Function of Beauty is deepening its relationship with Target by launching four customizable styling products available exclusively at the big box retailer.
The four new styling products include a texturizing spray for straight hair, a styling mousse for wavy hair, a curl styling cream for curly hair and a styling gel for curly hair. Each element can be further customized with up to three 10-option booster packs depending on your desired end result, such as shiny or voluminous hair. The brand uses the same concept for its shampoo and conditioners, which have been available in Target stores since December 2020. This launch marks Function of Beauty’s first foray into custom styling in the brick-and-mortar space, though it did launch a DTC and primer. of trading style in October 2022.
“Styling is a category where people have multiple expectations in terms of benefits. So it is a perfect step to offer them personalization in this category as well,” said Marianna Trofimova, CMO of Function of Beauty. “Style is one of the most complex segmentations of all.”
Trofimova said styling products are hard to navigate because there are different products for different hair textures, followed by different levels of flexibility and hold, and other hair goals like volume and shine. Additionally, customers also want more from their styling products in terms of clean ingredients and added hair care benefits.
Trofimova declined to share sales or overall growth for Beauty Feature. The 8-year-old brand raised a $150 million Series B led by L Catterton in 2020 and reportedly sought a $1 billion valuation. Function of Beauty will work with Target to promote the new products on social media, particularly with influencers on TikTok and Instagram. Target declined to comment for this story.
Function of Beauty’s further expansion into styling products, along with its focus on brick-and-mortar stores through its exclusive retail partner, speaks both to the evolution of personalized products and to Target’s own interest in customizable categories. Function of Beauty’s main competitor, Prose, currently offers a curl cream, dry shampoo and styling gel, but has yet to expand into brick-and-mortar stores.
Behind the search for personalized products lies a changing demographic of customers. As Glossy previously reported, more than 50% of Gen Zers are non-white, and 75% of them define themselves as people with textured hair. Existing products are unlikely to address future hair needs and customer desires when those products are based on an outdated understanding of modern hair. This represents an opportunity for the personalization market, which can more easily keep up with such changes.
Retailers like Target are responding to customer desires by looking for ways to integrate personalization into their stores. Target added personalized supplement brand Care/of with its own special line of products in March 2021, followed by Pure Culture beauty in January 2022. Other retailers are also looking at personalization, including CVS, which has also added Pure Culture to its stores in November 2022.
“A lot of brands will try personalization because it’s the future. With the type of hair we are seeing come with a new [younger] generation, it will be difficult for mainstream brands to address those needs in a way that fully satisfies customers,” Trofimova said. “Not everyone can do it, even if personalization marketing is desirable. Many brands will try [do it]but they will not have the capabilities that we have.”
In 2022, Function of Beauty focused on developing its C-suite. Zahir Dossa, co-founder and former CEO of Function of Beauty, stepped back in September 2021 with the appointment of Alexandra Papazian, but remains CEO. Function of Beauty has since brought on board Matthew Eberhart as Chief Digital Officer, Boyoung Lee as Chief Creative Officer (who departed in August 2022 and was replaced by Anya Bazdreva), and Trofimova as Chief Marketing Officer. Trofimova said that Function of Beauty will focus on product innovation and launches in 2023, along with deepening its omnichannel sales strategy, including in international markets such as Canada and the United Kingdom.
“Post Covid-19, we are seeing consumers embrace a decidedly omnichannel model. In our latest beauty consumer survey, nearly 100% of respondents have purchased beauty products online in the past year. Still, two out of three makeup and skincare purchases had some physical item through discovery, research and purchase,” said Manola Soler, Senior Director, Consumer Retail Group at Alvarez & Marsal. “We’re seeing beauty shoppers turn to the internet for replenishment purchases, so it makes sense to lean into experiential elements in retail. [And] It gives you a reason to come to the store and maybe discover something new.”
Source: news.google.com