Two years after reaching over $100 million in sales, custom hair- and skin-care brand Prose is undergoing a brand transformation.
In August, the 7-year-old brand, which exclusively sells direct-to-consumer in the U.S. and Canada, quietly rolled out new packaging. That included revamped brand colors, new labels and sleeker, modernized bottles for its hair-care assortment. With the repackaging, Prose is staying true to its sustainability pledge — everything is 100% recyclable and created with 50% recyclable plastic, and carbon-neutral printing was used for the labels. Returning customers will now be able to opt out of receiving shampoo and conditioner pumps through Prose’s new pump-out program.
“We’ve been growing rapidly, and this [refresh] has been 12-18 months in the making,” said Megan Streeter, CMO at Prose. “There were a couple of reasons why this was the right time.” First, Streeter said, the updates will help to further “premiumize” Prose’s customized offerings, based on demand. “People were looking for more premium personalization. So, now, for example, customers’ names are listed front and center on the packaging.” Customers were also asking for products with a sleeker design to fit on crowded bathroom countertops. For that, the Prose team collaborated with design company RoAndCo to create the new bottles.
The brand’s imagery was also part of the refresh. Its website has been updated with new visuals and packaging, plus its social channels underwent an overhaul. The new packaging is featured, as are “elevated visuals that celebrate unique hair and stories,” Streeter told Glossy.
In addition, Prose launched a Facebook Group allowing customers to chat with associates who can provide education, share tutorials and help with product orders.
And finally, on September 9, Prose released its first-ever linear TV ads.
The 15- and 30-second linear TV ads, created in collaboration with creative studio SeeMee, are streaming on cable and satellite channels and will continue to run for an undetermined time. One of the ads focuses on how Prose’s customization process works, while the other offers up a more emotional angle that leans into the “diversity of lifestyle factors that affect our hair and skin,” the brand shared in an email. Streeter said Prose’s core customers are Bravo fans, so the spot will likely run on the network, plus others, between shows.
To promote the rebrand, Prose sent an email to its customers alerting them of the refresh in early August. The brand is also planning an IRL event at its headquarters in New York to reintroduce the brand to the media and tastemakers. And Prose is planning to work with micro-influencers in its community to roll out paid ads through the rest of the year.
According to data from Future Market Insights, the customized hair-care market will be valued at $4.01 billion by the end of 2024 and is expected to reach a $10.40 billion valuation by 2034. As consumers slowly move away from one-size-fits-all offerings to more personalized products, several custom hair-care brands, including Function of Beauty and The Hair Labs, have launched in the last decade.
According to Streeter, since the brand’s launch in 2017, it has experienced exponential growth. In 2022, Prose earned over $100 million in sales, and since then, its revenue has grown by double digits annually. In June 2023, Prose expanded to skin care with a trio of inaugural products: a custom cleanser, a serum and a moisturizer. The products are priced between $29-$64.
“DTC businesses have been struggling,” Streeter said, citing headwinds such as inflation and changes in how consumers are shopping. “But we’ve been able to grow our customer acquisition by double digits. We’ve also been able to reach profitability and introduce a new category successfully while retaining the customers we have. It’s been an awesome year, and we’re not done yet.”
Streeter said expanding to international markets and introducing more products will define Prose’s next phase of growth.
