Dive Brief:

• As it looks to expand its product offerings, Dollar General has introduced a private label skincare line, with 11 products priced at $5 or less, the retailer said in details emailed to Retail Dive.

• The skincare line is under the dollar store's Believe Beauty brand, which launched in 2019 to offer an affordable line of beauty products to its customers. By late July, the skincare line will be sold in over 17,000 Dollar General stores (essentially its entire store footprint), as well as online.

• In addition to being sold at affordable prices, the skincare line is vegan, cruelty-free and does not contain parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, petroleum, triclosan or animal products. Products include cleansers, masks and moisturizers, among other things.

Dive Insight:

Lately, Dollar General has been seeking a slightly higher-income consumer in addition to its core customer base.

When Believe Beauty launched in 2019, analysts pointed out that the private label was converting "more higher-income shoppers, thereby increasing basket sizes." It also allowed the dollar store retailer to tap into a fast-growing segment at a price its shoppers wouldn't balk at. Now, the launch of a skincare line under the same brand positions Dollar General to capitalize on one of the fastest growing categories in beauty, as more consumers build out a robust skincare regimen.

The retailer is also hitting on a particularly strong trend in beauty by touting its products' "clean" attributes. The beauty space has seen an influx of startups emphasizing natural ingredients, while traditional retailers have worked to introduce clean category designations, and brand conglomerates have taken a second look at their portfolios to either revamp existing brands or acquire new ones to meet the consumer where they are.

"Following our customers' positive reception of our Believe Beauty brand that first launched in 2019, we are excited to introduce new skincare products that encompass both the quality and affordability customers trust from Believe," Amanda Wilson, Dollar General's senior buyer of beauty care, said in a statement.

In addition to launching into the beauty space, Dollar General has also been pursuing a higher-income shopper through its work on new store concept Popshelf. Popshelf launched in the fall of last year, with a target of reaching slightly higher-income suburban women. Similar to the retailer's Believe Beauty brand, Popshelf products are priced at $5 and under, and the store footprint has since expanded, with the possibility of 3,000 locations under that banner in the future. The dollar store has been impressed with early results from the higher-priced store and is also experimenting with selling some of the Popshelf products inside its core Dollar General stores.