Hourglass Customer Success Story

Flipping the Cosmetics Industry on its Head, Hourglass Continues to Stay Ahead of the Times

The term “going vegan” isn’t something instinctively associated with lipsticks, blushes and the like. But for Hourglass, being an industry leader has always been part of its DNA. Since the cosmetics line launched in 2004, it has been pushing the envelope in creating cruelty-free products that wrap innovation and integrity into a luxury brand. Its lock on the luxury cosmetics market led Unilever to acquire it in 2017, kicking off a new volume of a growth story that was already a bestseller.

COMPANY

Hourglass

LOCATION

Venice, Calif.

INDUSTRY

Health and Beauty

EMPLOYEES

280

NUMBER OF USERS

NUMBER OF SUBSIDARIES

SYSTEM REPLACED

Sage

NETSUITE PRODUCTS IMPLEMENTED

NetSuite OneWorld
Work Orders and Assemblies

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER

GSI

LOCATION

Atlanta, Georgia

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“What we need and how we operate and what it takes, we’re constantly evolving. To have a system that can constantly evolve with you, that’s huge.” Joshua Rosenzweig, CFO and COO, Hourglass

Broad Growth Strategy, Pencil-Thin Operations

SMB with enterprise-like complexity: While the complexity of its operations mirror that of a Unilever-size business, Hourglass just has 280 employees globally, with 75 percent of those people working in customer-facing roles. Just 8 percent maintain supply chain and finance operations that include sourcing thousands of items across dozens of suppliers to create the products and its custom packaging.

Intercompany processes need automation: With international expansion driving growth, legacy Sage software could not automate manufacturing and financial processes across (now six) global legal entities and transactions in 16 currencies, let alone accomplish efficient financial consolidation and intercompany transfers needed for drop shipping.

More data, less time: NetSuite OneWorld, implemented by GSI and customised to include a unique chart of accounts, has saved Hourglass hundreds of hours it used to take to accomplish intercompany processes. Visibility into metrics like landed costs and the ability to tag expenses to customers drives profitable decisions.

Luxury for customers, spartan operations: The business has doubled in size, the number of SKUs has tripled while headcount in the supply chain has remained flat. With international markets driving the most growth, NetSuite OneWorld’s multi-currency and multi-subsidiary functionality enables the business to, for instance, open a new store presence overseas, staff it with five people and manage operations from the US.