When Skin & Co Roma surveyed its consumers on the company’s Web site, one of the main things they asked for was an accessible price point.
“We realized that a big chunk of our market was missing out on a big chunk of customers that was interested in our product but really couldn’t afford it,” said Gabriel Balestra, chief executive officer and senior international director of brand and merchandising at Skin & Co Roma.
With the consumers’ feedback in mind, Balestra set out to create a line of skin-care and body products for the mass market. The collection, which is inspired by the prestige assortment that launched in 2013 and taken from his grandmother’s secret recipes that she crafted from rare truffle extract at his family’s emporium in Umbria, Italy, features organic active ingredients used for traditional healing and therapy in Italy.
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The result is the Umbrian Apothecary collection, 20 stockkeeping units divided into four scents: Citrus Amaro, Fresh Lavender, Rosemary Verbena and Umbrian Truffle. The range is made up 14 body products, priced from $8 for a hand lotion to $30 for body oil, while the six-sku skin-care assortment starts at $21 for a lip balm and ranges up to $38 for face cream.
“We’re definitely targeting a younger age group, especially given the price point,” said Balestra. “They’re not really looking for an antiaging product, but they’re looking for a product to help maintain their skin.”
Meanwhile, the company is launching a charitable initiative to go along with the new collection in September. At the end of the year, Skin & Co Roma will donate 2 percent of its sales to the Skin & Co Program, a food bank that will support the nonprofit Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the Callen Lorde Community Health Center in New York City for people affected with HIV and AIDS.
“As far as the foundation is concerned, we really wanted to create a cause that was particularly close to a friend,” said Balestra, adding that, while the proceeds will come from only the new collection, he hopes to expand the practice to the rest of his prestige line.
Starting in September, the collection will be sold at Duane Reade Look Boutiques and a third of Walgreens doors.
Balestra declined to discuss sales projections, but industry sources estimate the Umbrian Apothecary collection could do upward of $8 million at retail in its first year on counter.