Launched: 2020
Founders:
Key Executives:
2024 Full Year Expected Revenue Range: $20 to $30 million
Offline Points of Distribution Projected Globally for 2024: Same as 2023; we have three major offline points of distribution (Target, Ulta , CVS Pharmacy), totaling over 7,000 doors
Primary Beauty Category: Haircare
Other Beauty Categories: Body Care
Key Markets: United States
Retail Partnerships:
Primary Distribution Channel: Mass
Other Distribution Channels:
Funding Rounds: Private Equity
Notable Investors / Funding Partners: Stride Consumer Partners
Notable Advisors / Board Members:
The inspiration behind starting Odele really came down to believing that premium performance haircare can and should be widely available at an accessible price point. Quite simply, we wanted something we couldn’t seem to find on the shelf … so we created it ourselves.
Odele is clean beauty for you and your people. Safe and inclusive haircare made to be shared with all who share your shower. Cruelty-free, sulfate-free, dermatologist and pediatrician tested, EU formula compliant, with a gender-neutral, 100% natural fragrance. Our products are developed to deliver key benefits sought by hair type and texture, not age, gender, race, or any other measure. Haircare is complicated to navigate, and our resulting lineup promises a simplified selection of (meaningfully differentiated) products with clearly communicated, research-backed benefits for easy navigation between options. Aka all the things.
Insight provided by Lindsay Holden, Co-Founder
What are your key business initiatives for 2024?
We’re calling it Odele 2.0, and it’s all about scaling with our current partners, building awareness and team. We’re developing into a new regimen that, along with the claims it delivers, will continue to disrupt what people can expect from a $12 shampoo as well as be an incredible addition to our lineup. We’re going to lean into marketing and do a lot of tests and learn to discover what works best when it comes to building awareness and driving trial. We know when people try us, they’ll be back! We have a really fun concept for this effort—and we cannot wait to see it come to life.
What are you most proud of having accomplished?
That we have started and grown an incredible, sustainable business and brand that is here to stay. Also, that we continue to do the next best thing for Odele and the consumer (as it relates to ingredients, sustainability, performance), holding our own among CPG giants while consistently ensuring value for our consumers. That translates to increased year-over-year points of distribution, in both retail partners and actual doors (from 1,000 to 7,000+ doors); expansion of our manufacturing footprint (while still keeping it Minnesota local!) to support that new distribution; and increased SKU counts (from nine at launch to over 20 to date). And most validating is the consumer and industry love and acceptance. With over 35 awards and accolades from both consumer and trade, word of mouth is our current largest purchase driver. There is nothing that makes us more proud than that earned endorsement or an unsolicited referral from a friend.
What has been the biggest surprise?
While we have a few products that consistently rise to the top (we’re looking at you, Dry Shampoo, Hair Oil, Clarifying Shampoo), our entire assortment truly delivers. In other words, each and every SKU is productive and warrants its place in the total offering and its space on the shelf. We have yet to discontinue an offering from our core assortment in our four years of business.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
The beauty industry has been built upon driving frequency of purchase through newness. The game has been more is more, newness for the sake of newness without a whole lot of differentiation between choices. This model creates a lot of cost and, at times, a whole lot of confusion for the consumer to navigate.
Odele respectfully takes the opposite approach: Focusing on what’s essential. This essentialism carries through both brand and business; building the best product we possibly can and stripping out additional cost drivers commonly associated with our industry. Embracing less is more, when it comes to products, ease of navigation and packaging. Including everyone and removing clutter from the shower shelf. That’s even in our brand name itself. Odele is a riff on the Norwegian phrase "å dele," which means “to share.” Odele was developed to remove all the barriers that may have kept people from sharing their haircare products in the past.
Please share your insight on the future of the beauty industry.
Consumers are demanding more from the industry, and the changes being made are positive as a result. By that, we mean you’re seeing better (for you and for the environment) ingredients, greater transparency, and true inclusivity. It’s inspiring.
Also, we think mass will play a larger role in prestige offerings. Both consumer and industry alike are recognizing (and demanding) that great products can and should be available at a variety of price points and easily accessible (aka where you’re already shopping).
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Wear sunscreen. And … trust yourself, trust your partners, stay curious, and stay grounded in your purpose; and remember there is more than one right way to approach it.
What is the best mistake you've ever made?
Nobody’s “pefect.”
The backstory: This was our first run of our Air Dry Styler, and despite multiple rounds of proofing, somehow, we all missed the letter “r” in the word “perfection” that's on the front of the [Air Dry Styler] tube. We were appalled and in shock over this—and yet this typo served and continues to serve as a constant reminder about risk taking, learning from mistakes … and proofing everything one more time.
If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning. Progress over perfection—because nobody’s “pefect.”
Paying it forward, what advice would you give to someone contemplating launching a beauty brand?
Call me! In all seriousness, there is so much to learn by connecting, and we find that others are so willing to share. Why gatekeep? There are many aspects to building a brand and indie business that you likely have never had to deal with in your prior experiences. Connecting with others who may be navigating the same waters as you is invaluable. Staying curious and asking questions is far more important and will serve you better than pretending to have all the answers.
If you could change one thing in the beauty industry what would it be?
We understand business is business, and clearly there’s a bottom line that needs to be met in order to survive. That being said, continuing to do that next best thing as it relates to people, planet, and purpose does not need to be mutually exclusive. It may cost a little more in the short term, but the long-term gains—when all make those choices—can have a truly inspiring, positive impact.
