Care/of Enters The Beauty Ingestibles Category As It Shoots For Profitability

Care/of’s customers care a lot about their looks. As a result, whether they go by Lauren, Claire, Alex, Sophie, Hannah or Steph, the direct-to-consumer company that customizes vitamin packs down to the names printed on its pouches is offering them a new seven-item line of beauty ingestibles with collagen, keratin and more to maintain vibrant skin and hair.

Of the 5.5 million people who’ve taken Care/of’s online quiz to be directed to supplements that tackle their concerns, 72% identified skin health and 57% identified hair health as goals—and those are wellness-savvy people, primarily women 25 to 35 years old, in the 4-year-old company’s legion of early adopters. If Care/of can successfully push into the beauty industry, estimated to have generated $93.5 billion in sales last year in the United States, it can build a much larger audience than if it stays in traditional nutrition supplements alone. U.S. dietary supplement sales surpassed $39 billion last year, according to Statista.

Asked about the sales potential of Care/of’s beauty line, CEO and co-founder Craig Elbert, formerly VP of marketing at Bonobos, says, “Given that these are really top goals for our consumers, it can be a very meaningful portion of our sales. I think it’s one [category] that we view as having a chance to really accelerate the growth of the business.”

Within the beauty ingestible segment projected to hit $3.3 billion in 2026 revenues, collagen has a prominence and record of research that’s rare. Due to consumer recognition, Elbert predicts Care/of’s collagen, which comes unflavored, matcha and vegetarian varieties, will be a strong seller, but it certainly faces enormous competition for collagen product dollars. Vital Proteins, Moon Juice, Smarter Nutrition, Glotrition, The Beauty Chef and Hum Nutrition are just a few of the brands with collagen products promising beauty effects.

“Given that these are really top goals for our consumers, it can be a very meaningful portion of our sales.”

According to Elbert, Care/of’s collagen is slightly cheaper than the collagen consumers are likely to find at their local stores, and its vegetarian collagen made from eggshell membranes could be appealing to supplement shoppers staying away from the bovine sources dominating existing collagen formulas. Care/of’s collagen prices range from $14 for a five-pack of single-serving packets to $32 for a 15-serving tub. In addition to the collagen, Care/of’s beauty line contains a superberry boost, ceramides, keratin and shatavari, a species of asparagus Elbert touts for balancing breakouts. For beauty issues such as breakouts and hair thinning, he details Care/of delved into research to unearth ingredients that addressed them to put in its products.

The proliferation of beauty ingestibles can make picking products difficult for a consumer. Through its quiz and content, Elbert asserts Care/of cuts through the confusion. The company has added a 14-question quiz concentrating on skin and hair, and expanded its general quiz with questions that dig deeper into customers’ beauty objectives. In order to help ensure benefits, it also attempts to keep consumers consistent with their supplement usage with reminders and information from its app. In its marketing mix, Care/of is amplifying influencer outreach and Pinterest efforts as it gets its beauty supplements off the ground.

“For everything we recommend, we will give you the supporting research explaining why we think this is the right product for you and your goals,” says Elbert. “For someone who is interested in more than just the superficial level of how nutrition impacts your body, there’s a level of science and rigor that has gone into this line that is unique in the category.” Naturopathic doctor Maggie Luther is Care/of’s medical director and formulator. The New York-based company has 80 employees in its headquarters and 150 in its fulfillment center, and recently it’s been strengthening its product innovation team.

“There’s a level of science and rigor that has gone into this line that is unique in the category.”

In 2019, Care/of doubled sales from the prior year. This year, Elbert predicts the growth rate will slow a tad, but its average order value will climb. Care/of’s digital model exposes consumers to ingredients they might overlook on shelves. Elbert mentions that, among its bestselling items, vitamin D, fish oil and calcium are perhaps to be expected, but astaxanthin, rhodiola and ashwagandha are less well-known standout performers. Care/of’s ability to drive consumers to the unfamiliar could aid with beauty supplement purchases beyond collagen. The company has over 100,000 active subscribers.

Since its launch, Care/of has raised roughly $44 million from investors including Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Goodwater Capital, Juxtapose, RRE Ventures and Tusk Ventures. The DTC landscape has certainly evolved in its time on the market and, today, there’s heightened attention paid to omnichannel distribution and profitability. Elbert doesn’t rule out retail for Care/of, mentioning it could release a “different offering” for physical outlets. He says, “Long term, if I play it out, there is no denying that, despite the growth of online, you still see 80% percent of the category purchases happening offline. So, that’s something you don’t want to ignore. It’s about the sequencing of when and where you want to start.”

Care/of isn’t profitable at the moment, and Elbert is on a mission to propel it into the black. He says, “Particularly in this financial environment that increasingly rewards profitability, that’s something we are focused on. As we look down the road, I believe we can continue to build a fast-growing business that is approaching profitability, and we will have a number of [exit] options.”