One mass market heavyweight is meeting another.
Bubble Skincare, the mass market darling known for its playful packaging and share of mind with both Gen Z and Gen Alpha, is gearing up for an all-door expansion with Target Corp., which kicks off Sunday.
The move comes at a time of growth for both parties. Bubble was estimated to reach around $170 million in sales last year; Target is currently bucking broader headwinds in beauty’s mass market by doubling its volume in the category since 2019 and has thousands of products slated to launch this year.
“Target has been our most requested store since we launched. Our community has been talking to us about Target constantly,” said Shai Eisenman, Bubble’s chief executive officer, who founded the business in 2020 and has been speedy to scale it. “Fifty-six percent of our consumers actually already think they buy Bubble in Target, which shows what a perfect match it is.”
Although the brand is available in more than 10,000 points of sale globally, Eisenman still takes a thoughtful approach to expansion — and the roster of existing partnerships were a result of consumer demand. “We’re big believers in meeting consumers where they are, as well as the power of accessibility. A lot of people don’t make special trips to buy skin care, and meeting them close to their homes is a core part of our strategy,” she said.
Bubble is debuting at the retailer with 17 stock keeping units, as well as a Target-exclusive kit focused on hydration.
“We really want to go properly when we expand, and ensure we can give each partner the right support from a marketing and team perspective to a supply chain perspective,” Eisenman continued.
From a marketing standpoint, that entails a robust social media strategy centered around “our community of over 70,000 ambassadors, who’ll be going to the stores and posting content, and a lot of our influencer partners as well,” Eisenman said.
Now in the tens of thousands, Bubble’s ambassador list started as 200 members of Gen Z who participated in focus groups with Eisenman before the brand launched. That cohort, and Gen Alpha, are among the most coveted in beauty now, and Eisenman does clinical tests on her products for the safety of use for ages 8 to 13.
“We have a broad consumer base that ranges in age and geography, and we have a broad assortment from Gen Alpha all the way to the 55-plus consumer — we make sure we have something for everybody,” said Rick Gomez, Target’s chief commercial officer, in an interview late last year. “We’re very thoughtful about which brands we carry. We look to prestige brands, emerging brands, digitally native brands and, of course, our owned brand. That’s the magic mix.”
According to Circana data from the third quarter of 2024, skin care only grew 2 percent in the mass market.
