NEW YORK — Rodial is on a roll.
The U.K. skin care brand has begun increasing both its product portfolio and international reach with an ultradark self-tanner for face and body and by expanding of the brand’s presence in the U.S.
The brainchild of Maria Hatzistefanis, founder and managing director, Rodial was created in 1999 and its first products hit stores in 2002. “The way I saw it, there were two kinds of skin care ranges on the market — natural, feel-good products that didn’t really give results and science-based ones that didn’t contain natural ingredients,” she said. “I wanted to bridge the gap between the two.”
Armed with experience as a former beauty editor, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a stint in corporate finance at Salomon Bros., Hatzistefanis set out to accomplish that task, aiming to offer body products that tackled specific body and skin care problems — cellulite, stretch marks, sagging skin and skin dehydration. Her line comprises body care, slimming and tanning items. According to Hatzistefanis, Rodial’s products appeal to women in their mid-20s to late 40s.
The Rodial name is derived from the Greek word for pomegranate, a key ingredient in all the brand’s products. Hatzistefanis chose pomegranate ellagic tannin — said to act as an antioxidant while boosting collagen production, firming and smoothing the skin — on her grandmother’s advice: “My grandmother used to make a face cream from bee’s wax, olive oil and pomegranate,” she said. “She’s now 80 and has the skin of a 40-year-old.”
Bestsellers include an anticellulite body sculpture gel, $119 for a 6.8-oz. bottle, designed to firm, tighten and tone the skin, and a collagen-boosting multipurpose balm, $95 for a 1.7-oz. tube, a moisturizer that can be used on the face, hands, cuticles, elbows and split ends. The latest offering, the Brazilian Tan line, is launching now. It is billed as the darkest tanning product on the market, with a 10 percent tanning agent. A 5.1-oz. pump bottle retails for $59.
Rodial’s range is hitting U.S. counters now in eight nameplates, including Henri Bendel, Fred Segal and Bliss Spas. The line will also be available at rodial.co.uk. In the U.K., the brand is sold though 15 stores, including Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Space NK. By the end of the year, Rodial plans to triple its distribution in high-end department stores and upscale boutiques, 30 in the U.S. and 50 in the U.K. The company is also planning to launch in Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan and Japan.
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Industry sources estimate Rodial will bring in about $20 million in retail sales nationally and internationally, about $12 million of that generated in the U.S.
Rodial’s plans a facial treatment range set to bow in September. Six products have already been developed and are scheduled to launch individually over the next two years, said Hatzistefanis.