Shaving brands continue to carve out their place in prestige beauty. Marking the effort’s most significant milestone to date, eco-conscious shaving brand Hanni is launching at Sephora as the beauty retailer’s first razor partner. Slated to launch on sephora.com on April 12 and at 251 store locations on April 26, Hanni’s single-blade, weighted metal razor has been lauded for its close shave and eco-friendly design.
Arriving at Sephora along with the razor are a handful of other stock keeping units ranging from $6 to $38 including the Hero Holder, Shave Bin and Shave Pillow, which is a waterless shaving cream that doubles as a moisturizing balm. Hanni began talks with Sephora shortly after its launch in May 2021, and by September the companies cemented their partnership.
“Leslie has created a brand that truly captures everything Sephora looks for,” said Cindy Deily, vice president of skin care merchandising at Sephora. “Shave is about to become a big category in prestige beauty, and we’re thrilled to be Hanni’s exclusive retail partner in building it.”
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In addition to supporting Hanni’s commitment to creating a more sustainable shave by eliminating single-use plastics, Sephora has aligned itself with founder Leslie Tessler’s idea that women’s shaving can be a pampering experience comparable to a barbershop shave, rather than being reduced to a chore.
“Sephora understood our vision and where we were trying to take this brand,” Tessler said. “I always say, we are not a shaving brand, we are a skin care brand that believes the first step to great skin is a great shave.”
Ahead of the brand’s upcoming Sephora launch, Hanni announced in February that it has raised $3 million in its growth financing round led by private investment firm Valedor Partners. “In planning to go into retail this early, we differed from traditional venture capital routes,” Tessler said. “We were lucky in that we found the perfect partners in Valedor, who typically invest in private equity in a later stage than we are at, but they were looking to get into consumer and were really excited for the opportunity, as were we.”
Money raised from the seed round will go toward funding the Sephora launch, as well as new body care products to come later this year, which Tessler says will be unlike existing products on the market.
“We are committed to not creating another of anything,” Tessler said. “We’re never going to launch just another body wash — it has to be something that does the same thing for skin that our razor has done — that elevates the experience and enhances it. Whether it’s via ingredients, application, performance or ideally a combination of all three, innovation in our product development is always at the forefront.”
Although Tessler did not specify sales expectations, industry sources estimate Hanni’s sales will exceed $5 million in its first year at Sephora. “We are the only razor in Sephora,” Tessler said. “So we are in this incredibly unique position to be there without any real competition, which I don’t think any brands have at this point.”
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