NEW YORK — Four-year-old cosmetics brand The Balm could be in for a boon this June when it introduces its first cheek stain.
Stainiac, as the cheek item is called, comes in a rosy shade called Beauty Queen and is designed to gradually set in so that it doesn’t leave streaks when applied. It features a water-based formula that Marissa Shipman, founder and chief executive of The Balm, likes to call a “hint of tint.”
Along with Stainiac, which is priced at $14, The Balm will introduce The Assistants, a pack of three sponge applicators priced at $3 that are designed to keep one’s fingers stain-free when blending Stainiac.
Shipman predicts that about 20,000 Stainiac units will sell through yearend, which amounts to about $280,000 in retail sales. Plans call for the launch of additional Stainiac shades beginning later this year.
The Balm reached the $2 million mark in retail sales volume last year. True to its indie roots, the firm is run out of Shipman’s San Francisco apartment with the help of her father, sisters and several friends.
The brand currently offers six types of cosmetics, including lip glosses, eye shadows and concealers. It is now available in 1,000 doors across the U.S., including at more than 60 Sephora locations — as well as at several upscale boutiques and spas such as Planet Blue, the Four Seasons and Squaw Creek in Lake Tahoe. The Balm products also are available on the company’s Web site.
Earlier this month, Shipman appeared on the Home Shopping Network, her fourth 10-minute spot with HSN since last November. More than 3,000 specialty kits by The Balm have been sold on HSN during the brand’s 40 minutes of aggregate airtime — totaling more than $88,500 in sales volume. HSN carries three cosmetics kits from The Balm, which are priced at $29.50 each and feature three lip glosses, in plum, red, and nude shades; a lipliner; a mirror, and a bag.
The Balm also markets Shady Lady eye shadow for $15, Time Balm antiaging eye concealer for $16, Cheek Cocktails cream blush for $16 and Read My Lips lip pencil for $10. The launch of summer lip gloss shades is planned.
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Shipman’s future goals for the brand include expanding chainwide at Sephora. Also, she would like to expand the brand into the U.K. Outside of the U.S., The Balm is carried in Kuwait and Canada.