After running his namesake brand for 33 years, Ole Henriksen thought it was time for a reinvigoration with a splash of color.
“I believe in life that every decade or so you want to remodel your house, change your look,” he said on why he decided to relaunch the brand, which is sold exclusively at Sephora. “I felt, for one, that Sephora is a store where clients like to come in and shop on their own, and I felt that if you shop on your own at the OleHenriksen linear [shelving unit], you could be confused. This was a chance to make it more elegant and sophisticated and, at the same time, at a very affordable price point.”
Working together with Kendo, the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton brand incubator that acquired OleHenriksen in 2011, the brand simplified its product offerings from 10 collections to four franchises: “Truth,” “Transform,” “Nurture” and “Balance,” which is a brand new collection. While the core values of the brand remain through the relaunch, Henriksen’s Scandinavian heritage and philosophy of life are brought front and center with new, colorful packaging and effective formulas tackling the top five skin concerns.
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“In 2011, Kendo acquired OleHenriksen and part of the reasoning behind that was because the brand has incredible genetics,” said Catherine Gore, vice president and global general manager at Kendo. “The DNA of the brand has always been there and includes that Scandinavian heritage, the colorful architecture of the brand and the optimism.”
The four franchises are comprised of 31 products ranging from cleansers and facial water to overnight gels and facial peels. The “Truth” franchise’s 12-product range focuses on brightening, antiaging and hydration with the help of ingredients such as vitamin C, grape seed oil and chamomile extracts. “Transform” is meant to even out texture and skin tone with nine products focused on exfoliation and ingredients like glycolic and lactic acids. The four products carried in the “Nurture” franchise nourish dry and sensitive skin with a multivitamin blend and botanical oils. A brand new collection for the brand, “Balance” targets oily skin. The six product range works to reduce shine, minimize pores and give skin a matte texture with the help of a green fusion complex made from green tea, eucalyptus, algae and Irish moss extracts.
“My vision is first to share the “Ole Glow” and the Ole lifestyle with a broader audience,” he continued. “I think we’re going to be discovered by a lot of new clients because the linear is going to draw you in with the vivid colors and storytelling.”
Each franchise is given its own color in order to simplify the shopping experience for customers. In Sephora stores, the franchises will be grouped together, lined up in sequential order with concise descriptions to show shoppers how and what to use the products for.
The relaunch is supported with more emphasis on social media, especially on YouTube. On the brand’s channel, Henriksen and a group of influencers were tapped to create original videos spotlighting the new franchises, showing how to use the products and its benefits. The videos will also show viewers how to address skin concerns like wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation, with advice from Henriksen himself.
“I want to take [the brand] into new territories and new countries,” he said on why he’s focusing on social media. “[My goal is] always reminding women it starts with you feeling good about the person that you are and recognizing all of the abilities you have.”
While the brand is available in North America, Australia, Scandinavia and the U.K., OleHenriksen has plans to expand into other European countries, but is still planning out the expansion.
In addition to its social media presence, OleHenriksen is continuing its Glow Camp events, a skin care retreat that centers around the mind, body and skin, led by Henriksen. So far, the company has held a retreat in Santa Barbara, Calif.
“Right now the goal is that we’re spreading this really all over, reaching out to an audience that may not know who we are,” he continued. “At the end of the day, I want to make every woman and man their own skin care expert, giving them the tools and knowledge to achieve that.”
The OleHenriksen products range in price from $8 to $72. They are available on OleHenriksen and Sephora’s web sites and will be available in more than 1,000 Sephora stores in North America on Feb. 24.