Maker: Bethany Pugh, Owner and Founder
Business: Elogical Cosmetics
Location: Cleveland
Bethany Pugh is not your regular high school student, she is a business owner. Pugh is the founder of Elogical Cosmetics, an Anime-inspired cosmetics line.
Pugh started Elogical as a clothing line while in middle school. She eventually shifted to makeup and soon found her stride.
The first product released was an eyeshadow palette called “Love the Hunt.”
“I really liked the process of making eye shadow palettes. It’s something I really fell in love with. There was something about just testing out formulas, testing pigments and stuff like that. And getting to decide what colors I wanted,” said Pugh.
Pugh relied on the support of her mom as she created and grew Elogical. Pugh’s mom provides her with a workspace, helps set up vendor tables and shares input for new products.
"She doesn’t really get the vibes of some of the animes. She’s always been really supportive though,” Pugh said of her mom.
Favorite anime
Pugh gets inspiration for new products from her anime obsession.
“'Hunter x Hunter' was the first anime that I made a palette [for]. I remember watching this anime and just falling in love with it," said Pugh of her Love the Hunt palette. "Killua was my favorite character for a very long time. I remember the feeling of making that first eye shadow palette and how happy it made me.”
Customers can purchase Elogical products online or at comic book conventions. Pugh's convention debut of Elogical was at the Cleveland Fan Expo, a sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event, in spring 2023.
“That was really an experiment for me. I wasn’t sure if something like that would be a good thing for my business," said Pugh. "But I ended up having tons of people telling me: ‘I’ve seen you before.’”
They most likely saw her on social media — Pugh really knows how to leverage social platforms for her business. She keeps her Instagram account up-to-date with events, and she showcases her latest products on TikTok videos.
Business Plan
Pugh learned some of her business savvy through her experience at Ohio Business Week, a business bootcamp for teens. She learned the ins and outs of being an business owner from other professionals, and she created a tightknit network of young entrepreneurs.
Elogical Cosmetics has brought Pugh the freedom and creativity she was looking for, and we can expect to see more great things from this young entrepreneur.
“This is my starting point. I am using this brand as something to learn from," said Pugh. "Of course I would never officially close it, but I would move to different projects.”
