Tracee Ellis Ross introduces Pattern Body, a new category for the beauty brand she launched in 2019 with hair goods.
“Honestly, I started thinking about body at the beginning of the birth of Pattern,” said Ross, founder and co-chief executive officer. “It’s been on the roadmap since the beginning. It’s the reason I called the company Pattern Beauty and not Pattern Hair. I knew that there was a sort of elongated story around hydration and routine and whole self that I wanted to bring into the picture with body.”
Three-and-a-half years in the making, after research, testing and refining the concept, Ross instinctively knew the moment had arrived to expand.
“We’ve really established the DNA and the relationship with our customer base around who Pattern is, what Pattern is and what we stand for, and serving the needs of this community,” continued the actor and producer. “Superior hydration is at the core of that.”
Pattern Beauty looks to serve all — while centering on the needs of the curly, coily and tight-textured hair community, who often require hydration, and not just for their hair but for all parts of the body.
During the development process of the new products, Ross said, industry conversations were buzzing about “the skinification of hair” — which approached hair care as skin care, focused on hydration, barrier health and personalized routines.
“I remember seeing all of that…and I said to the team, ‘This is the hairification of skin,’” she laughed.
The Pattern Body Collection lineup features five products that exfoliate, cleanse, nourish and moisturize, while formulated with the brand’s signature “Midnite Amber” scent (showcasing musk, bergamot, citrus and florals): $36 Dry Exfoliating Body Scrub, with salts, coconut oil, almond oil and Abyssinian seed oil; $32 Moisturizing Body Wash, and oil cleanser with aloe vera and olive oil; $36 Nourishing Body Oil, with vitamin E and seven oils including jojoba and baobab; $32 Hydrating Body Lotion, with jojaba oil, shea butter, aloe vera and mango seed butter with vitamin A, C and E, and $36 Moisture Rich Body Cream, with hyaluronic acid, baobab oil and illipe seed butter.
The line drops on Thursday on patternbeauty.com, followed by Ulta Beauty and Sephora on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, respectively.
Industry sources expect Pattern Body sales to hit between $10 million and $15 million in its first year.
The Pattern Body Collection is rooted in ritual and hydration, showcasing a signature “Midnite Amber” scent.
“I got to use it all summer, which has been fantastic and exciting,” Ross said of the body line.
What’s been missing in the body market, according to Ross, is “a combination of hydration that really penetrates the skin but doesn’t sit on top of the skin, allows for a sense of radiance and glow without that oily, greasy layer.” She continued, “You want that in a cream you don’t want that in your daily lotion. And then the other piece for me is a routine. It’s similar to what I longed for in hair products. I wanted to be able to use all one brand and have it look beautiful on my counter and in the shower.”
The packaging for body is shiny, bold and colorful.
“We’re calling it our ‘Sweet Tomato,’” Ross said of the hue. “Because it’s not quite orange and it’s not quite red. It’s that fresh orangey-red.”
Reflecting on the evolution of the brand — which now offers more than 47 stock keeping units and has 11 retail partners — Ross said she’s “really proud” of its growth.
“I’ve built a multimillion-dollar brand,” she went on. “And the way I think about is, I would like to continue to satisfy the needs of the community, to exceed those needs, to continue innovating in those areas, to continue evolving the story of superior hydration. Our marketing and our product development is really centered around the celebration of Black beauty, but anybody can buy our products that needs hydration.”
In 2023, she appointed Christiane Pendarvis as co-CEO to bring in “expertise around the scaling of a brand,” Ross said. “There’s a way to gauge success that is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and I’ve really learned what that looks like for Pattern. It’s a fun, creative business opportunity.’”
