DONAGHADEE born dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting has spent the last six years designing, developing and growing her eponymous skincare line which has been a DTC (direct to consumer) brand since its inception.
However, in September she announced that she had selected beauty giant Sephora as the company’s first third-party retailer in the UK.
And Dr Bunting admits this has been “a bit of a gear change” for the business.
“It was triggered by the results of some market research which centred around what the brand stands for and how our customers see us.
“The one thing consumers flagged up was that they would love the opportunity, particularly with new launches, to be able to touch and feel products in real life.
“At this point and time it just makes sense, in terms of scaling the business, reaching new eyes and widening the customer base, which I think this partnership with Sephora will really help with.”
Dubbed the “mothership of the modern-day beauty industry,” Sephora, which is owned by the French luxury goods empire LVMH, is one of the most popular beauty brands and cosmetic retailers in the industry with more than 2,700 shops in 35 countries.
The business currently has a total of five sites in the UK with two stores in London, two in Newcastle and one in Manchester. There are plans to open a sixth in Birmingham this winter.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Dr Bunting enthuses.
“Sephora obviously still has quite small footprint in the UK but I think of all the places to launch in retail for me it’s such an exciting space to shop. It’s a place I always want to visit when I’m travelling.
“It’s a great first step and I think we’ll learn a lot from it.”
Prior to becoming the founder and CEO of the Dr Sams brand, Dr Bunting studied medicine at Cambridge University and University College London specialising in medical dermatology. In 2010 she set up her own clinic at 41 Harley Street in London.
Whilst working in the clinic, she identified a gap in the market for a new cleanser which would combat the first signs of ageing whilst also treating problem skin.
Dr Sam’s Skincare was launched in 2018. Since then, the brand has sold more than 160,000 units of flawless cleanser and received over 20,000 five-star reviews.
The company now has 22 product lines and 35% of sales are to international customers, predominantly in the US, Australia and Germany. Last year it had sales of £5.9 million and a pre-tax profit of just over £1 million.
“For us it’s always about getting new eyes on the brand,” Dr Bunting explains.
“We loved the fact Sephora embraces innovation, diversity and inclusion and I think it’s just such a great way to introduce Dr Sam’s to more people who will benefit from it.
“We’re so big on the power of transformation and believe that changing your skin changes your life and we just want to get the benefits of our accessible brand to more people.”
The product range is based on four pillars: cleanse, activate, hydrate and protect.
It includes the Flawless Cleanser, Flawless Moisturiser, Flawless Daily Sunscreen SPF 50, Flawless Brightly and Nightly Serums, Flawless Lip (tinted and original), Flawless Neutralising Gel and Flawless Moisturiser Intense as well as the latest innovation: Vitamin C NAD+ Serum.
“There’s no point in gatekeeping it, the brand is built around using everything together so all the products will be available in UK stores,” adds Dr Bunting.
She has also resisted putting up prices, even though the cost of some ingredients has increased by as much as 40% in the past few years.
“I wanted the brand to be accessible to people who couldn’t make it to the clinic. This allows us to reach so many more people.”
In addition to entering the world of retail, she will also be introducing an updated version of her digital routine finder on the Dr Sam’s website. This software enables customers find a personalised skincare routine based on their skin concerns and preferences.
“Routine finder 2.0″ will use an AI powered skin scanner to help remove the guess work when it comes to finding the right solution for an individual’s skin problems.
“It’s going to include taking selfies so there will be an extra diagnostic element which will enable you to track your progress in Dr Sam’s loyalty section of the website.”
Having already launched the skincare line in Sephora’s Newcastle MetroCentre store on September 13, Dr Sam’s will hit the shelves of remaining shops in October.
“I hope we’ve managed to create an easy, elegant and compelling shopping experience – but I guess we’ll find out,” she laughs.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity for myself and the retail team. We all love actually getting to meet people and help them have better skin.
“It sounds simplistic but that’s really the essence of why we do what we do.”
