Dive Brief:
- DTC skin care brand Bubble has expanded its wholesale partnership with Ulta Beauty to include all 1,360 stores nationwide.
- The two formed a partnership last November and Bubble has increased its product distribution since then by 50%, according to a company press release.
- Bubble also launched Cloud Surf, a “light-as-air water” cream moisturizer, which will be available exclusively in-store at Ulta Beauty for one month.
Dive Insight:
Ulta will carry 15 of Bubble’s products in its stores while two, Fade Away and Plus One, are available only online. Cloud Surf is the 17th product to launch from the brand and will be available on all platforms after the first month.
Marketed as a Gen Z-focused skin care brand, Bubble has expanded its product assortment and is now available in nearly 9,000 stores in the U.S., including Walmart, Amazon and CVS, and overseas at Beauty Bay across the U.K. and EU.
Bubble founder and CEO Shai Eisenman called the expanded partnership with Ulta “a pivotal milestone” for the brand’s growth. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with such an iconic and influential retailer,” Eisenman said in a statement.
The brand has appealed to Ulta’s consumer base, particularly with younger customers.
“Since launching Bubble, guests of all ages — especially Gen Z — have embraced the brand’s innovative, fun, high-performance products with open arms, and we anticipate the new Cloud Surf Water-Cream Moisturizer will be a welcomed addition,” Penny Coy, vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, said in a statement.
Bubble has built a customer foundation with some 7,000 active members who offer up ideas on product names, packaging, color themes and formulations. About 3,300 of these members are part of Bubble’s community on the app Geneva, where they participate in different “homes,” such as a Bubble College and Bubble Bestie home, as well as the main home where they provide feedback to the brand. Bubble’s brand ambassadors number just over 4,000, according to details sent to Retail Dive.
Bubble also works with “every day” consumers through the platform Kale, which is a bridge between consumers and influencers who buy the product to post content for a small fee through the program.
Bubble is targeting a mass audience by offering what it calls prestige formulations at an affordable price point. Bubble’s best-selling product is its Slam Dunk moisturizer, which sells every 15 seconds, per the company.
Bubble donates a percentage of its e-commerce sales to nonprofit organizations that support teens and young adults struggling with mental health issues, in addition to an ongoing partnership with BetterHelp, an online counseling website.
U.S. revenue in skin care is projected to be over $21 billion in 2023, per Statista. Worldwide, skin care sales accounted for 27% of the total beauty and personal care revenues in 2020.
