After listening to a recent Goop Podcast episode featuring Scarlett Johansson in which Gwyneth and Scarlett discussed her new skincare line, The Outset, I started thinking even more about celebrity skincare lines. And I got fired up. 

Not only was I jealous because a celebrity like Scarlett, has a built in audience of people willing to give her products a try. And because of this they will be picked up by retailers big and small right away. But also because she has access to endless cash to invest in marketing in a very competitive environment, to create as many products as she'd like and to pay a team to do the hard work and execute

It also made me a bit peeved because celebrities like Scarlett have a passion already. And they are successful at it, so why do they feel the need to dabble in something like skincare where there are a lot of brands, like Avoila, whose founders only do skincare and are trying hard to make it work because it is their passion?

After listening to Scarlett’s story on the podcast I understand that she struggled with acne for most of her life and couldn’t find products that cleared up her skin. She was eventually introduced to the idea of hydrating her skin instead of stripping it from all moisture and it worked. So she decided to create products for people like her. 

This story isn’t different from ours, or from many other founders for that matter. 

She didn’t have to create these products as there are others on the market (like Avoila) that would likely help her and others like her. It’s likely that she saw an opportunity and pounced on it because she knew it was something that would be successful because after all — it’s attached to her name. 

She also spoke about how much time they put into formulating the products so they were “clean” and sourcing packaging that was sustainable. Many brands have also done this. 

So what makes Scarlett’s products different? The only thing I can see that’s different is Scarlett herself. 

Goop carries Scarlett’s line. But you know what, we’ve sent our product to a few people at Goop and they don’t even respond, let alone carry the product. 

You know why they don’t carry ours? Because we don’t have a big name associated with it and the money to back it. If you’re reading this, you likely have used Avoila and know how amazing it is. It has likely changed your skin for the better. And that’s why we created it. 

I sincerely want to believe that there’s room for all of these brands in the category, and that brands like ours have a chance to be successful, too. But seeing celebrity line after celebrity line get immediately recognized by beauty media and retailers, makes me feel like we’re pushing a boulder up a very, very steep hill. 

So here’s an idea. Let’s all tell @goop about Avoila. Maybe if they hear from some of our customers like you, they will pay attention to Avoila and consider carrying it as well. It’s worth a try!

Thank you for listening. Kristy & Grace