Good Light is bringing its genderless concept for beauty products to the British.
Good Light, the beauty brand stemming from the beauty and grooming website Very Good Light, launched in March with three products including a face wash, a toner and a serum. On Sept. 22, the brand expanded outside of the U.S. for the first time by entering U.K.-based Cult Beauty. The retailer, which sells via e-commerce only, serves a predominantly European customer base. Good Light is also sold through e-tailer Soko Glam.
Good Light earned $100,000 in revenue within its first 100 days in business, ending in June, according to Michael Engert, co-founder of Very Good Light. He added that 70% of customers are under the age of 34.
“We want to promote the idea that beauty is for everyone. Beauty has no gender, but those who use beauty do have gender identities,” said David Yi, Very Good Light co-founder and Good Light CEO. “The Cult Beauty launch is a validation [of our premise].”
Cult Beauty was notably acquired by e-commerce company The Hut Group for $383 million in August after interest in online shopping soared during the pandemic. The deal shortly followed Sephora’s acquisition of Cult Beauty rival beauty e-tailer Feelunique for $184 million in July. The addition of Cult Beauty to THG’s portfolio, which already includes e-tailer Lookfantastic, solidified its already strong market position. At the time of acquisition, Cult Beauty was noted as “frequently the partner of choice for emerging indie brands” in the U.K., according to a press release statement from Matthew Moulding, THG executive chairman and CEO.
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Very Good Light serves an international audience, according to Yi, with people in the U.K. comprising its second-biggest audience, after people in the U.S. According to Engert, Very Good Light readers have an average order value that is 150% percent higher and convert to purchase 200% more often than non-Very Good Light readers. Very Good Light has attracted 5 million readers in total since its launch in 2016.
“[Gender neutral] is part of our thesis. We knew that our community and readers would show up. They are our No. 1 conversion [group], and that’s heartening to see,” said Yi. “We have big expansion plans, and this [Cult Beauty expansion] is an inflection point for us.”
Very Good Light’s readership is also central to Good Light’s product development. The brand plans to launch acne patches in October and a spot treatment by the end of the year, followed by a moisturizer in March 2022, said Engert. Thus far, Good Light’s Moon Glow Milky Toning Lotion has become its hero product and accounts for approximately 40% of the brand’s total sales in any given month. Good Light is in discussions with other retailers for expansion over the next six months, said Engert.
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“Because we have this existing audience on the Very Good Light side, and now we have customers on the Good Light side, we’ve been able to learn a lot in a very short amount of time,” said Engert. “Acne products were [desired], given the younger audience we have… Slowly but surely we’re rounding out the routine.”
On Sept. 22, Very Good Light featured an announcement on its website regarding Good Light’s expansion. The social channels of Very Good Light and the Good Light brand also featured the announcement. Yi said there will be minimal paid promotion surrounding the expansion news, though Good Light does conduct some unpaid influencer partnerships.
