NutraCast: Launching a supplement brand in the beauty retail industry

After years in the sports nutrition industry, Aaron Hefter, CEO of Imaraïs, saw an opportunity to bring the same level of quality and efficacy to the beauty supplement space.

"About four years ago, I saw what was happening with wellness transcending into beauty, and it really captured my attention as both an entrepreneur and as a formulator," he said. "And at that time, the ingestible brands coming into the beauty space, I didn't think they really belonged in the beauty space. They were very amateur looking with generic animal-based formulations, and they really lacked any sort of clinicality, so I saw this white space opportunity to create a brand new concept."

Hefter said the process of new product development and bringing a new product to market in the beauty space is the same as it is in sports nutrition.

“But once you launch that new product, I think that's really where the similarities end,” he added. “With Imaraïs, we are a beauty brand first and foremost. We do not live in the VMS space. We're not another collagen powder or biotin gummy, we're a plant-based, ingestible beauty brand that lives in the world of beauty. And in nearly all instances, you know, we have to work extremely hard to break new ground to have our brand live in this world, especially in beauty retail."

By partnering with leading testing agencies and drawing inspiration from the topical beauty industry, Imaraïs has successfully launched in various markets globally. Another key to the brand's success is its co-founder, renowned fitness influencer Sommer Ray, who is heavily involved in product development, marketing and supporting international launches. Hefter said that Ray’s hands-on approach is what sets the beauty brand apart from other celebrity-backed brands.

Another differentiator is science. “It’s one thing to say your product can do something, it’s another to back that with clinical approval,” Hefter said, adding that Imaraïs’ Glow product is clinically-proven to improve skin hydration up to 18%.

But the brand isn’t stopping there. Looking ahead, Imaraïs is slated to conduct three new clinicals on hair growth, acne and eczema relief.

To hear more about the brand, including its next launch and debut at Target, listen to the NutraCast.

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