Fresh was in the clean beauty category before the category existed. Thirty years ago, Fresh beauty founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, Russian immigrants living in Boston, created a one-stop neighborhood shop of natural products from around the world. They sought to capture the friendly ambience of food bazaars they loved in Europe. Their first product was soap they hand-wrapped themselves. When they couldn’t find products that met their high standards, they set out to create them. What started as a small apothecary in Boston grew into a brand still as in touch with its community as it was with its original retail footprint. As of 2000, Fresh is a global beauty brand under LVMH with loyal customers, 2,771 retail locations, and 225 products. In celebration of all that’s changed, and all that has stayed the same, Fresh is implementing 30 commitments focused on people, planet, and product to carry the momentum of positive growth.
Among these commitments is the brand’s newest partnership with the Union for Ethical BioTrade, focusing on sourcing responsibly within its local communities around the world. UEBT is a nonprofit association that promotes sourcing with respect. Fresh became the first beauty brand and first brand in the United States to join this year. As part of its commitment, Fresh will conduct a global carbon footprint assessment in 2021, setting reduction targets. Fresh aspires to 100% renewable energy for Fresh shops worldwide by 2023. Both shops and offices intend to reduce emissions by 50% by 2025. The ultimate goal is net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, achievable by setting emission reduction targets in alignment with the Paris Agreement.
According to Tennille Kopiasz, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Fresh, tackling sustainability only makes sense. “Our products are a direct connection to our consumers and the planet, which is why eco-packaging is so important. We’ve adopted a “Respect, Reduce & Replace” strategy that focuses on using responsibly sourced materials, preventing waste, and conserving natural resources,” she shared. Tangible goals in this category include 100% of gift set packaging made with recycled material (or recyclable) by 2022 and extends to all of their products by 2025. A track record of change, like 100% traceable skincare ingredients, 73% of paper product packaging certified from responsibly managed forests, and the removal of plastic windows and laminate from gift sets, feels promising.
Consumers have always responded well to Fresh’s open efforts to create more sustainability. For Fresh, pursuing sustainability means creating products when they’re in alignment with their consumer and the brand’s innovations, not simply to fill a category. Take the sheet mask, for example. “When they [sheet masks] rose in popularity and consumers asked if we were going to create them, we made a conscious decision not to as they don’t align with our brand values,” shared Kopiasz. “They are not sustainable and don’t provide the unique sensorial experience the brand is known for and we will always prioritize these values over any industry trend.”
The consumer journey with Fresh often starts with their hero product—Soy Face Cleanser. The appeal extends beyond its frequent appearance in “best of” lineups. Kopiasz said, “For this product alone, we recently conducted extensive testing on over 300 people to prove that it is effective on all skin types and tones. All the while continuing to marry effectiveness with consciousness—we use upcycled soy left over from the food industry and use rightsized PCR tubes to further eliminate waste from all angles of production.”
Building trust and creating loyalty has been as integral to Fresh’s success as its commitment to constant growth. The balance could be referred to what the brand calls “the emotional connection to the brand that we like to call the sixth sense.” And smart consumers can sniff out when skincare brands create products with the sole purpose of filling trendy categories. As the first brand to elevate cultural rituals with modern science, 30 years ago Fresh was capitalizing on what modern brands are constantly trying to bottle—a singular focus on excellent ingredients. Recently, that innovative focus has led to the Crème Ancienne White Truffle Overnight Mask, a luxury product that harnesses 100% of the truffle’s bioactive compounds to strengthen, nourish, and protect skin overnight.
Keeping customers satisfied without relying on newness requires building an engaging community worth coming back to. For Kopiasz, an ever-evolving customer service strategy means concrete, measurable commitments. It’s a 2-hour response rate to DMs, comments, and questions across all platforms, prioritizing IG shopping, and offering first access and sneak peeks as a thank you for customer loyalty.
And in 2022, customers’ loyalty asks for more than great products and quick response time. Moving intentionally toward more sustainable practices, like joining the UEBT or publicly releasing 30 tangible efforts, shows that Fresh is here to honor their own legacy by chasing a brighter future.
