Jeremy Kerstetter, Assistant Editor04.27.15
The Mission: To provide an age-appropriate, ingredient-focused, skin care line for tween and adolescent girls, ages 7-14, that encourages lifelong hygiene and beauty habits.
Based in New York City, Ottilie & Lulu has been producing its skin care line, which includes cleansers, moisturizers, UV protection and blemish treatments, since 2008. The unique market provides an open door of opportunity, yet holds its challenges, as distributors and marketers alike determine how worthwhile any venture may prove to be and whether it’s worth the effort.
Finding interested distributors was a challenge for Deborah Hernan, founder, Ottilie & Lulu.
“At first I wanted to go with mass, traditional distribution, but buyers would say, ‘I don’t have a tween section. I have a baby and teen, but there is no space for you,” she recalled.
After launching her product line online in 2009, Hernan sought additional avenues for sales growth. Specifically, she wanted heavily trafficked areas where kids and young teens would be present and able to see her product line. The answer, as her research revealed, was toy stores.
“They have Monopoly and Scrabble, but what about for the girls growing beyond the toys?” Hernan asked.
Toy Story
Shortly after her epiphany, Hernan was introduced to a senior executive at FAO Schwarz and in November of 2011, FAO Schwarz picked up Ottilie & Lulu and today features its own “tween section.”
Although the tween idea as a market segment remains perceived as a very niche idea that distributors are not yet sold on, Hernan sees tremendous opportunity for growth with her product line.
“It will be a significant category, the tween demographic. Look at this age group and think about what they need; this will provide an opportunity to create loyal customers at an early age,” she insisted.
Recalling the marketing technique employed by Estée Lauder with its 1960s Clinique launch, Hernan noted, “Their target was college-age girls, who still use the product today; people can be and are loyal if you make a product or experience meaningful.”
Adding her own level of “meaningful” to her brand, Hernan put a great amount of thought into the name Ottilie & Lulu, searching for a name that would have cadence and be memorability.
“I knew it had to be two girls' names. Tween girls are beginning to create themselves, so some days they want to be princesses; others, they want to be Tomboys (to name just two),” she stated. “What the various personalities have in common is that they are all at the age where they need to start taking care of their skin.”
With these factors in mind, and knowing that she wanted a name that would connote “special,” she began searching for inspiration. She found it, in the form of her daughter’s friends, Ottilie and Tallulah.
“After talking with their mom, she happily agreed to allow me to use their names - as she calls them — Ottilie and Lulu,” Hernan recalled.
The Ottilie & Lulu product line features a full lineup of all-natural, hygiene products for young girls that encourage easy, daily beauty routines. Hernan, concerned about the lack of education that girls are receiving at this age regarding proper skin maintenance, developed her products as a way to help not only her child, but also the children of others.
“Eighty percent of damage done to the skin occurs prior to age 14,” she explained. “This age group does not use sufficient sun protection, it does not deal with oiliness appropriately, and it uses too harsh of products; such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.”
Combatting the lack of education and intensity of products currently on the market (intended) for older age groups, Hernan’s product line is dermatologist-approved, allergy-tested, paraben- and mineral oil-free, as well as alcohol-free.
“This emphasis on natural, non-damaging ingredients uniquely positions Ottilie & Lulu in the marketplace,” she explained. “As many skin care companies sell products containing potentially harmful chemicals and toxins.”
That statement is sure to be disputed by most companies in the personal care space, but Hernan, like many other skin care entrepreneurs, views every day skin care products with an increasingly skeptical eye.
“Tween girls are cycling through puberty. As reports indicate, the onset of puberty is happening earlier than ever. It is beneficial to avoid exposing tweens to endocrine-disrupting ingredients and/or ingredients that could irritate their sensitive skin such as phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS), parabens, petrochemicals, and polyethylene glycol (PEGs) during this development period,” she insisted.
Hernan noted that today, most people, including many parents, are extremely interested in the ingredient labeling for their families and themselves. And while she is uncomfortable calling out competitor products, she did tell Happi.com “one of today's trusted cleansers, that some parents use and introduce to their tweens, does contain SLS.”
