As new parents have become focused on all things nontoxic for babies’ food, toys and cribs, it was only a matter of time before the clean baby-care category took off.
Los Angeles-based baby-care brand Mini Bloom is the newest entrant to this space, launched via DTC e-commerce this month with a collection of four initial products. Created by Lauren Wolk-Goldfaden, who currently serves as the vp of sales for clean skin-care brand Goldfaden MD, Mini Bloom exists under the same parent company, Cosmesis Skincare.
As a time in life when women are often told by doctors that the products they’ve been putting on their skin are dangerous, pregnancy is often a gateway to clean beauty. But clean beauty for adults has featured a much wider range of brands and products than baby-care.
Wolk-Goldfaden was inspired to launch the brand by her own parenting experience. When she had her first baby six years ago, “all that really existed were these conventional products that had been around for decades,” in terms of baby-care products.
Public trust in conventional baby products is declining. Johnson & Johnson pulled its talc-based baby powder from shelves in U.S. and Canada in May, over its asbestos-related lawsuits. Clean baby products have also faced struggles — The Honest Co. had to recall baby wipes due to mold in 2017.
But baby toiletries are a growth category expected to be worth over $9 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.8%, according to Grand View Research. New clean baby brands entering the market in recent years have included Pipette, EmBeBa, Evereden and BEB Organic, while adult skin-care brands like Drunk Elephant and Dr. Barbara Sturm have also launched baby products.
Wolk-Goldfaden believes the Honest Co. news was a driver of the “hypersensitive, hyper-aware desire for moms to look at products and ingredients much closer than ever before.” Mini Bloom promotes certified organic and natural ingredients, while noting that it is free of parabens, sulfates, toxins, mineral oil, silicones, petrochemicals, ethanolamines, sulfates, pegs, artificial dyes, synthetic fragrances and harsh chemicals.
Mini Bloom is also highlighting sustainability efforts to appeal to a conscious consumer base. Product boxes are paperless, made from 100% biodegradable farming pulp. “You can essentially plant these in the ground,” said Wolk-Goldfaden. The plastic used for the bottles is 80% recycled.
In order to build a customer community, the brand runs a blog called The Daily Bloom with information on parenting, health, nutrition and lifestyle. It is also turning to brand partnerships for marketing: In January, it will launch a collaboration campaign with Sakara’s new prenatal vitamin, and it will partner with pregnancy subscription box Bump Boxes.
The retail footprint will have a similar store footprint as Goldfaden MD. The brand will be launching overseas at UK retailers Flannels, Mint Green and Cult Beauty in February 2021, followed by U.S.-based Goop and Credo Beauty in the spring. “We’re also looking at different places that service more child-oriented retail,” said Wolk-Goldfaden.