After an eye-opening experience in the US, this Malaysian beauty and wellness entrepreneur was determined to create positive change in an industry she once considered quitting
Yann Fang Yap was 25 when she started her first business, the popular Bizzy Body aesthetic clinic franchise. The brand eventually expanded to 30 outlets. But in time, Yap started noticing trends that worried her about the local beauty industry. She sold her business in 2012 but worked another four years in the aesthetic clinic circuit, an experience that caused her to consider quitting the industry in 2016.
“I felt the industry was too cluttered,” she explains. “There were price wars, beauticians resorting to illegal services, products with banned substances being sold, and gimmicky marketing tactics that included fear-mongering and body shaming. I asked myself, should I lower my standards in order to compete in this kind of environment? At that point, I very nearly wanted to quit.”
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In 2017, Yap attended a culture camp in Las Vegas, which she considers a turning point in her entrepreneurial journey. “I realised that I still loved being in the beauty industry and that if I wanted to go back to it meaningfully, I needed to rise above the challenges, not lower my standards.”
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When she came back to Malaysia, she founded Beauty & Co, a co-working space for beauticians, small salon owners, masseuses, spa therapists and skin doctors to serve their clients while having access to the latest beauty and wellness tech facilities it offers.
Yap tells Tatler about the values that shape this first-of-its-kind co-working space in Malaysia and the long-term commitment involved in raising industry standards in the highly competitive beauty scene.
