Launching a new product is hard, but launching a new molecule and formula is even harder, especially if there isn’t an already existing (and updated) playbook brands can leverage.
That’s an undertaking Mother Science founders Mike Einziger, also founding guitarist of the rock band Incubus, and violinist Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger are willing to take on.
So, what are two musicians doing in the beauty industry?
“I call myself a citizen scientist,” said Simpson-Einziger in an interview with PYMNTS. “My science background is I majored in science or in biology at the University of Virginia. I also taught conceptual physics and chemistry at an all-boys boarding school. And I think that my background is not a deep science background. I’m not a formulation chemist. I’m not somebody who tinkers with novel molecules, but I am someone who is literate in basically science, literature, and I’m curious what was happening on my skin.”
Meanwhile her husband, Mike Einziger, pursued the study of science at Harvard.
Simpson-Einziger’s foray into the realm of beauty was sparked by a harmless skin condition she experienced, which eventually resulted in lightened patches on her back. The result, however, prompted her to wonder whether the same formula could be used to diminish the dark spots commonly found on the face.
Known as Malassezin, Simpson-Einziger claims the molecule possesses 10 times the amount of antioxidants compared to vitamin C. Additionally, the molecule exhibits greater stability, alleviating concerns about the product deteriorating — an issue that beauty enthusiasts and avid serum users are well acquainted with.
Why beauty? Why now? Why enter an industry that’s already so overcrowded?
“I would say that the beauty industry is a crowded space, but genuine innovation and the introduction of a new chemical entity that operates in a distinct manner, that’s actually very rare,” said Simpson-Einziger. “In the beauty world, people use buzzwords like new molecule and things like that. But it’s not always as novel as people think.”
Simpson-Einziger also goes onto say: “We’re not just building a cosmetic product, to follow another cosmetic product that we’ve made in the past. We’re not taking the path well traveled. We’re writing a playbook.” However, embarking on a new playbook means venturing into uncharted territory, which necessitates extensive experimentation, a willingness to embrace trial and error and investment of time, resources and capital.
Additionally, Mother Science will have to work on educating consumers, retailers, and industry professionals about the benefits and unique features of Malassezin. With that, building awareness, trust, and understanding around the molecule’s potential may be a significant undertaking, requiring targeted marketing campaigns, educational materials, and strategic communication efforts.
That said, according to Jessica Goldin, CEO and co-founder of Mother Science, within the first month of launch, the beauty brand is already seeing community, reoccurring orders and loyalty.
“We launched a month ago, and over half of our orders were people who would already who were second purchasing a second time,” said Goldin. “In beauty, loyalty is scarce as people are constantly trying new things and always trying to find the holy grail. But within a month, people are already loving the product and coming back and repurchasing it, which I think just signals we know we have a product that people are going to be loyal.”
“People are interested in science-based skincare,” said Simpson-Einziger. “People are there, they want to know what’s going into their skin.”
For the consumer who wants to know exactly what’s going into their skin and how the product works, brands are dialing into their niche in various ways, whether that be through messaging or through influencers, either way, the realization is that dialing into your customer drives fruitful, reoccurring results.
Take Batiste, which partnered with Dr. Courtney Tracy, popularly known as @the.truth.doctor, boasting 1.8 million followers, to tackle the issues relating to social media and mental health. In an effort to address these challenges, Batiste has appointed Tracy as its mental health specialist. In this role, she will leverage her expertise to advocate for behavioral changes on social media platforms among Gen Z and millennials, sharing insights and skills to promote healthier online experiences.
Then there’s Figs, a direct-to-customer (D2C) healthcare apparel brand, who reported a 61% reduction in customer acquisition costs from 2018 to 2020 to $39 with the help of its healthcare professional ambassador program.
“All of our ambassadors are medical professionals, not professional influencers who earn a living by posting selfies,” said Trina Spear, co-CEO and co-founder of Figs, in 2021. “They are real doctors and nurses who work 12- or even 16-hour shifts.”
Figs experienced a successful year in 2020, achieving profitability with a net income of $57.94 million and generating net revenues of $263.11 million. This represented growth of 138% compared to the previous year.
Read more: How Brands Are Collaborating With Experts, Influencers and Nonprofits to Connect With Consumers
A big question PYMNTS had was how will Mother Science leverage AI, a hot tool in today’s retail landscape. According to Simpson-Einziger, Mother Science is in the process of training ChatGPT to incorporate relevant information about Malassezin.
“Consumers are going to ChatGTP and asking like, ‘What’s the beauty regime for my skin that you can suggest and these are my issues?’ That to me is extremely powerful, because it’s a way to get a very personalized information combed through a very large database, but for a company like us, ChatGPT was not trained on a database that includes knowledge about Malassezin,” said Simpson-Einziger. “So, I started training ChatGTP to recognize, for example, ‘What is Malassezin?’ When I first asked the bot, what is our active ingredient — we have published two papers — it was not able to find those papers.”
The decision is prompted by the recognition that, despite the widespread popularity and acceptance of AI, including generative AI, as a valuable tool for brands and retailers, it does have its limitations. However, efforts are ongoing to train AI models to recognize and harness the distinctive expertise and insights that humans possess. The ultimate goal is to narrow the gap between AI and human capabilities, with the hope of achieving a more comprehensive and synergistic collaboration in the future.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
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