StackedSkincare, Known For Its Diverse Approach To Skin Health, Diversifies Its Retail Network With Sephora Launch

StackedSkincare’s retail roster is stacked.

The brand known for its multifaceted approach to skincare using tools, peels and serums has broken into Sephora’s online selection. The distribution achievement, coupled with continued direct-to-consumer momentum, is expected to lift StackedSkincare’s sales 200% this year.

“Having our brand aligned with Sephora gives us credibility and really elevates us, and it obviously gets us in front of significantly more people than we could otherwise,” says StackedSkincare founder Kerry Benjamin. “When I set out to do this, I said I was going to be in Sephora, and we did it. I feel really proud and excited.”

A personal struggle with severe eczema put Benjamin on the course to launch StackedSkincare. At a low point, the former account executive at Microsoft and global account director at DoubleClick landed in the hospital due to open wounds she’d developed from scratching that became infected with MRSA. Fed up, Benjamin decided to go to school to become an aesthetician and learn how to address her skin condition.

In 2011, Benjamin started to hone her skincare expertise at her Santa Monica, Calif., spa. There, she incorporated a microdermabrasion machine and paired it with peels. Dermaplaning was next added to Benjamin’s skincare arsenal along with concern-specific topical solutions. The comprehensive strategy worked for Benjamin’s skin, and her clients were digging it, too.

“Having our brand aligned with Sephora gives us credibility and really elevates us, and it obviously gets us in front of significantly more people than we could otherwise.”

Four years after the spa opened, Benjamin translated her skin therapy philosophy into products. “I wanted to empower customers to treat their skin at home. I realized I could help a lot more people that way,” she says. “If you’re looking for the type of results our customers are looking for, you have to treat your skin at home. You can’t just go to an aesthetician every month or six weeks. It’s similar to wanting a nice body. You can’t get it without consistent exercise.”

At the outset of her product line, Benjamin introduced the Microneedling Tool, Epidermal Growth Factor Activating Serum, Plant Stem Cell Peptide Serum and Dead Sea Mineral Peel. Today, StackedSkincare’s product portfolio spans around 15 products, and the Microneedling Tool and Dermaplaning Tool are bestsellers. Epidermal Growth Factor Activating Serum and TCA Multi Acid Face Peel follow closely behind in terms of sales performance.

“We’re not a me-too line. It’s not your typical cleanser, toner, moisturizer,” says Benjamin. Because StackedSkincare is different, education is important. The brand uploads at least one blog post a week, and Benjamin welcomes invitations to share her skincare tips in the press. She mentions StackedSkincare is planning to increase video assets to further disseminate information.

StackedSkincare’s customers are largely women aged 28 to 55. Benjamin describes them as adventurous skincare enthusiasts not satisfied with sticking to a standard vitamin C serum. Younger customers tend to gravitate to StackedSkincare’s tools that are generally cheaper than its serums and peels. For example, the Epidermal Growth Factor Activating Serum is $150 while the Dermaplaning Tool is $75.

“We’re not a me-too line. It’s not your typical cleanser, toner, moisturizer.”

Benjamin is picky about the retailers StackedSkincare takes on. The overwhelming majority of the brand’s revenues come from its website, and Benjamin doesn’t like it to enter accounts that could compete with its web business unless they bring substantial value. Benjamin believes exposure from Sephora will propel StackedSkincare’s direct sales as well as its sales on Sephora’s e-commerce platform. Sephora is carrying nine stockkeeping units, so customers interested in the brand’s complete offering will have to visit its site.

Beyond Sephora, StackedSkincare’s retail network includes Aillea, Neiman Marcus and Urban Outfitters. About 5% to 7% of its sales are from international markets, and it’s available on Amazon in the United Kingdom and Australia. It will soon go live on Amazon in Mexico. Benjamin views global opportunities as having significant potential for StackedSkincare, but she’s largely focusing in 2019 on building its Sephora and web presences domestically. She’s investing in digital marketing, influencer partnerships, customer service, content creation and SEO to drive online sales.

Benjamin recently stepped away from her spa, where it had cost $400 to see her for a service, to concentrate on her brand full-time. “I can’t scale the company in my spa. I just didn’t have the time. My day begins at 7 a.m. and doesn’t stop until 10 or 11 p.m. Everything goes through me,” she says. “It’s been self-funded the entire time. I’m not actively seeking outside investment, although sometimes I think it would be nice to have an advisor. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t come with a handbook, but, fortunately, I have an amazing business background and can figure things out quickly. We are growing and doing well on our own.”