Treatment firm Beauty BioScience is off to a good start with its latest product, a patented micro-needle and red LED light device called GloPro that did $1 million in first month retail sales.
The first batch shipped to Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in mid April and was back ordered — by month’s end, noted company president Jamie O’Banion. The $199 GloPro flew even faster on HSN on May 19, when all 3,000 units sold in 10 minutes flat.
“We thought that 5,000 units in that first month would cover it,” O’Banion said. “But we had a period where everyone was sold out everywhere. The market is just so ready for this technology.”
“We really feel it will be one of our top performing tools for the coming season,” said Kelly St. John, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of beauty for Neiman’s. “Our clients are looking at how they can get something that produces high-tech results in the comfort of their own home.”
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Neiman’s stocks the GloPro in its top 15 doors and will promote it during its Camp Gorgeous beauty event that runs June 8 to 19.
HSN has been Beauty BioScience’s primary channel since the 2011 launch of its keystone product — RetinoSyn 45 retinol treatment. It added QVC U.K. last fall, and big potential lies in infomercials that began airing in late May and were produced by Guthy-Renker, the Proactive marketer that last year bought a minority interest in Beauty BioScience.
“We need to do $100 million in the first 12 months for [the infomercials] to make sense for everyone, and the numbers are super exciting,” O’Banion said.
Sales through HSN and QVC U.K. will reach $21 million at retail this year, she projected.
Intended to boost collagen production and enhance serum penetration, GloPro retails for $199 on HSN. It’s the same price at Neiman’s and Bergdorf Goodman but is bundled with a 0.5 oz. bottle of a new HydraGlo serum. The sister stores will be the only brick-and-mortar retailers to sell the device and the serum through October.
The serum, which boasts a new enzyme-activated delivery system, will retail for $95 for 1 oz. and $65 for 0.5 oz. More GloPro treatments are on tap, including HydraGlo Cream night moisturizer launching in September, VisaGlo brightening serum in October, and YouthGlo lightening serum for holiday.
A telegenic blonde and former Miss Teen USA, O’Banion has been extremely successful on HSN, where in 24 hours she has racked up as much as $4 million in sales of RetinoSyn 45, the best-selling three-phase retinol treatment.
She cofounded and co-owns Beauty BioScience with her father, cardiologist Dr. Terry James, who developed the micro-needling tool and introduced it about four years ago in medical spas and other professional outlets. While the GloPro uses a 0.3 mm needle that penetrates to the dermal junction, the professional devices are equipped with needles up to 2 mm long that delve into the dermis, O’Banion explained.