To ring in its 10th anniversary, Tula Skincare is turning a new page.
The probiotic-focused skin care brand is starting its next decade with a limited-edition chrome packaging for its hero moisturizer, and a new business strategy moving forward. That includes a renewed focus on hero products and a shift in marketing toward Millennials.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Roshini Raj, beauty veteran Ken Landis and tech entrepreneur Dan Reich founded the brand with four products in 2014, making it a pioneer in probiotic-rich skin care. Procter & Gamble acquired the business in 2022. At that time, Tula was said to have $150 million in net sales in 2021.
Since then, the landscape has shifted dramatically, and the brand is adjusting its focus to boot.
“We started 10 years ago on QVC with four products — that was the place that brand stories were told 10 years ago. A lot has shifted in the marketplace since,” said Andrea Nolting, Tula’s chief executive officer. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Ulta Beauty [since], and we went from a single shelf to 50-plus [stock keeping units] in three gondolas.”
Nolting is doubling down on the brand’s existing distribution, which also includes Sephora and Amazon. With the latter, the brand is experiencing high double-digit growth, she said, and she has her finger on the pulse of a consumer she called “the thirtysomething who’s in high chaos.”
“We’ve spent a lot of time falling back in love with our consumer,” said Nolting. “You always think that you get to your 30s and you’re in that sweet spot of having it all figured out, but there’s more pressure and chaos and expectation than ever — more to juggle and balance and provide for yourself. We think skin care can play a role in calming life’s chaos.”
Moving forward, much of the marketing will play to those moments of “calm” in consumers’ lives, whether it be “that escape of closing your bathroom door while your husband’s getting your kids ready for bed so that you can finally do your skin care,” Nolting said. “That might be the only thing you do for yourself that day. You’ll also see a bit more of a sophisticated look, tone and feel for Tula to bring back the brand’s voice and personality.”
Among the brand’s top performers are perennial heroes such as its Cult Classic cleanser and its 24-7 moisturizer. Raj, also, sees lots of room ahead for future innovation.
“There’s so much room to grow within microbiome health and research,” Raj said. “When we think about Tula, we think about what other categories we can make a foray into. The microbiome balance can affect hair, body odor — there are so many directions we can go in. And within skin care, we can get even more specialized with certain skin concerns.”
Raj sees marrying clinical efficacy with a lighthearted brand voice as the brand’s future. “As much as we continue to believe in serious, scientific skin care the approach is on a more conversational level,” she said. “The next journey for Tula is how do we bring science and products to people without alienating them. We want to make sure they feel included and they relate to the product.”
