LOS ANGELES — Carrots are at the core of a new skin, hair and body care line that combines beta-carotene with minerals from the Dead Sea, and is poised to hit the U.S. market before the end of the summer.
Yes to Carrots, based in Tel Aviv, was initially launched as six stockkeeping units in its home country through 19 specialty beauty stores.
“There were 500 sku’s of other beauty products in those stores, but in the first year the line accounted for 13 percent of sales [for those stores]” said global chief executive officer Ido Leffler. “We couldn’t really ignore that.”
There are now 16 items in the paraben-free collection, and more are planned in the next year. Leffler and his partner, Uri Ben Hur, the line’s chief formulator, began an international rollout after receiving e-mails from visitors to Israel who had tried Yes to Carrots.
“We had a few hundred e-mails from the U.S., the U.K., South Africa, people who had come across it here in Israel and wanted to know where they could find it,” said Leffler.
International rollouts in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Holland and the Czech Republic will begin during the first week of April, and deals are being worked out for Canada, South Africa, Australia and Scandinavia. A U.S. branch of Yes to Carrots, Yes to Inc., was set up in Chicago to oversee national distribution. The collection recently became available at walgreens.com, and is poised to enter drugstores and mass retailers such as Target and CVS, as well as limited specialty beauty outlets, by the end of August. Leffler expects the line will be available in 15,000 points of sale worldwide by the end of 2007.
“Our company mantra is to make sure we target consumers who are educated but who want something that’s affordable and that really does work,” he said of the collection, priced from $7.99 to $14.99, which he categorized as masstige.
He attributed the early success of the launch to a number of factors, the key being the focus on beta-carotene and Dead Sea minerals. Both are known for their antioxidant and moisturizing properties. The products are made in a factory in Arad, Israel, located less than 20 miles from the Dead Sea, by people from the local community.
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“All of the fruits and vegetables we use in the range are certified organic, and the packaging is minimalist and simple,” said Leffler.
The products, in white and orange bottles and jars, so far include a Moisturizing Day Cream, called C You in the Morning, and a Night Moisturizing Cream, C Through the Night. There is the Eye Can C Clearly Now Eye Contour Cream and C Through the Dry Spell Body Butter. Leffler said the whimsical nature of the presentation was another key selling point.
“People have bought into the fun nature of the product,” he said.
“Most of our team is in their 30s. We’re a young, fun, dynamic group.”
There will be three new products to the core line, designed specifically for the face, which will bow by August. Leffler also said there would be a men’s line by the end of 2007, comprising seven sku’s for the face, body and hair.
“We go very much by consumer feedback. If enough customers want something, we’ll do it for them,” he said.
By the end of 2008 or early 2009, Leffler said there would be a Yes to Cucumbers and Yes to Tomatoes line.
“Each one of the collections will have a unique concept to it,” he said.
Industry sources said that at the current rate of growth, Yes to Carrots could expect wholesale sales of between $40 million and $50 million by the end of 2008. Leffler also said that a seed fund had been set up to funnel a percentage of all sales of Yes to Carrots to underprivileged communities around the world for building self-sustaining food sources.