Fré has eyes on California.
The Israeli beauty brand, which specializes in mineral sunscreen, has extended its pop-up at the Grove in Los Angeles to Aug. 27. It’s been a momentous trip for founders Michael Azoulay and Mickael Bensadoun as the company finds success at local retailer Erewhon.
“We already sold out four times at Erewhon,” Azoulay said. “We are in the top three brands in the skincare category with only four skus.”
Also sold at Goop, Revolve, Anthropologie, Macy’s and The Webster, its hero is a $35 SPF 30 mineral sunscreen made with an antioxidant-filled patent (“Argania Active Complex”). It’s sheer — absorbs quickly leaving the skin soft and without a white cast — water-resistant, non-comedogenic, reef safe, vegan and cruelty-free.
“We don’t blend it with titanium dioxide or with a booster,” Azoulay said. “It’s a 100 percent non-nano zinc oxide-based formula but leaving no white cast.”
There’s a glowy, tinted version for $39, as well as a cleanser, eye cream, night cream, mask, argan oil, firming serum and vitamin C serum.
“It’s a waterless formula,” Azoulay explained of the latter, priced at $85. “It’s made with vitamin C that costs maybe 10 times more than what we can find in the market. Why? Because it’s 40 times more penetrating to your skin. We use the molecular vitamin C that is actually penetrating your skin, not the lab sorbic acid that you can find in 90 percent of formulations.”
Fré made $5.5 million in sales in 2022, according to Bensadoun, predominantly attracting women aged 30 to 45. (The patent was approved last year.) ”Our next goal is $55 million. This year, we are very happy to go on a trend of a 100 percent growth. So, very solid growth and even more efficient than last year in terms of cost of acquisition. We are really aiming for profitable sustainable growth.”
The Fré story began in the summer of 2015, when the duo — who met through a mutual friend — were sitting on a beach in Tel Aviv.
“We saw a very elegant woman running in athleisure clothes…but something was wrong on her face. She had a very white cast, almost a white mask,” explained Bensadoun, who has a background in philanthropy.
The initial aim was to find a solution for the active and outdoor set, but the brand has grown to offer high-performing, “clean” products with quality, science and innovation coming first. They’ve become a known brand name in Israel and plan to grow in the U.S., starting in California.
“There is a big opportunity to disrupt the sun care market today,” said Azoulay, a former investment banker.
Working with a scientist in Isreal, where the brand is produced (sourcing globally), they spent two years in research and development. It’s U.S., E.U. and U.K. compliant.
“We have invested a lot in science in order to not only protect the skin from the sun, understanding UV damage, but another layer of science to fight dark spots, to fight hyperpigmentation and ultimately to fight premature aging,” he continued. “Eighty percent of the skin aging process is due to the UV rays, whether it’s UVA or UVB.”
He mentions its high score — “93 out of 100” — on the French app Yuka, which reflects a product’s nutritional value and impact on the environment. “All the other competitors are in the 20s, the 10s.”
While the focus has been on selling both direct-to-consumer and at retail, the founders are exploring opening their first Fré brick-and-mortar in Southern California.
“From the very beginning it was a Californian vision, and we were not ready for it maybe because we were not from there, but when we see really the enthusiasm among the consumer, and also the fact that California is a trendsetting place for a lot of things in terms of lifestyle, we need to strengthen our presence,” Azoulay said.
Source: WWD