Westman Atelier’s Skin Care Business Enters Phase Two
The brand is introducing its second skin care product — a brightening and firming serum composed of 100 percent vitamin C.
Things are looking bright for Westman Atelier's skin care business — literally.
The brand, cofounded by husbandand-wife duo Gucci Westman and David Neville, is introducing its second skin care product. Called Suprême C, the serum is composed of a single ingredient, 100 percent THD Ascorbate, a form of vitamin C. It launches on the brand's website on Friday for $325.
Westman said she first tried the hero ingredient years ago, and both the texture and its results compelled her to bottle it. “It's very difficult to deliver premium vitamin C at this level and there are several steps that are involved,” she said. “Vitamin C is very tricky, it's not always easy to keep stable, and it's also very aggressive as an ingredient. This is made in Japan, and because of the molecular weight of it, it's actually an oil.
She started by looking at her own skin concerns, which include having highly sensitive skin and hyperpigmentation.
The goal was a product equally as brightening as it was gentle. “[Suprême C] transforms with your natural enzymes in your skin to 100 percent L-Ascorbic acid once it hits your skin, and your own skin transforms it. That's how we're able to keep it so gentle,” Westman continued.
The packaging is in a similar format to the brand's first Skin Activator serum, which debuted last year, though in a metallic champagne hue. “It feels like an antique silver, and we've done it with our pressed skin care powder. It feels premium, it's refillable and you have this beautiful champagne-colored vessel,” Westman said. “It's not overpackaged, it's an easy part of your day, it feels very unisex.”
The formula, though simple, comes at a premium given raw material costs. That didn't bother Westman, who finds it more important to push the envelope with innovation rather than compromise performance for a lower cost.
“We do what we feel is right for our brand, and it's much more of an investment from us and from our team that goes into the whole thing,” she said. “We have this idea of creating things we haven't seen and don't see, and constantly elevating what we're doing. We're not looking to do makeup as it is today.”
Suprême C joins the brand's assortment as it builds out varied categories, price points and distribution. Earlier this year, it expanded into more Sephora doors and introduced miniature sizes to that retailer; it recently debuted its first lipsticks for $50 each.
“It's about Gucci's curation. These things take a lot of time, and there is an inherent sort of seal of approval from Gucci that all of our products have,” Neville said. “We are clearly excited about what more we can do in skin care based on the performance of the skin activator and how much that's contributed to our business.”
Industry sources anticipate Suprême C to reach $2.5 million in wholesale sales for its first year on the market. Though the company didn't comment on the estimate, Neville did say the brand's skin care business was quickly comprising more of sales.
“We saw strong continued growth year to date fueled by core and new lipstick launch. We are excited to continue to both fuel our business and round out our assortment with another skin care launch given the positive reception to skin activator,” Neville said. “With the launch of Suprême C, we anticipate our skin care business driving upward of 10 percent penetration.”