DIY beauty gurus put their best face forward

Skin-deep decisions

Wearable fashion

Some of the most popular ones are Naruko by Niu Er, J Plus by Li Jing and Afrella by Nic Peng. These beauty gurus used to help customers make the right choices in an overcrowded cosmetics market.

Taiwan guru Niu Er is one of the first people to develop a personal beauty brand. His label Naruko now is a $10 million business, offering lotions, facial creams and serum products.

Niu first appeared on the scene in 2003 as a beauty consultant on a Taiwan TV show to teach women how to use cosmetics correctly.

After graduating from a medical college in Taipei, Niu happened to read a recruitment ad from Arwin Group, which specializes in beauty products. Joining The Body Shop in 1994 as a salesman, Niu officially started in the beauty business.

"When I was studying in college, a friend said to me jokingly: 'Look at your face! Your pores are so big that ants could live in them!' It was then I decided to learn about cosmetics," Niu says.

His interest in developing beauty products, however, did not begin until years later. Having worked for The Body Shop and Sisley, Niu was invited by a company to study some of the ingredients for creams.

"I gained experience in developing beauty products during this period. In 2009, finally, I created the Cream of Jingcheng. Then there was Naruko, and then there was Ampm," Niu says.

Naruko's products reflect what Niu learned from his experiences working for big labels. He uses sustainable elements from different plants and develops them for different purposes.