‘Real global appeal’: US brand RéVive Skincare eyes EMEA expansion post-COVID

Founded 25 years ago by cosmetic surgeon Dr Gregory Bays Brown, the New York-headquartered luxury skin care specialist was acquired by private equity firm Tengram Capital in 2017 from Shiseido Americas Corporation. Since this acquisition, the brand had been on somewhat of a ‘revival’ mission, with extensive product launches and worldwide branding campaigns across various retail channels. Recent launches included a moisturizing renewal hydrogel made with 4D hyaluronic acid and a contouring massage roller made from a blend of zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper.

“Our roadmap from the beginning of this investment was to reanimate the brand; reinvest in brand,”​ said Elana Drell-Szyfer, CEO, RéVive Skin care.

“…Second, has been to really focus on increasing our productivity with retailers​, and that’s both domestically and internationally,​” Drell-Szyfer told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.

Eastern and Western Europe growth goals – an American skin care with ‘real global appeal’ ​

RéVive Skin care currently generated 53% of its business outside of the US, but the CEO said there was still a “large opportunity”​ to grow that further.

“While RéVive is an American brand, I think it has real global appeal. And so, there are markets that we’ve launched like Ukraine, Russia, Italy and Spain where I think the brand has great potential. We have excellent partners on the ground.”​

Historically, the brand only had a very limited presence in European markets, she said, despite this region being an ideal territory for its prestige, science-based product portfolio.

“Whereas I think the American consumer is newer to spending on skin care, we know that it’s much longer been, both in Eastern and Western Europe, practice for women to really invest the time and money in skin care and facial services. And so, I really think that for the brand, the audience is there and I’m looking forward to how the brand takes hold in the region.”​

The company was also exploring opportunities in the Middle East, she said, and planned to continue growth in Russia where there was a “very big opportunity”​.

Referencing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Drell-Szyfer said EMEA expansion plans would likely be a little more challenging in the short-term. “There’s been such irregularity in the retail environment. I just hope for everyone that it does return to some level of openness and normalcy, sooner rather than later.”​

Meanwhile, RéVive would continue its digital drive in these markets, she said, which aligned well with the wider “full push to e-commerce”​ in the beauty category – a trend that was likely to stick.

Targeting the ‘skintellectuals’ with science-based skin care messaging​

And whilst a bigger online push would enable RéVive to reach a new audience in some ways, Drell-Szyfer said growth plans didn’t mean the brand wanted to target different consumer profiles entirely.

“The RéVive consumer, when we look at her and him, (…) they’re either the ‘skintellectuals’ or ‘skinthusiasts’ – people who are incredibly knowledgeable about skin care and come to us asking a lot of questions.” ​There were many that knew less but were dedicated to investing in the “best of everything”,​ particularly anything appearance of lifestyle related, she said.

And targeting these consumers would continue to be a priority for RéVive, Drell-Szyfer said, with continued science-based communication backing up its products.

“Science is very much a focal point for consumers,”​ she said; even more so amidst COVID-19 where professional scientists and doctors had been given plenty of voice.

“What people are saying is that, what they’re looking for is clarity of message, transparency, data and facts. That’s one thing that is a trend that is right in our wheelhouse, in our sweet spot.”​