystem specifically designed to bring the entire cosmetics-creation process into one place, improving time to market, and delivering a delightful user experience. Brands can perform the whole workflow using the ozmi platform, suppliers can gain visibility among a network of potential clients, and everyone can collaborate to create cosmetics simply and with delight.

What does the name stand for?

In the classic movie and book, “Oz” is a magical land where all kinds of fantastic things are possible. And “mi,” the second syllable, is pronounced like “me”—a word that has meant the same thing, in many languages, for many centuries. We want all of our users to think “ozmi is the wonderful cosmetics-creation place for me,” where they can realize all their dreams and visions, and where their individual needs and wishes will be fulfilled delightfully.

How can a company have its products or services listed on ozmi? What benefit does that provide?

Ozmi is purely a B2B platform. The first step to being found on ozmi is to sign up. Companies in all niches of the cosmetics-creation industry can register for the service, and buyers can find suppliers’ custom profile via our detailed search functionality. This in turn helps suppliers increase reach, generate leads, and improve sales, and it helps buyers make the procurement and co-creation process lightning-fast, subsequently reducing time to market significantly.

What are the benefits of joining ozmi? 

For brands, the number-one benefit is said reduction of time to market. The cosmetics creation industry’s lack of transparency, heavy fragmentation coupled with mainly still being an analog industry creates bottlenecks that needlessly increase the time it takes a brand to launch a product. ozmi takes out these bottlenecks and provides a delightful user experience which is as simple as well-known digital consumer platforms. 

For suppliers, ozmi increases visibility and generates more leads and sales. Having the ability to showcase your company with an attractive custom profile allows suppliers to effectively market their capabilities to the entire cosmetics-creation ecosystem. Now through ozmi buyers can easily find and contact them. A simple RFQ and negotiation process can help orders be placed quickly and the easy access to accurate, up-to-date information helps participants to deliver value to their clients and partners. 

Built-in communication, product-lifecycle management and smart guidance features will make the whole experience smooth, simple and fast for all users.

Do companies have to pay to be listed in ozmi?

 No! ozmi is open to all companies and professionals in the beauty and personal care world, including small-scale independent businesses. Cosmetics brands, formulators, testing institutes, regulatory consultants, ingredient and packaging suppliers, and all other suppliers are welcome to join. Over time for-pay services will be added to the platform, whilst large parts of functionality will continue to be free for everyone. 

How will you protect your participants’ intellectual property?

Our users’ security is very important to us, and we are protecting it in several ways. We perform background checks of all our partner businesses to ensure that all of the companies you’ll encounter on ozmi are reputable and trustworthy. And we are fully GDPR compliant, ensuring that data protection is performed to the high standards mandated by the European Union.

How much does ozmi cost for users of the platform?

ozmi is currently free to use, and much of its core functionality will remain free of charge. A pricing structure will be introduced in the future, and it will cover certain premium features of ozmi.

How is ozmi financed? What is its business model?

ozmi is the first product by Chemster GmbH/LLC, a startup based in Mannheim, Germany, and San Francisco. Chemster was incubated and is currently still owned by one of the world’s largest chemical producers, but has always been planned to have an open platform approach. To further manifest this neutrality in the market Chemster is currently in the process of diversifying its funding sources to ensure the openness of the platform.