The skin doctors
| by Colette Steckel 06 Jul 2003 Topic: Entrepreneurs |
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Using natural skincare products is a bit like eating health foods. It�s good for you, but you get little pleasure out of it. One company has managed to change that though. Call it vanity, or frivolity, but we spend a staggering amount on skincare products that promise healthy-looking and luminous skin. A recent Economist report into the beauty business put expenditure on skincare at $24bn a year. And it isn�t just a female thing either; men are increasingly buying into the twice-daily routine of cleanse, tone and moisturise. But are we really taking care of our skin? While we are happy to splash out on creams, lotions and potions, few of us give little thought to what exactly we are applying to our skin. Although perhaps we should; 60% of what goes on gets absorbed into our bodies. Antony Buck, one half of the partnership behind natural skincare company REN, puts it this way. �Skincare companies routinely use ingredients that aren�t terribly nice for the skin. Like petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and colouring, sulphates or foaming agents, and artificial preservatives, which cause allergic reactions, irritations or long term damage.� Ugh. Antony became aware of what he aptly refers to as �skincare nasties� when his wife�s skin started misbehaving after giving birth to their first child. The couple trawled through the Internet to understand exactly what skincare products contain and what effect they were having. And it didn�t make for happy reading. The alternative and natural skincare ranges weren�t that appealing either, for totally different reasons. �The thing about natural skincare products are that they haven�t moved on from what they were 200 years ago. They�re sticky, thick and unpleasant smelling.� Hardly the kind of thing the modern woman, or man, would be happy smothering their face in. Which is exactly what Antony thought. He and his long-term business partner and university friend, Robert Calcraft, decided to buck the trend and found a modern skincare company providing a range of pure and gentle products. �It became an interesting idea to create products that are easy to use, modern, effective and felt brilliant but that didn�t contain all those skincare nasties,� notes Antony. �And we liked the idea of a skincare company being honest and totally straightforward about what its products contain,� he says, in a neat swipe at the big players in the industry, renowned for perfecting the art of spin in their advertising campaigns. �That became the starting point really, which was incredibly naïve because we knew nothing about chemistry.� Friends and family later revealed that they thought Antony and Robert were taking a huge risk, particularly as they were giving up a profitable brand consultancy they had run together for eight years. �They thought we were completely insane,� recalls Antony. �Our consultancy business was successful but we got to a point where we had enough. We had spent our working lives advising clients on how to invent and market a brand, that we thought it would be interesting to come up with our own brand.� Robert nods in agreement. �The thing about consultancy work is that a project lasts for six or eight weeks and then you move onto the next one. There isn�t that sense of putting your energy into something worthwhile for the long-term. We wanted to create something that we believed in, we were proud of and could see develop over time. There is something exciting in that.� The pair spent over two years planning the business and scouring the advertisements in the trade press to find suppliers. At the same time, they continued to run their consultancy business to fund the investment costs at REN (they later wound down their former business and financed REN through personal loans, rather than yield control to venture capitalists). They found a chemist to develop a range of skincare products using 100% natural and mineral-derived products and a company in France to supply the innovative packaging. �We argued from the very beginning that we wouldn�t worry about cost. We took the view that, if we made the products cheaply, no-one would want to buy them and it would be a complete waste of time, so we decided to make the best natural skincare range we could,� reasons Antony. So, products come vacuum-packed in plastic bottles or in pump-action dispensers to prevent air and bacteria from getting in. Cleansing agents are derived from corn, sugar cane and oats. And fragrances, like the heavenly-smelling rose otto, harvested from Damask rose petals, are as about as close to nature as you can get. It was this purer-than-pure approach to skincare that won REN a lucky break in the early stages of the business. �We were very fortunate,� recalls Antony. �We were tipped off about a new hotel being built, the Great Eastern Hotel in London, and we were among a number of companies pitching for the contract to supply products for the guest bathrooms. It was six months too early for us but we got our chemist to make a batch of products and we turned up with some mock-up labels and bottles with caps that didn�t fit properly. We weren�t that confident but thought it would be a good experience. The amazing thing was that we got down to the last two�the Conran Collection, and us. And the Conran Group happened to own the hotel. Well, that�s that then, we thought. But the MD fancied the idea of a new hotel and an original skincare brand, so we got our contract.� Part of the deal was a shop on Liverpool Street, owned by the hotel group, which gave the brand an opportunity to flourish. �The shop was our first distribution outlet, which gave us more of a chance to market our products and experiment with the display of the whole range,� says Robert. �Back then, there weren�t that many stand-alone skincare shops, so we generated a lot of interest from the public and the press,� adds Antony. �Suddenly we had retailers approaching us and journalists writing about us.� REN quickly became a talked-about skincare brand, earning itself a loyal fan base, including celebrities Kate Winslet and Kate Moss, and reams of positive press coverage in the glossy magazines. Chic retailers Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in the UK have opened REN concessions and four more stylish hotels in Tokyo, Rome, Hamburg and Majorca have REN products stocked in their guestrooms. Since the official launch in September 2000, the company now sells well over a million units a year (turnover is strictly off limits). Robert notes that he was struck by how quickly news spread about their skincare brand, with retailers from Japan and the US wanting to get REN into their stores. But the pair were resolute about not growing too fast. �One of the things that characterises our business is patience,� he says. �We�ve been incredibly patient about going international, increasing the range, and talking to retailers. Early on, we were approached by store representatives from all over the world but we turned them down. It was difficult to do that. You think to yourself, look let�s just do it, but we said no because we wanted to get this right. Everything moves so fast these days that taking that measured approach is important. And the rewards for doing so are enormous.� This summer, Robert and Antony are jetting off to the US and Scandinavia for launches in some of the hippest stores around, with more international appearances expected in the coming months. Which begs the question, do they see REN as the next big thing in skincare? �It�s a big brand that happens to be small right now,� says Robert, who ponders for a moment before adding, �we�d like to be as big as Clarins or Clinique.� �And, genuinely don�t see any reason why not,� quips Antony. �In our overwhelming arrogance,� he continues, with tongue firmly in cheek, �we believe that there is certainly the potential. These products are fantastic. Why would you want to use anything else on your skin?� Why indeed. For more information on REN, visit the website at www.ren.ltd.uk or e-mail info@ren.ltd.uk. | |