Skinfix is the first clean and clinically proven brand dedicated to the health of the skin barrier. The brand is rooted in a powerful, 19th century healing balm for treating eczema. I discovered the natural formula and its effusive testimonials in Nova Scotia, Canada, where I live, and took it to a prominent dermatologist in Canada, who told me that she loved the formula but wouldn’t recommend it to her patients without a clinical trial. We conducted the first clinical study in her office and received great results. It was there and then that I realized that clean products could be medically efficacious, recommended by derms, and as good as prescription grade. By working closely with dermatologists, we learned that many common skin concerns could be traced back to skin barrier health, so we went on to develop technology to protect and repair the barrier.
Brand Founder: Amy Gordinier
Founded: March 2014
Leadership:
2023 Full Year Expected Revenue Range: $50MM to $75MM
Categories: Skincare, Body Care
Distribution Channels: Prestige, Dermatology Offices
Funding Rounds: Private Equity
In November 2021 Stride Consumer Partners made its first investment, taking a minority stake in Skinfix.
Notable Investors: Stride Consumer Partners
Notable Advisors: Steve Berg, Nicole Fourgoux
What are some of your key business initiatives for 2023?
We have a robust year of innovation in 2023—moving the needle in our core category of skin barrier health and also topical therapeutics.
We are continuing to fill key roles on our sales and marketing teams to help us continue our explosive growth at Sephora. We doubled our headcount in 2022, and just kicked off the year with our first-ever sales meeting.
As a clean and planet-positive brand, we work rigorously to minimize environmental impact and are consistently evolving our packaging and ingredient lists to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We recently kicked off a partnership with Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that helps passionate outdoor people protect the places they live and lifestyles they love from climate change, and we are looking forward to building on the partnership in 2023.
What are you most proud of having accomplished?
I am most proud of our testimonials. In addition to my role as founder and CEO, I lead all product formulation, and it’s extremely gratifying to receive feedback that our products have helped heal serious skin concerns from eczema to acne. I also must admit that walking into Sephora and seeing our best-selling Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream front-of-store was a pinch me moment.
What has been the biggest surprise since the brand was founded?
The Sephora client's interest in therapeutic skincare. When Skinfix arrived, it was clear from our very fast early success that the Sephora client is looking for topical therapeutics at Sephora. While this is a category that has historically lived at mass, Skinfix is able to invest in highly effective formulas that deliver amazing results, far exceeding mass formulations. Priya Venkatesh at Sephora really believed in our therapeutics, and we were pleasantly surprised to see the depth of demand out of the gate.
What aspect of your brand DNA fuels your competitive advantage?
Skinfix is the original “cleanical” brand—the first clean skincare brand to be vetted by unbiased dermatologists—and we brought the skin barrier health conversation to Sephora. Through our work with dermatologists, we have long understood the importance of skin barrier health and have now developed patented technology to not only protect but also repair the skin barrier. There are many new products with “barrier” in the name because it’s buzzy, while we have been focused on the science behind the skin barrier for over eight years.
Please share your insight on the future of the beauty industry.
I believe that therapeutic skincare is the next big trend in prestige beauty. Prestige formulations allow for the use of next-generation technology to deliver results that mimic (and even exceed) prescription topical treatments. Therapeutics have never been formulated in the way that they can be now.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Priya told me to stay focused on Skinfix's DNA of skin barrier health and therapeutics. She advised not to be distracted by the next trendy ingredient—but to stick to our purpose in healing skin.
Paying it forward, what advice would you give to someone contemplating launching a beauty brand?
First of all, make sure that your idea really fills a gap and inhabits white space. There are low barriers to entry, and there are thousands of beauty brands. It is critical that you have a strong concept that brings something new to the category.
Secondly, start slowly and increase your investment as needed and at a reasonable level. Don't try to go too fast. Try to run the business as efficiently and profitably as possible, because it will give you more options and will safeguard you during less favorable economic climates.
If you could change one thing in the beauty industry, what would it be?
Our environmental impact. We continue to reduce our footprint, and there is a lot more that we need to do. A combined effort by ingredient vendors, packaging vendors, contract manufacturers, brands, and retail partners will continue to improve our impact. I am passionate about this critical evolution.
