The UK’s Facetheory is poised to make its first move into the Asian market via an exclusive retail partnership with Sephora Asia.
The skin care brand’s products will be available online and in 100 Sephora stores across nine countries, including Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, from mid-2023.
The line-up will include the brand’s ‘hero’ products, such as M3 Supergel Oil-free Moisturiser and S1 Pro Regenacalm Retinol Serum, while new Sephora-exclusive products and formulations will be developed in collaboration with the LVMH-owned retailer.
Facetheory was launched in 2014 as a DTC player by founder and CEO Jamie Shuker.
At the end of 2021, Facetheory announced £10m in backing from private equity firm Active Partners, which it used to fund its first foray into brick-and-mortar retail last year through Paris’ Galeries Lafayette.
It recently received B Corp certification and will feature as part of the ‘Clean at Sephora’ programme.
Shuker called the partnership “a great gateway to get our products in front of a new audience”.
He told Cosmetics Business: “We were impressed with their [Sephora Asia’s] reach, brand presence and their proactive approach to a partnership – there’s a great relationship between our companies.”
Shuker explained that regional preferences and trends would be taken into account from country to country, adding: “We may tailor our product portfolio a little, both for regulatory reasons and local market preferences.
“We also want to be a supportive partner to our retailers and we believe they know their customers intimately.
“We have in-house R&D and can support major retail partners with co-created formulas to really meet local market needs.”
Beyond Asia, Facetheory has its sights set across the Atlantic, with Shuker telling Cosmetics Business: “We’re starting to invest further in North America and are having exploratory conversations with retail partners.
“For us, it’s important to get the right partner onboard who really understands the brand and can help us in telling the Facetheory story to consumers.”