Beekman 1802 Is Betting On GenZ With a Vegan Goat Milk Collection for Acne-prone and Oily Skin
Beekman 1802 is getting a vegan refresh.
The brand, known for its goat milk-infused skin care products, is introducing its latest collection, called Shine-Free, which employs its new technology: vegan goat milk, also known as bio-milk. The lineup includes the Oil Eliminating Foaming Gel Cleanser, $20; Shine Control Gel Cream Moisturizer, $28, and Pore Minimizing Facial Toner, $22, and is proven to eliminate oil, minimize pores and control shine, according to the brand. It is available at Ulta Beauty, Ulta Beauty at Target and direct-to-consumer.
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The new range all started with a white paper that the brand commissioned last year to better understand the components in goat milk and how the ingredient works on the skin.
“The white paper opened up a whole new world for us in terms of what we can be doing with goat milk and the science of goat milk,” said chief executive officer Jill Scalamandre.
Through its research, the brand discovered that there are 31 key nutrients in goat milk and with this clear breakdown, they could create an entirely vegan version using plant biotech actives. For example, the brand’s original goat milk features 54 percent prebiotics, 26 percent protein and 9 percent fatty acids, while its new vegan version features 54 percent fruit prebiotics, 26 percent pea protein and 9 percent coconut fatty acids. The team worked with 20-plus scientists and chemists, testing labs and biotech companies to create the bio-milk.
“This is sort of our Beyond Meat,” said Scalamandre of the new goat milk alternative.
While this collection of course reaches an audience of consumers who only opt for vegan products, the plant-based ingredients also resulted in a lighter formula more suitable for oily or acne-prone skin, which will reach GenZ consumers. Many of the alternative ingredients act as astringents and degreasers, while also supporting a healthy skin barrier, according to the brand.
“The bio-milk that we created imitates the benefits of goat milk in a lighter, less rich form,” said Ayesha Bshero, head of development at Beekman 1802.
Scalamandre added: “Our core consumer today is a Millennial…Everything is under $30 [in the Shine-Free range] because we are trying to bring in this younger user to the brand.”
In addition, this lineup doesn’t include outer packaging, appealing to younger consumers focused on sustainability.
To best reach the GenZ consumer, Beekman 1802 worked with the firm Juv Consulting to create a rollout strategy, which plays into the “cloning” of goat milk and the brand’s mascot Goatie. The firm ideated the GenZ centric campaign imagery shown above, as well as several social strategies, most notably the “alter (v)ego” casting call, in which duos who look alike applied with imagery. Of the 1,000 duos that applied, three sets of winners will be revealed soon and will be featured in future Shine-Free campaign materials. In addition, the brand is partnering with the Mian twins, who have 7.3 million followers on TikTok, for social content.
“One of the twins has normal skin. One of them has oily-combo so they are actually alter (v)egos of each other and introducing the alternative to it,” said Bshero.
The Shine-Free collection, which the brand plans to expand with additional vegan formulas, is expected to reach $25 million in sales in two years, according to industry sources.
While the brand’s white paper inspired this launch, it also informed another new moisturizing product that will launch this summer, which features milk exosomes. As the brand is doing with Shine-Free, it will also create a franchise around exosomes, which has become a hot topic in skin care as more brands are betting on biotechnology. Scalamandre added that both franchises are a way for Beekman 1802 to expand its moisturizer offering, a category the brand is doubling down on as it has grown 8.5 percent in year-over-year sales, according to Nielsen IQ.
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