Leap Organics Rebrands And Gains A Retail Partner In Follain

Leap Organics is jumping onto the shelves at expanding clean beauty chain Follain today, marking the brand’s first major retail partnership after a revamp.

Follain is stocking Leap’s four-piece face collection priced from $22 to $34 consisting of a wash, moisturizer, toner and oil in its six brick-and-mortar locations and online shop. The clean beauty concept founded by Tara Foley will be Leap’s sole retailer for the time being.

“I’ve known Tara Foley since Follain was in the idea phase, and it was clear from the start that she was creating a really special and unique retail setting with incredibly high standards for ingredient safety and product effectiveness,” says Leap founder Luke Penney. “When we were looking to launch our new organic skincare line, it was a perfect match to do that through Follain, where both of our product and ingredient philosophies were aligned.”

Launched in 2010, Leap was one of the first certified organic body care companies, and it’s product assortment extended to bar soaps, hand soaps, body powders and lip balms. The original range was carried by natural grocers such as Whole Foods, MOM’s Organic Markets, PCC Community Markets and New Seasons Markets as well as several independent natural retailers and co-ops throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Earlier this year, Leap stepped back to focus on formulating face products and revising packaging. “For each product, we went through a minimum of 10 to 15 rounds of R&D work to get the products exactly where we wanted them, which also included many rounds of consumer feedback and product testing,” says Penney, who moonlights as an adjunct professor of sustainable and socially-responsible business at his alma mater Colby College. “The impetus behind this new launch was the need for products that everyone can use, [that] they will reach for every day, and to do this at fair and accessible price points.”

The overhauled line contains sustainable materials and what Penney believes is the least amount of packaging necessary to allow Leap to safely and effectively deliver products to customers. Leap’s Face Wash and Toner don’t have secondary boxes, and the boxes for Leap’s Face Moisturizer and Face Oil are verified eco-friendly by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Penney sees his brand’s sustainability practices as a work in progress. He says, ”Over time, we want to use more post-consumer recycled packaging with a long-term goal of having over 90% of our packaging coming from post-consumer recycled materials.”

Leap complies with Follain’s stringent ingredient restrictions and goes beyond them by being a certified B Corp, a designation requiring companies to meet various social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency standards. It has been a B Corp since 2011. Leap also donates 1% of its sales to environmental non-profits.

With its streamlined collection and entry-level price point, Leap fits with Follain’s strategy to make it easy for consumers to switch from conventional to cleaner personal care products. “We’re incredibly excited to bring on Leap Organics, a brand that is helping make clean skincare accessible for everyone,” says Foley. “It is so rare to find certified organic skincare products, but Leap managed to do this without sacrificing efficacy or fun. I’ve loved working with Luke and his team at Leap Organics on this exciting journey.”