Amyris Takes Sustainability to Gen Z With EcoFabulous
Another day, another brand.
After an active year, Amyris — the biotechnology company that acquired Naomi Watts’ Onda Beauty in April, then introduced Stripes, a menopause brand fronted by the actress last month — is thinking younger with its latest launch. Called EcoFabulous, the d-to-c brand will span skin care and makeup, and launches at the end of October.
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Prices range from $14 to $19 for first-time purchases. (Many of the products are refillable, and refills range from $12 to $16.) The brand did not comment on projections, though industry sources estimate first-year sales could reach between $5 million and $8 million.
Sustainably minded and targeted toward younger Millennials and Gen Z, the brand also prides itself on performance-minded formulations.
“We’re introducing a new generation with the goal of being transparent, real and fun for everyone, and we don’t sacrifice performance or quality or being seen, in line with the other Amyris brands we know and love,” said Briana Bennett, EcoFabulous’ general manager.
Among the skin care products are face oils, a moisturizer, a cleanser and a toner; makeup is comprised of a skin tint, a lip gloss, a lip and cheek tint. Jason Hoffman, the brand’s vice president of beauty and product experience, noted that the face oils, for example, targeted seven different concerns, from a clarifying formula to a brightening one. “[Consumers] love skin care, they love self care, and also, there’s a need for customization,” he said. “We’ve created a system with a collection of seven different oils, each addressing a different skin need.”
On the makeup front, the skin tint and concealer are launching in 26 shades. All of the products include squalane, the sugarcane-derived hydrating agent proprietary to Amyris. Though EcoFabulous shares hero ingredients with sibling brands, Bennett pointed out its audience and categories of focus hadn’t been fully addressed in the Amyris portfolio.
“There’s really only one other brand that plays in skin care and makeup, and that’s Rose Inc. We’re leveraging learnings and technology from those other brands, and adding another point of view that speaks to the Gen Z and Millennial audience, providing a chance for this group to participate in an Amyris brand with people and planet in mind,” Bennett said.
Added Jason Hoffman, vice president of beauty and product experience, EcoFabulous, “It’s important to have another voice, and another point of view that speaks to a different audience. Gen Z is literally redefining the beauty industry, so it’s not only strategic for Amyris, but it’s also important to allow these consumers to grow up in a portfolio where clean beauty is created and celebrated.”
Hoffman added the caveat that EcoFabulous’ proposition — sustainably minded products with high performance — resonated across the board.
“We know the ‘gen-zennial’ customer is our target customer, but the more we present our brand and talk about it, we’re learning that these products really resonate beyond because they’re easy to use, they’re high performing and they include better ingredients,” he said.
