Like many smaller beauty brands today, Re:erth has found itself in a sluggish market as consumers tackle inflationary pressures and economic uncertainties.
“I don’t think consumers view on skin care has changed. I think consumer purchasing triggers have drastically changed. Their willingness to spend on skin care has changed simply because they can get great products at a discounted price,” founder Shinji Yamasaki told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
Yamasaki lamented the sheer frequency of sales and promotions in the market today, which has made the landscape all the more challenging to operate in.
“Coming out of COVID, I think a lot of the big brands had excess inventory that they needed to get rid of. All of a sudden, these big brands did huge promotions. It was clearly a fire sale. They had so much inventory they were trying to get rid of, so it was over such an extended period of time that the consumer just got used to that.”
Smaller brands are under significant pressure the brand is under to keep up with these discounts and promotions, but it is not a very sustainable strategy.
“We’re a small brand and our cost of doing business is very high, our product cost is very high. So, we can’t do what we find to be ridiculously high discounts… A 20% discount is really big for us,” said Yamasaki.
More benefits, more value
The consumer focus on getting value for money has influenced the company’s product development.
Recently, the company announced the launch of its first sunscreen, Radiance Defence.
The formula shields the skin against UVA, UVB, near-infrared (NIR) rays, blue light, and Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).
Additionally, it has an array of skin care benefits from ingredients such as pentapeptide-48, which mimics royalactin, a protein found in royal jelly that causes larvae to change into the queen bee.
Pentapeptide-48 acts to stimulate human growth factors such as EGF and TGF-α, which stimulates dermal cell proliferation for anti-ageing effects.
According to the brand, this is the first time pentapeptide-48 has been used in a sunscreen.
The formula also contains Japanese Spring Tumeric, one of its signature ingredients that grows in its own farms.
“We’re giving you more, more benefits, more effect, without compromising quality and who we are,and our philosophy,” said Yamasaki.
New and improved
In addition to the sunscreen, Re:erth has also launched a new version of its popular Phytobright skin supplement, Phytobright+.
Yamasaki revealed that the development of Phytobright+ was triggered by the discontinuation of a key ingredient.
In 2020, the company acquired the remaining stock from its supplier at five-times the cost to extend its inventory for as long as possible, effectively selling Phytobright at a major loss till 2022.
At the core of the new formulat is a tomato oil, which the firm claims has “up to 25 times more concentration and containing three times the amount of phytoene and phytofluene than competing products.”
Not only does it product UVA/UVB protection, it can help to collagen production, support ceramide structure, and strengthen the skin barrier.
In addition to Japanese spring turmeric extract, which reduce melanin production, the new formula also combats glycation with cherry blossom flower extract and L-Cystine to prevent the formation of dark spots.
Lastly, it also contains black pepper fruit extract to enhance the absorption.