The passing of the Farm Bill at the end of 2018 opened the CBD floodgates, unleashing a gold rush mentality up and down the value chain and across categories and with consumer adoption. Exciting, absolutely, but it’s important to remember it is a nascent category with commercialization happening much faster than regulatory standards and clinical substantiation.
The global CBD skincare market is expected to hit $3.48 billion by 2026. While big beauty is on the sidelines for the moment, the category is dominated by indie beauty brands. This makes it a challenge for retailers interested in capturing their piece of the buzzy new category. Consumers outsource their trust to retailers and brands.
Sephora appears to be taking a slow down to hurry up approach with the CBD category expansion. The retailer dipped their toes in the category early with a 2018 launch of Lord Jones, an established player in the cannabis space. That launch was followed by High Beauty, Saint Jane, and now Prima. While these all qualify as indie brands, they have one thing in common—founders who are experienced operators who see the opportunity but are also committed to education, research, and establishing standards for the category.
Prima was launched with a mission to set the bar on hemp CBD by developing a science-driven, conscious brand designed to lead with industry-defining safety, purity, and efficacy standards. The purpose-driven holistic hemp-based CBD wellness and beauty brand will be available on Sephora.com and roll out to 280+ Sephora store locations in May 2020 as part of the Clean at Sephora assortment.
“At Prima, quality standards are first and foremost. It’s extremely validating to have a partner in Sephora who is not only the leading prestige beauty omni-retailer but also shares our health and purity values through the Clean at Sephora program. We believe that everyone should have access to wellness solutions that are effective, safe and of uncompromising quality, and this partnership gives Prima the platform to do so. We’re truly thrilled and honored to bring these rigorous standards and elevated health products to Sephora’s loyal beauty enthusiasts,” said Prima founder and CEO Christopher Gavigan.
The launch of Prima marks Sephora’s expansion of its CBD Skincare assortment and the forthcoming release of their updated hemp standards, shaped in part by Prima’s CBD-industry expertise and commitment to quality.
“We’re thrilled to launch Prima exclusively at Sephora, and to continue to grow our prestige CBD assortment,” said Cindy Deily, Vice President of Merchandising at Sephora.” The Prima team is passionate about education and are committed to purity and potency of their products. Their goals of embracing self-care and providing high-quality products aligns with Sephora’s own values and we can’t wait to introduce Prima’s collection to the Sephora community.”
Sephora will carry the full Prima range and launch two new exclusive products: The Afterglow, a deeply restorative cream for youthful radiance with 500 mg of hemp cannabinoids, an Ayurvedic adaptogen complex, and four types of hyaluronic acid; and the Enlightenment Serum concentrated boost for vital hydration and even skin tone with 100 mg of hemp cannabinoids with saccharide complex and niacinamide.
The launch will be supported by the inclusion of Prima’s Soak It In Bath Gem in Sephora Faves CBD Box, and a Mini of Night Magic will be featured in the Deluxe Sample program starting in March. In addition, Prima will further CBD education for Sephora staff through education and training videos.
Prima launched 9 wellness products in the summer of 2019 on their brand website and has been rapidly expanding its availability in specialty retail (Erewhon, Standard Dose, Calmist, Knockout Beauty, Thrive Market, and more). Sephora is the brand’s first national retail partner.
