Aussie takeover: BWX furthers expansion of Sukin into the US market on the back of growing interest in A-beauty

Founded in 2007, Sukin was one of the pioneers in Australia’s natural beauty market and remains the top natural brand in the country, claimed BWX.

Since then, the company has expanded overseas into markets in Asia, Europe and most recently, North America.

According to BWX, the brand has been enjoying growth in all the markets, almost doubling its figures yearly.

The performance of Sukin has prompted the company to unlock more growth opportunities overseas, where it sees ‘massive’ opportunities, said Nigar Zeynalova, brand manager of Sukin North America.

Sukin debuted in the US market late 2019 through online retailers Amazon, Thrive Market and Target.com.

In February, the brand was introduced onto the shelves of Target and it as most recently expanded into retailer Sprouts Farmers Market.

“We have a lot to offer and many places to go yet. We are planning to expand our assortment with new ranges to tackle the various needs of our customers in the natural segment,”​ said Zeynalova.

Demand for ‘laidback’ beauty

The company believes Sukin’s Australian image and values will resonate with US consumers looking for a more ‘laidback’​ approach to beauty.

“Australians are famous for their laid-back, nature-loving lifestyle with stress-free simple routines and this attracts US consumers who are in a rush trying to multitask,”​ said Zeynalova.

She added that Australian beauty, or A-beauty, may soon overtake the popularity of Korean-made beauty products in the market because of its minimalism, connection to nature and efficacy.

“A-Beauty is completely opposite to K-Beauty – no need for nine or ten products in your daily regimen, it's enough to use four and get even better results. Your skin care routine should not stress you out, it should be all about enjoying the moment with less hustle and efforts.”​

With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Zeynalova believes US consumers are looking for more “accessible and reliable”​ brands.

She said that the company defined A-beauty as products that were “good for you, your wallet and the environment too”.​

“A-Beauty offers unique value to consumers which is not only limited to accessible price point and product performance. It's all about short, but powerful routines with products featuring Australian native and indigenous ingredients which give you that desired Australian Glow.”​

Confident in US expansion

Despite the COVID-19 crisis in the US, Sukin believes it is well-positioned to expand its position in the market.

“Given the fact that we have our products at key retailers as Target and Sprouts which have not stopped their operation during the pandemic, I would say that we have a competitive advantage over the brands sold in owned retail stores or department stores which are not open to the public at the moment,” ​said Zeynalova.

Additionally, the brand also has a growing online presence in the market.

“There was also increased demand and traffic to e-commerce channels and Sukin’s presence on Amazon, iHerb and sukinnaturals.com opened new opportunities for us during the pandemic,” ​said Zeynalova.

Moving forward, the company revealed that it would continue to expand its footprint in the US market.

Zeynalova said: “We have some amazing plans to expand Sukin within our key retail partners like Target and Sprouts. Sukin will launch in the nation's leading pharmacy channel in September 2020 so stay tuned.”​