What’s What
The line features Clean Skin Face Wipes ($9.50) that eliminate oil and dirt; Morning & Night Gel Cleanser ($9.50), with an organic blend of aloe vera juice and witch hazel extract, scented with mandarin and sandalwood; Everyday Facial Moisturizer & Sunscreen SPF 20 ($18.50), combining zinc oxide with the powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of green tea, algae, and vitamin E to fight free radical damage; Morning Pure Facial Moisturizer ($14.50), utilizing the hydrating power of organic shea butter, the calming effect of calendula extract, and scented with mandarin essential oil; Spot Blemish Treatment ($14.50), featuring a blend of white willow bark, peppermint leaf, and tea tree leaf to calm skin as well as tea tree oil and peppermint oil to reduce redness.
The packaging for these products is designed by a special designer in NYC and printed in several locations, primarily in Maryland. Once done, the products are stored at a private company in New Jersey for fulfillment. The ingredients themselves are sourced primarily in the US from a wholesaler and— with the exception of one—all the end products are developed in US as well. According to Ms. Hernan, there are three separate groups that do manufacturing for Ottilie & Lulu: one handles the sunscreen products, the second handles the face wipes, and the third handles everything else. Due to stringent requirements for output volume, Ms. Hernan was forced to find a manufacturer willing to produce her alcohol-free face wipes outside the US. Luckily, she found a manufacturer in Israel willing to meet her need for small batch runs of only 100,000.
Ottilie & Lulu products are currently available through Ottilieandlulu.com, Dermstore.com, Amazon.com, iherb.com, as well as FAO Schwartz and Toys “R” Us (in store only). Commenting on price point and demographic, Hernan stated, “Our products are priced above the drugstores, but below premium brands, which is an optimal price point for our market.”
Looking ahead, Hernan said she would like to offer additional products, but not until she has a quality product designed that a tween girl will actually need. “I won’t put a product in the line that a girl wouldn’t need. Either she must need it, or it must have a real health benefit for her.”
She is tossing around the idea of introducing a high quality lipstick down the road, though. Hernan added that plans are in the works for increasing distribution, too. However, “until the market recognizes the importance of the tween market, it will be an uphill battle."
Based in New York City, Ottilie & Lulu has been producing its skin care line, which includes cleansers, moisturizers, UV protection and blemish treatments, since 2008. The unique market provides an open door of opportunity, yet holds its challenges, as distributors and marketers alike determine how worthwhile any venture may prove to be and whether it’s worth the effort.
Finding interested distributors was a challenge for Deborah Hernan, founder, Ottilie & Lulu.
“At first I wanted to go with mass, traditional distribution, but buyers would say, ‘I don’t have a tween section. I have a baby and teen, but there is no space for you,” she recalled.
After launching her product line online in 2009, Hernan sought additional avenues for sales growth. Specifically, she wanted heavily trafficked areas where kids and young teens would be present and able to see her product line. The answer, as her research revealed, was toy stores.
“They have Monopoly and Scrabble, but what about for the girls growing beyond the toys?” Hernan asked.
Toy Story
Shortly after her epiphany, Hernan was introduced to a senior executive at FAO Schwarz and in November of 2011, FAO Schwarz picked up Ottilie & Lulu and today features its own “tween section.”
Although the tween idea as a market segment remains perceived as a very niche idea that distributors are not yet sold on, Hernan sees tremendous opportunity for growth with her product line.
“It will be a significant category, the tween demographic. Look at this age group and think about what they need; this will provide an opportunity to create loyal customers at an early age,” she insisted.
Recalling the marketing technique employed by Estée Lauder with its 1960s Clinique launch, Hernan noted, “Their target was college-age girls, who still use the product today; people can be and are loyal if you make a product or experience meaningful.”
Adding her own level of “meaningful” to her brand, Hernan put a great amount of thought into the name Ottilie & Lulu, searching for a name that would have cadence and be memorability.
“I knew it had to be two girls' names. Tween girls are beginning to create themselves, so some days they want to be princesses; others, they want to be Tomboys (to name just two),” she stated. “What the various personalities have in common is that they are all at the age where they need to start taking care of their skin.”
