The BeautyMatter editorial team tracks the best beauty brand launches on a weekly basis.
In the second quarter of 2023, we have seen a range of exciting and interesting brand launches. The BeautyMatter team has picked out those that stood out among the crowd. Gryt brought personal care for Gen Alpha to the forefront with a community platform that makes puberty and personal care less daunting. Brands that interact with their customers have caught the attention of the team with both ABI AMÉ and Bigger Than Beauty, making the list with product development informed by communities of consumers. Meanwhile Noteworthy finds fragrances best suited to consumers through an AI- and data science–backed quiz, and Untoxicated Skincare launches with two products developed through the lens of a double-board–certified allergist with the goal of revolutionizing the sensitive skincare market.
Gryt: The new personal care brand and community platform built for tweens and teens is grounded in research that healthy habits like washing your face daily improve both physical and mental health long term. Inspired by their own childrens’ challenges with puberty, co-founders Caroline Kusnetz, a board-certified health and wellness coach, Carly Kaufman, a functional-medicine health coach, and beauty industry veteran Kathryn Beaton launched Gryt with a commitment to guide Gen Alpha through everything from zits to hormones while instilling healthy habits. The team also tapped a dermatologist, pediatrician, sexual health educator, and a marriage and family therapist to inform their educational approach, as well as having a Youth Advisory Board consisting of Gen Alpha and Gen Z consumers. To support the brand’s launch, the Youth Advisory Board helped develop a zine filled with stories and articles centered around puberty in a lighthearted, informative way. The debut collection focuses on simplicity with three skincare basics priced from $16-$24 that leverage science-backed ingredients packaged in bold, playful packaging that strikes the perfect balance of youth without straying into childish territory. The formulas have been dermatologist-tested, and are pediatrician-approved and EWG Verified. The brand is focused on DTC but inked two brick-and-mortar retail deals to coincide with the launch. The products are available at the Pop Up Grocer in NYC’s Greenwich Village and 12 locations of children’s hair salon Sit Still.
ABI AMÉ: The French body care brand was created by founder and CEO Yasmin Zeinab and named after her mother. The brand and its products have all been the result of conversations with over 1,000 women globally who bonded over a personal need to pay closer attention to the skin on their bodies. The website offers consumers the option to join the conversation. Pushing the boundaries of traditional body care, the brand adopts a skincare approach for the entire body focusing on high-performance products infused with active ingredients and delivering treatment benefits. The brand debuted with a soft launch in France earlier this year with one hero product—Summer Skin ($38), a lightweight serum-lotion hybrid designed to replace traditional body lotions and creams during warmer months, powered by niacinamide, vitamin B5, saccharide isomerate, and oat extract. The product was an immediate success, selling out in just 10 days. The French girl–approved bodycare brand hit the US in June with a direct-to-consumer launch.
Noteworthy: Industry veterans Luke Weston and Ashley Boyce are reimagining the fragrance discovery process by using AI, data science, proprietary technology, and real consumer feedback to formulate personalized scent recommendations. Noteworthy is a sibling brand of Proven skincare, where Weston is COO, leveraging the personalization learnings of Proven and sharing technology, talent, user base, and funding to bring the fragrance brand to life. Customers first take the Fragrance Finder Quiz which includes a few simple questions about personality, life experience, and individual preferences, to create their fragrance profile. From the profile, the algorithm then determines their personalized scent recommendations. The algorithm uses responses to build a personalized Discovery Kit, containing four curated fragrance samples based on customers’ unique preferences. The quiz was based on a yearlong longitudinal study conducted to build a unique database and algorithm based on inputs from hundreds of real users. The fine fragrance collection was developed by expert perfumers consisting of 17 scents each created for its distinct personality. The offering consists of The Discovery Kit ($24.99), Travel Spray ($37.49), and Eau de Parfum ($124.99). The brand is currently available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Bigger Than Beauty Skincare: Thrive Causemetics, the DTC clean color brand with a cause founded in 2015 by Karissa Bodnar, a former L’Oréal product manager, has debuted its sibling skincare brand Bigger Than Beauty Skincare. In development since 2019, the universal skincare line was created to be truly inclusive of everyone and is fueled by innovative, purposeful, trailblazing technology that blends nourishing naturals and powerful ingredients, formulated to be “highly active – not reactive.” The brand launched with a range of 10 products priced from $18-$59 designed to work synergistically to address skincare concerns like aging, moisture levels, and impurities.There are three new products and seven reformulated products that have been sold under the skincare tab on the Thrive Causemetics website since 2018, updated based on community feedback. Bigger Than Beauty Skincare represents a commitment to sustainability designed with a 40% reduction of plastic packaging compared to the original Thrive Causemetics. The brand will also fuel the Giving Mission, which supports a network of over 500 Giving Partners from donations of each product sold.
Untoxicated Skincare: Founded by double board–certified allergist Dr. Martin Smith and beauty brand executive Annie Meyer, Untoxicated Skincare aims to revolutionize the sensitive skincare market. Dr. Smith was inspired to create the brand after his time working as an allergist and immunologist at Cleveland Clinic, where he repeatedly saw a connection between skin-irritating allergens regularly present in leading skincare brand products and increased sensitivity in patients’ skin. The brand’s product line is free from 128 of the most common allergens responsible for 99% of allergic reactions on the skin, and each product has a limited-ingredient formula. Initially launching with two products, and set to release more in late 2023, the brand seeks to dismantle misconceptions about products suitable for sensitive skin. Clean Start Facial Cleanser ($17.95) is rich in ceramides and hyaluronic acid to wash away impurities without stripping or stressing the skin. Lightweight Hydrate Moisturizing Lotion ($24.95) is infused with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, arginine, and glycolipids to provide instant fast-absorbing moisture to the skin. The brand has launched direct-to-consumer.
