We are planning to focus on online channels and expanding to pharmacies: Ravina Jain

In conversation with Adgully, Ravina Jain, Founder & CEO, The Skin Story speaks about the expansion plans for Skin Story, product offering and much more.

Tell us about your growth story and your retail expansion plans?

Consumers are very particular of what they consume, but they do not pay much attention to what they apply. Swayed by the glitz and glamour of a product, they often fail to pay heed to the ingredients used in a product. Over the years, we have witnessed a gradual change in consumer behavior, where customers have now become more aware. They are afraid to subject themselves to harsh chemicals in the name of beauty. Our constant need to improve the market led us to The Skin Story. Our team has researched for over a year prior to introducing them in the market.

The Skin Story products are made of world-class, high quality well - researched imported active ingredients. We are 100% vegan, paraben free and also cruelty-free. Each product is certified after it is dermatalogically tested. Considering the effectiveness of the products and their ingredients, the rate of customer satisfaction as well as repeat purchases is high. Our products speak for themselves, delivering results that satisfy our clients and convert first-time users into ardent supporters and advocates. Word of mouth has been the most powerful growth and marketing tool we have had, and it has helped create a differential in the market place.

In our first year of operation, we were able to launch at 1800 retail locations, leading marketplaces, and modern trade outlets. Our growth strategy has been simple, to find platforms where customers are looking for a solution to their skincare problems. We had planned to get into 5000 stores by year-end. But considering the current scenario, we are planning to focus on online channels and expanding to pharmacies.

Please elaborate upon your product offerings and where are The Skin Story products available?

We believe that wellness is wealth and we believe in making wellness the protaganist of every individual's skin story. We have diverse range of products including fash wash, scrub, pack, face serum, spot corrector, optimization gel, intensive eye gel, shower gel, shamfpoo, conditioner, hair serum to name a few. We believe in providing a potent formula that is strong in action yet supple on the skin.

Our range is carefully crafted from a spread of natural active ingredients like Witch Hazel, Moringa, French Red Clay Blueberry, Charcoal, Match Green Tea to name a few. All the ingredients we use are hand-picked with diligence after a proper research and testing. Not just certified ingredients, but we believe in bringing about a change with certified manufacturing processes as well.

We believe that modern problems require modern solutions. Our marketing strategy calls for a strong presence in the marketplace as well as across social media platforms. We also have an active skin care community build over the years. Restricting our availability to just one market place wouldn't be the right thing to do to our customers. Hence we believe in being available in every touch-point to make it convenient to our customers. We firmly believe in being approachable and visible, we also have a strong brand presence and are attempting to establish ourselves in pharmacies.Our unique formula based tales and products travel through both online and offline channels. With consumers at home during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, we witnessed an increase in online engagement and spending. Beauty and skincare retailers like us have prioritized digital and social media channels to capture and convert the attention of existing as well as new customers who are constantly on their phones. We explored the direct to customers channel and have made the process of skincare easy for our customers..

Where do you see the brand in the next 5 years?

In the next five years, we would like to establish The Skin Story as a brand that caters to all skin and hair types as well as all skin and hair problems readily available across department stores, large format retail stores, beauty stores, salons, and A+ pharmacies. We have realized the potential of retaining through pharmacies, hence we are focusing our efforts on expanding in that segment. We have a staggered and strategic approach. We've established ourselves in a number of stores and hope to expand into many more in the coming year. However, considering the current state of affairs, we have realized the need for a combination of physical brick and motor as well as online market presence. We intend to expand our range of skincare and grooming products in order to become a household name in the country as well as in the global markets. We are currently exporting to a few countries and plan to expand our presence globally in the near future.

Skincare is a highly competitive domain. What is your strategy to stand out as a brand? What is your USP?

With a clutter of brands in the market, it is often difficult for a consumer to make an informed choice based on their needs and preference. The consumer often buys a product impulsively swayed by its price, brand name, packaging, marketing appeal rather than its actual benefits. The consumer is no longer keen on using a one size fits all approach. They are keen on indulging in an experience that a brand has to offer. They want a product that is specially designed for their needs. Brands are now helping consumers to identify their skin and hair concerns and providing them with customized solutions basis those problems.

With the rise of various influencers and bloggers advocating and swearing by healthy skin and hair regimes, consumers are learning of the diverse set of products available in the market and know which one of them is the most effective. The Skin Story is one such brand that has been able to carve a niche for itself in the market with vast domain knowledge, strong ingredients, clinically tested and scientifically proven products, targeted marketing strategies, availability across all touch points. Considering the effectiveness of our products and its ingredients, the rate of customer satisfaction as well as repeat purchases is high. Our products speak for themselves, delivering results that satisfy our clients and convert first-time users into ardent supporters and advocates. Word of mouth has been the most powerful growth and marketing tool we have had, and it has helped create a differential in the market place.

Let us know in detail about your infrastructure/manufacturing setup

The Skin Story aims to nurture the skin from within to make it beautiful & healthy from outside. We don’t believe in cutting corners. We do not deliver any product that does not align with our mission of ethical skincare. It is worthy to mention that all the products are not only made with the purest of ingredients, but are also extensively dermatologically tested, both in-house and at NABL accredited labs, so that they perfectly suit a user's skin type and there are no unwanted effects in the long run. We graciously take pride in maintaining exceptionally high standards of processes and stringent quality checks at our manufacturing unit.

For beauty, India is a large and growing market. What is the customer group you target with your products?

We would want to be known as The Skin Story, a brand that caters to all skin and hair types as well as all skin and hair problems readily available across department stores, large format retail stores, beauty stores, salons, and A+ pharmacies. Since our parent company has a strong market presence, we have always had a thorough understanding of the ingredients. We are one of the largest R&D developers for personal care products. We formulate for other brands and help them with high-quality ingredients. Our aspiration is a brand who provides customers with the right products having the right ingredients. Since our inception we have scaled up and aim to grab a substantial market share in the near future with our exceptional range of products.

What is your social media marketing strategy as a modern brand for young women?

The consumer is no longer keen on using a one size fits all approach. They are keen on indulging in an experience that a brand has to offer. They want a product that is specially designed for their needs. Brands are now helping consumers to identify their skin and hair concerns and providing them with customized solutions basis those problems. Rather than simply selling the product to the customer, we believe in educating them about what ingredients is good for them basis their skin/ hair type and concern.

With consumers at home, there was an increase in online engagement and spending. Beauty and skincare retailers like us prioritized digital and social media channels to capture and convert the attention of existing as well as new customers who are constantly on their phones. Social media enables us to reach out to and engage with our users in a narrative manner, resulting in a long-lasting connection. Instagram has proven to be a successful platform for reaching out to the younger audience that is driving the demand in the industry. We have always as part of our marketing strategy, communicated the ingredients in our products and the benefits of using them. For the same, we collaborate with prominent influencers/ bloggers, celebrities to come up with ingredient awareness, demonstration, DIY videos which appeal to our target audience. The Skin Story has worked hard to establish itself as a must-have brand for young women. The Skin Story, as a brand for young women, is all about building trust through the use of tried-and-true active ingredients. 

How is The Skin Story helping promote body positivity and acceptance as a brand with a growing national presence?

The Skin Story believes that self-love and self-care are timeless and should be practised on a regular basis by everyone. The connection that brands establish with end consumers will prove to be the most important and beneficial for the various brands on the market's bright future. The Skin Story caters to all skin types, and our unique selling point is acquiring novel active ingredients and evaluating and presenting those that are effective for consumers. We not only cater to all skin/ hair types and concerns, but our products also make a significant impact in terms of effectiveness.