After being diagnosed with melanoma in 2010, Jennifer Leebow, a nurse practitioner and founder of SkinTheory Studios, dove into sun protection research to find holistic options.
“I was concerned about my increased risk of developing future skin cancers and knew there were more options than traditional sun and skin protection methods,” she says. “To date, there has not been any innovation in the suncare industry since 1999 when translucent zinc oxide was introduced to the market.”
Ultimately, Leebow decided to create Duette, a new brand with the holistic approach to sun protection she sought. Its patent-pending skincare system combines topical and oral products. The topical products are $88 The Serum, $58 The SPF Sheer and $58 The SPF Pigment Adapting. Duette’s oral product is $118 The Supplement. The Supplement and The Serum are sold together in a $188 bundle called The Duette.
“Both internal and external factors affect our overall lifetime exposure to damaging free radicals,” says Leebow. “A multifaceted approach is truly the answer. Unfortunately, it is not solely ultraviolet radiation, but also environmental toxins that we’re exposed to in our daily lives. Think water, air and soil pollution.”
She continues, “Luckily, clinical research in both oral and topical applications of various plant extracts containing high-dose antioxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds can and have resulted in not only decreasing overall free radical damage, but also the prevention and conversion to oxidative stress, which is known to cause 90% of photoaging as well as various skin cancers.”
Duette’s The Supplement formula has polypodium leucotomos, an ingredient from a tropical fern shown in clinical studies to combat cell damage from ultraviolet rays. An additional ingredient in Duette’s range is the antioxidant purslane, another protector against UV damage. Other clinically tested ingredients in the line include fucoidan, rosemary and marigold extracts, and astaxanthin.
The development process took five years, and Leebow traveled the world seeking out raw materials during it. In 2019, she began formulating The SPF in Spain, and she was unable to achieve the consistency she desired with it. On top of the consistency issue, she couldn’t pack it with all the active ingredients she wanted to. Instead of packing the entire repertoire of active ingredients Leebow wanted into the sunscreen, she put them into a new product, The Serum. The Serum and The Supplement are meant to work in conjunction.
The pandemic occurred shortly thereafter, and Leebow brought her business stateside. In the United States, the sunscreen regulatory framework prevented her from formulating a sunscreen with the complete repertoire of active ingredients she wanted at the percentages she wanted them at. However, it led her to sun care ingredient supplier Solésence and its patented translucent zinc oxide Kleair designed for a broad array of skin tones. Kleair is in Duette’s sunscreens.
“A multifaceted approach is truly the answer.”
Leebow says, “I spent tons of money and years trying to develop something that just wasn’t possible without skimping on clinical actives or dosing…When life gives you lemons, we made lemonade.”
Leebow describes Duette’s development process as “intimidating,” particularly because she was unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of launching a brand. To make it easier, she tapped the expertise of beauty industry veterans Kathryn Beaton, former VP of product development at Tocca and co-founder of Gryt, and Ariane Noji, former director of product development at Ouai and founder of Contemplation. Beaton acted as COO, and Noji handled packaging and logistics.
Leebow says, “It is a miracle to me what we were able to do with quite possibly the world’s smallest team.”
Kicking off in direct-to-consumer distribution in May, self-funded Duette took an investment of approximately $500,000 to get up and running. Later, Leebow received an undisclosed amount of financial support from a client, and she’s seeing sales pick up. “Since launching in May, we have brought in a little under $5,000 [in sales] and have a few subscription clients on the site,” says Leebow. “It is so very exciting and growing every day.”
Duette expects to expand distribution in the professional channel. Thus far, it’s spread awareness via email marketing targeting Leebow’s clients at Miami Beach’s SkinTheory Studios. Building its social media following is a key objective.
“I have never been a big sharer of my private practice as most of my patients are very private,” says Leebow. “I have been blessed that I have never had to pay for marketing as 100% of my clientele comes from word of mouth. So, the social media aspect is new to me, but, with proper education, I do hope to grow our direct-to-consumer business as well.”
From a product perspective, Leebow envisions a wide palette of sun protection opportunities for Duette. She says, “The possibilities are endless as what we use topically can only be increased in efficacy when we are using a multi-modal approach of both oral supplementation and topical application.”
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