With these factors in mind, and knowing that she wanted a name that would connote “special,” she began searching for inspiration. She found it, in the form of her daughter’s friends, Ottilie and Tallulah.
“After talking with their mom, she happily agreed to allow me to use their names - as she calls them — Ottilie and Lulu,” Hernan recalled.
The Ottilie & Lulu product line features a full lineup of all-natural, hygiene products for young girls that encourage easy, daily beauty routines. Hernan, concerned about the lack of education that girls are receiving at this age regarding proper skin maintenance, developed her products as a way to help not only her child, but also the children of others.
“Eighty percent of damage done to the skin occurs prior to age 14,” she explained. “This age group does not use sufficient sun protection, it does not deal with oiliness appropriately, and it uses too harsh of products; such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.”
Combatting the lack of education and intensity of products currently on the market (intended) for older age groups, Hernan’s product line is dermatologist-approved, allergy-tested, paraben- and mineral oil-free, as well as alcohol-free.
“This emphasis on natural, non-damaging ingredients uniquely positions Ottilie & Lulu in the marketplace,” she explained. “As many skin care companies sell products containing potentially harmful chemicals and toxins.”
That statement is sure to be disputed by most companies in the personal care space, but Hernan, like many other skin care entrepreneurs, views every day skin care products with an increasingly skeptical eye.
“Tween girls are cycling through puberty. As reports indicate, the onset of puberty is happening earlier than ever. It is beneficial to avoid exposing tweens to endocrine-disrupting ingredients and/or ingredients that could irritate their sensitive skin such as phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS), parabens, petrochemicals, and polyethylene glycol (PEGs) during this development period,” she insisted.
Hernan noted that today, most people, including many parents, are extremely interested in the ingredient labeling for their families and themselves. And while she is uncomfortable calling out competitor products, she did tell Happi.com “one of today's trusted cleansers, that some parents use and introduce to their tweens, does contain SLS.”
What’s What
The line features Clean Skin Face Wipes ($9.50) that eliminate oil and dirt; Morning & Night Gel Cleanser ($9.50), with an organic blend of aloe vera juice and witch hazel extract, scented with mandarin and sandalwood; Everyday Facial Moisturizer & Sunscreen SPF 20 ($18.50), combining zinc oxide with the powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of green tea, algae, and vitamin E to fight free radical damage; Morning Pure Facial Moisturizer ($14.50), utilizing the hydrating power of organic shea butter, the calming effect of calendula extract, and scented with mandarin essential oil; Spot Blemish Treatment ($14.50), featuring a blend of white willow bark, peppermint leaf, and tea tree leaf to calm skin as well as tea tree oil and peppermint oil to reduce redness.
The packaging for these products is designed by a special designer in NYC and printed in several locations, primarily in Maryland. Once done, the products are stored at a private company in New Jersey for fulfillment. The ingredients themselves are sourced primarily in the US from a wholesaler and— with the exception of one—all the end products are developed in US as well. According to Ms. Hernan, there are three separate groups that do manufacturing for Ottilie & Lulu: one handles the sunscreen products, the second handles the face wipes, and the third handles everything else. Due to stringent requirements for output volume, Ms. Hernan was forced to find a manufacturer willing to produce her alcohol-free face wipes outside the US. Luckily, she found a manufacturer in Israel willing to meet her need for small batch runs of only 100,000.
Ottilie & Lulu products are currently available through Ottilieandlulu.com, Dermstore.com, Amazon.com, iherb.com, as well as FAO Schwartz and Toys “R” Us (in store only). Commenting on price point and demographic, Hernan stated, “Our products are priced above the drugstores, but below premium brands, which is an optimal price point for our market.”
Looking ahead, Hernan said she would like to offer additional products, but not until she has a quality product designed that a tween girl will actually need. “I won’t put a product in the line that a girl wouldn’t need. Either she must need it, or it must have a real health benefit for her.”
She is tossing around the idea of introducing a high quality lipstick down the road, though. Hernan added that plans are in the works for increasing distribution, too. However, “until the market recognizes the importance of the tween market, it will be an uphill battle."