Apothékary is betting big on ingestible beauty.
The supplement brand, best known for its alcohol alternatives, is launching The Honest Truth, $39, a mushroom, fruit and plant-based tincture that claims to hydrate skin and prevent signs of aging.
According to founder and chief executive officer Shizu Okusa, the brand exceeded $23 million in revenue last year and expects each stock keeping unit to reach $2 million to $3 million in sales in 2024.
“The segment of beauty and wellness are converging like no other today,” said Okusa. “Beauty is starting to become a subsector of wellness… It’s all about beauty from the inside out.”
Apothékary has two other skin care-centric products in its lineup: You Dew You, $45, an antioxidant-rich powder for clear and calm skin, and Firm Believer, $45, a herb-filled powder to address signs of aging. However, Okusa said The Honest Truth marks the brand’s real push into the beauty market, especially because this product is a tincture which has been a winning format for Apothékary. With this, Okusa is now focusing on tinctures over powders.
“Tinctures have basically taken over our entire business in the last seven months,” she said. “We went to market as a business [with] powders, but now that we’re tinctures, a lot of people were asking us for a beauty product that they could take more easily.”
In addition, customers were asking for something that would address dry skin and signs of aging. Therefore, The Honest Truth includes acerola cherry, a brightening antioxidant; reishi, a hydrating and collagen-boosting mushroom; Japanese knotweed, a plant that combats oxidative stress, and other natural ingredients that provide hydration and anti-aging effects.
Users can either place one to three droppers of the tincture under their tongue or add to any beverage daily. The company recommends waiting 90 days to see best results, which should include more hydrated skin and a reduction of fine lines.
As far as formats go, Okusa plans to continue focusing on tinctures and newer formats.
“We are seeing that a lot of folks are moving away from powders in general because the space of powders is something where people can buy that on Amazon,” she said. “When it comes to concentrated extracts of herbs, you can’t really buy that on Amazon. We’re focused on extracts of herbs that go through processes that retain the power of herbs.”
In addition, the brand’s alcohol-alternative tinctures, like Wine Down, $39, and Rosé Tinted Glasses, $39, have seen continued growth, as more consumers are seeking new ways to take the edge off. According to Okusa, the brand, which will launch another alcohol alternative later this year, is number one on Amazon for both non-alcoholic wine and non-alcoholic mixers and infusions. She will be sharing more about the sober-curious movement at WWD’s L.A. Beauty Forum on April 16.
