Gender-neutral skin care products are increasing in popularity and consumer demand in the United States, especially among Gen Z consumers. This is consistent with his recent PEW investigation. studyThe results indicate that more than one in four Americans personally know someone who uses the gender-neutral pronoun “they” instead of “she/her” or “he/him.” did. The study also concluded that more than four in 10 Americans personally know someone who is transgender, and about half of those surveyed under the age of 30.
In addition to being more accepting of a fluid gender identity, Gen Z is also an acne-prone consumer age group. Currently, the age range of Generation Z is from 11 to 26 years old. Dermatologist at the University of California, Davis“An estimated 85% of teenagers suffer from acne, usually starting at the age of 11 for girls and several years later for boys. [and] Acne can last from your teens to your early 20s. ”
So skincare brand Geologie has launched a collection of products at Target that it believes will appeal to Gen Z consumers. The brand’s Clear System is a collection of anti-acne products designed to meet the needs of all consumers, regardless of gender.
To learn more about the brand’s recent collection launch into major retailers, we spoke to Geologie co-founder Dave Skaff to learn more about the research and development behind the Clear System formulation, the factors that influenced the development of the product collection, and asked for insight on how to develop product collections. The targeted launch fits into the brand’s growth and expansion strategy for 2024.
Brand background and clear system research and development
Geologie’s roots lie with the brand’s founder, Nick Allen. “Prior to founding Geologie, he primarily worked at ride-sharing startups, and a trip to South Korea in 2016 inspired him to start Geologie,” Skaf said. Co-founder Skaf’s experience focuses on e-commerce, as she “previously owned and operated an e-commerce agency and worked extensively with beauty brands such as Clinique and Kiehl’s.” He said that he had done so.
As a result of this experience, when they launched Geologie, they were “well-versed in starting and running a business as entrepreneurs and had considerable experience with e-commerce and direct-to-consumer business models. ” he explained.
The brand was built “primarily on the strength of our personalized skin care regimens,” Skaff continued, adding, “Over the years, we’ve learned that more than 70% of our customers cite acne as their main concern. That’s why we’ve been developing acne for years. There are certain personalized routines that we can refer to.” Leveraging these insights, “we have all this combined data and Using many conversations with our customers, we were able to distill and develop the Clear System into a truly powerful and unique acne care solution,” he shared.
When Geologie’s R&D team approached the formulation and development process for the Clear System products, which consist of a Clarifying Gel Cleanser, Repairing Night Cream, and Brightening Day Cream, they followed a “product philosophy; [which] Mr Skaff has always viewed benzoyl peroxide as outdated and problematic in many ways.” “We had already successfully developed a personalized and effective skin care routine for acne-free customers, so we thought there was a better way,” he added. Ta.
Therefore, “the Geologie team, which includes a great lead dermatologist and a great cosmetic chemist, put everything we learned into a new and unique solution,” Skaf explained. The result is the Clear System.
Becoming a gender-neutral brand
The brand didn’t start out as a gender-neutral skincare company, but has undergone a natural evolution to become Geology today. “In 2019, we started out as a men’s brand, but we ended up having so many women as customers that it didn’t matter anymore,” Skaf said.
A few years after launching the brand, “we discovered that there were a lot of men. and“It’s created for women who want truly effective skin care, at a reasonable price, and in an easy-to-use routine,” he explained. This “means producing products that are made to work together to create something better.” [and] Address your specific skin concerns with a more effective routine.
“Not everyone wants to check Reddit every day for the next best thing. Many people just want good skin care that works and is reliable, regardless of gender identity,” he added. .
Target launch and beyond
Commenting on bringing Clear System to Target retailers, Skaff said, “Our Clear System product line is something we’ve always dreamed of bringing, especially at Target,” because “it works on so many levels. “We’re really excited to build that relationship.” Bring Clear System into the hands of more people, including Gen Z consumers. ”
Post-launch, the brand plans to “continue to take a very data-driven and community-driven approach to new products,” saying it will “see what the data shows us and let the community tell us about it.” “We want to develop a new product that meets their needs compared to what we have,” he said.
He explained that the brand plans to build on its expansion efforts from last year, when it “almost doubled its number of SKUs by expanding our skincare offerings and launching body care and hair care for the first time.”
As a result of these efforts, “we have already won several awards in these new categories and are starting to gain a very loyal following with all our new products. I’m in a learning and listening mode,” he said. he concluded.
