South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Teen CEO focuses on message
Formula Z Cosmetics all about inclusion; recently partnered with The Trevor Project
Zach Dishinger is CEO of Formula Z Cosmetics in Weston.
He is 16 and still goes to high school in Plantation.
While he attends class most days, sometimes he has to fly to New York or Los Angeles to do business.
Dishinger and his year-old company — which carries a message of acceptance and inclusivity — have been featured in Forbes, Out and Teen Vogue publications.
He also recently partnered with The Trevor Project, a national nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. For every “Mission Z” lip color sold, Formula Z Cosmetics is donating 50 percent of net proceeds to The Trevor Project.
Dishinger “has a tremendous message he’s positioned in the marketplace,” said Brian Tuffin, a venture capitalist with BTUFF Capital Ventures in Pembroke Zach Dishinger, 16-year-old CEO of Weston-based cosmetic business, Formula Z, at his home studio in Weston.
Pines who volunteered to teach an entrepreneurship summer program at Dishinger’s school, American Heritage. “He’s done a phenomenal job standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves.”
He also “has done a very good job with product quality,” he added.
Formula Z is only available online now, at formulazcosmetics.com, though Dishinger hopes to get his product in retail stores. The company says its sales have grown five-fold since the lipsticks launched in May 2017.
So, how did it all start? Dishinger became fascinated with makeup as he got involved in theater in middle school. But his experimentation with makeup brought ridicule, and he was bullied for being gay. Then he developed a line of “Forever Lips” shades designed to “support everyone, no matter sexual orientation, race or gender … to be unapologetically you,” he said.
Starting in his mother’s kitchen, he began mixing makeup and colors, and then had the lipsticks professionally made in a local lab. He said it took about two years to complete the seven shades of matte lipsticks sold by Formula Z.
The products are designed to be versatile, so they can be used on the lips, eyelids or cheeks: an all-in-one facial makeup for $18. To make them moisturizing, he added vitamin E and jojoba oil. The lipsticks are also “vegan and crueltyfree,” according to Formula Z.
Dishinger said his family’s unconditional support has made the difference in being his “authentic self,” and starting the business.
His mother, Tara, is the company’s business manager, and father Jim is chief financial officer. But the teen remains the “creative force” behind the brand, his parents said.
“He has a great product and it works, but he also has a very strong message and we wanted to support that,” said Jim Dishinger, who works as an account executive for a South Florida appliance company.
The business came from “wanting to step out of my comfort zone and to create something that was different from everyone else in the beauty industry,” Zach Dishinger said.
Now the company gives him a platform that resonates with many in his generation who may be exploring who they are, questioning their sexuality, or who may feel different from others in school, he said.
Formula Z and Zach Dishinger’s popularity with youth made the company a good fit with The Trevor Project, said Kevin Wong, spokesman for the 20-year-old organization, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
“We do have other corporate partners, but none so tied to LGBTQ youth,” Wong said. (The project also provides an online forum or “safe space” for young people called TrevorSpace.org.)
Today, Formula Z is at a “critical inflection point,” as it has attracted interest from major companies in the industry interested in expanding the product’s distribution, said his teacher, Tuffin.
Formula Z also has new products in its pipeline.
Tuffin said Zach Dishinger will soon have to choose a strategic partner that can help him take the company “to the next level,” but let him retain his message.
“He represents just as much of the brand as the actual product … They can’t live without him because he’s part of the brand,” Tuffin said. “The right strategic partnership can be a real launching pad.”
“He’s done a phenomenal job standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves.” — Brian Tuffin, venture capitalist with BTUFF Capital Ventures