Beauty has a new, biotechnology-backed player.
Ourself, a skin care brand that boasts a proprietary “Subtopical Skin Care System,” launches on Wednesday and aims to provide an at-home alternative to cosmetic procedures. The brand, which is coming to market directly on its website, includes two lip treatments, two peels, two moisturizers and an SPF 50 suncreen. Prices range from $45 to $260.
The brand may be new, but its founders are seasoned. Among them is chairman and cofounder Scott Glenn, who also cofounded SkinMedica and Alastin Skincare. It was through his experiences in dermatologist’s offices with those two brands that inspiration struck.
“I noticed that they use lasers to burn the skin to get a result, or how they did injectables with either a filler or a toxin, and I just thought there had to be a better way,” Glenn said. “I had a lot of access to tools from biotechnology and learned about different ways that we could deliver the same ingredients. But instead of injecting deep into the skin like a toxin or filler, or burning the skin with a laser, that we could do it topically.”
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The brand’s offerings rely on Intides, a proprietary technology that allows product formulas to penetrate beyond the skin barrier. “We’ve covered it with about 10 patents around the technology, it’s truly innovative,” he said.
He expects the brand to resonate across demographics, particularly as Millennials and Gen Z age up and into dermatologist’s offices. “There is a whole latent population of people who will be interested in our products from a topical point of view,” he said. “You have Millennials who want to be responsible for their own health, and Gen Z who wants to see results. It’s a combination of them who have led this whole d-to-c switch, further propagated by COVID-19.”
Glenn is open to other means of distribution, though, especially as the products have applications with older generations. “Somebody in the 60- to 70-year-old range who would be interested in this product, would more likely be introduced through a retail site like Nordstrom’s or Sephora,” he said.
Although Ourself includes clinical trials, influencer marketing will be key to raising brand awareness, Glenn said. “We think they have a high impact, so that’s the groundswell,” he said. “It’s one of those products that when you use them, you become a believer. People are going to see these results, and befores and afters. That’s the telling side.”
The products themselves span categories, which each mimic in-office procedure results. The Lip Filler with Subtopical Plumping Technology boosts fullness, while its peels target radiance and dark spots.
“I think there will be multiple hero products,” Glenn said. “Our products are used as part of a daily routine. If you don’t like it, results go away within about four days. If you like it, you just keep applying it daily. You don’t have to go back to the doctor to get reinjected.”
Given the wide range of concerns they target, the brand has a lot of runway. Although Glenn didn’t comment on sales, industry sources estimate the range to reach between $12 million and $15 million in sales in its first year on the market.
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