A Pāpāmoa skincare business that started in a garage has launched its products in America - a “monumental” stepping stone towards becoming the number-one premium pregnancy skincare brand in the world, its founder says.

Pure Mama - co-owned by sisters Lara Henderson and Yasmin Shepherd - will debut this year at four major American retailers, including the “infamous” Erewhon, described by Henderson as the “celebrity supermarket of LA”.

Celebrities including Hailey and Justin Bieber, Jake Gyllenhaal, Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne have been spotted at the upscale supermarket chain.

Pure Mama’s launch in America comes after it partnered with Mecca - the largest beauty retailer in Australasia - in July 2023.

In January, American socialite Kourtney Kardashian shared two of its products on her website, leading to website traffic going “through the roof” and “amazing” sales numbers.

Pure Mama launches in ‘the celebrity supermarket of LA’

Henderson told the Bay of Plenty Times the company wanted to work with “premium prestigious retailers” that would represent Pure Mama “the way that we want our brand to show up”.

On August 26, it launched in Erewhon across all 10 of its stores in California’s most affluent areas.

“Whether it’s ready-made food or on-shelf or skincare ... [Erewhon] really hand-pick the best of the best, so it’s an incredible privilege to be in there.”

In the following months, the brand would be available online through Nordstrom and Macy’s - “two premium, large-scale department stores” - and Revolve, an online retailer “in the premium beauty/fashion” space.

The mother of two said launching in America would be “monumental” regarding achieving the company’s ambition of being the number-one premium pregnancy skincare brand in the world.

“I think New Zealand and Australia are incredible markets, but the US is just a beast and has the potential to really catapult our brand.

“It’s just such a huge stepping stone for us.”

Launching in America could lead to “the very big opportunity for growth if our brand really lands”, she said.

She will travel to Los Angeles for a launch event on September 18.

Where to next?

The launch took almost 18 months of preparation, including setting up a US company, hiring a team in the US, getting FDA approval, new product development, filing its trademark, scaling up production, and looking at logistics around packaging and fulfilment.

She also went to America in June and visited midwives, obstetricians and retailers, and ran focus groups.

Henderson said the pregnancy and post-partum skincare industry was a $30 billion industry worldwide.

She said the company would be “very much focused on the US” for the next three to five years - a country with a population of 330 million people.

“It’s going to be a challenge in itself.”

Henderson said the company was in the process of securing its trademark in Europe and China. There were plans to move into those markets in five to 10 years.

How it started

Henderson founded the company in 2019 - the same year she was pregnant with her first child.

It took more than two years to develop the concept, brand and product and to undertake market research before it launched online in May 2021.

Her husband renovated their garage to be a warehouse and storeroom, and she launched her business from their Pāpāmoa home.

She worked from home for 18 months before moving into a commercial space in Pāpāmoa.

Henderson is now part of a team of six and employs a part-time team in America.

She has previously said Pure Mama’s “signature” product was a belly oil to help “support and nourish your skin” from the second trimester.

Additional products include a magnesium body rub, nipple butter and a “bump” scrub, typically used in the shower.

Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times 
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.