EXCLUSIVE: E.l.f., Alicia Keys Announce Keys Soulcare

E.l.f. and Alicia Keys are drumming up excitement for their upcoming beauty brand launch with a comprehensive digital rollout — starting with the brand name.

Keys Soulcare, which will launch in time for the holidays with three products, will span several categories. The brand’s ethos is centered around Keys’ philosophy of beauty, which encompasses a harmony between mind, body, spirit and connection and an empowering approach to aesthetics and beauty rituals. The brand’s prelaunch strategy begins today, including the unveiling of its editorial site, keyssoulcare.com, and a comprehensive social campaign leading up to product release.

“Our journey with Alicia Keys started a year ago, and it started with our shared values, like inclusivity and empowerment and a much deeper meaning of beauty,” said Tarang Amin, chief executive officer of E.l.f. “[Beauty is] often geared against other categories, no one had actually gone after ‘soulcare,’ and this line that we’re launching does exactly that.”

According to a statement from the brand, its lineup will encompass “skin care, body care, air care and more.”

The brand will launch in time for the holidays with three products, including a sage and oatmilk candle and two skin-care products, with a more comprehensive lineup of skin care and adjacent categories in the first quarter of 2021. Amin said the brand is developing products for seven categories. Amin did not disclose a price range or the line’s distributors, but did describe the price point as “entry-level prestige.”

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The line is dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free and vegan. It was formulated by Dr. Renée Synder, M.D., cofounder of W3LL People, which E.l.f. acquired earlier this year for $27 million as its first acquisition.

Given E.l.f.’s status as a digitally native brand since its founding in 2004, the Keys Soulcare rollout is focused on content and curation. “Our strategy is content-first and less about the transaction, and more about what she has to say,” Amin said, describing the rollout as “digital-first, content-first, and getting this message well before you’ve ever seen any product for sale. It also leverages E.l.f.’s strengths socially and digitally.”

Speaking of E.l.f.’s strengths, the brand reported 8 percent growth in the second quarter of this year. As for what’s resonating with consumers now, Amin made the caveat that the color cosmetics category as a whole has seen significant declines, but did say the brand continued to gain share.

As for its plans to incubate or acquire any other brands, Amin said the company is always open, although efforts are focused on the launch of Keys Soulcare, which E.l.f. views as exemplary in its accessibility. Keys’ attitudes toward beauty, as well as her social media prowess, were also points of note. “[Keys has] been a real inspiration in being able to bring light to what otherwise is a really dark time. It really speaks to her broader substance and meaning,” he said. “I think it’s the perfect time to start with that messaging.”

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