RMS Beauty Jumps Into Sun Care
Though she’s launching an SPF, Rose-Marie Swift, RMS Beauty’s founder, has always been a sunscreen skeptic.
“I never wanted SPF in my products,” she told WWD. “I kept holding out for something new, something innovative, something that we could really put our stamp on.”
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Her solution is RMS Beauty’s SuperNatural Radiance Serum SPF 30, which launches Tuesday. It will roll out to the brand’s existing doors with Credo Beauty and Bluemercury, and retails for $48. It has sheer coverage and is available in three shades.
“These are not a tinted moisturizer with SPF,” Swift said. “My primers are very well received after all these years, and I wanted to take the idea of that supernatural kind of aura, that effect on the skin. That way, we could have something different from just thick, greasy sunscreen that you put on and your skin sweats underneath. This feels like a moisturizer, and it goes on beautifully.”
The serum relies on non-nano zinc oxide as its sole UV filter, and also includes GlowPlex, a blend of peptides, quinoa seed extract, niacinamide and pea extract. It also has a luminous finish that users can build up, strip down and reapply over full faces of makeup.
“It’s SPF 30 because I think too much sunscreen has too many chemicals, and we still need a bit of sun,” Swift said. “If we had too much zinc in there, it would get opaque, since we didn’t want to use nano particles.”
“It’s a zinc-only SPF, and that’s where you see Rose-Marie in this product,” said Elaine Sack, the brand’s chief strategic officer. “Everything about her [aesthetic] is super light, airy, natural and beautiful. This feels that way, and it’s great for people with sensitive skin.”
Neither Sack nor Swift commented on sales, but industry sources estimate the product will reach between $7 million and $10 million in retail sales for its first year on the market.
Swift described the product as a real-life Instagram filter. That is actually part of the launch strategy — an Instagram filter that mimics the product’s appearance. That, as well as a dedicated influencer push, in-store activations with Bluemercury and a robust TikTok content schedule are also in the works.
“Rose-Marie is the new darling of TikTok,” Sack said, nodding to a handful of recent viral videos from the founder. “We have a lot of wind in our sails right now, between the launch and TikTok.”
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