Emma Heming Willis Introduces Body-care Brand to U.S. Market
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When Emma Heming Willis was pregnant with her first daughter, Mabel, she turned to coconut oil to help reduce stretch marks.
“I was looking for a clean, effective skin-care line,” she said over Zoom. “I’m just genetically prone to stretch marks. I didn’t see anything on the market at the time that was what I was looking for, so I went toward an old family favorite which was just coconut oil. My grandma used it for cooking, for everything. My mom used it on me.…I came out stretch-mark-free and was just shocked.”
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With Cocobaba, a direct-to-consumer body-care brand, she hopes to offer mothers and moms-to-be the benefits of coconut oil in elevated products formulated with other rich, natural ingredients. The entire line is vegan, using certified organic coconut oil, dermatologically tested and free of silicones, parabens and mineral oils.
Willis — a model, entrepreneur and the wife of actor Bruce Willis — launched the brand in Germany, where it’s made, in 2016. (“Their beauty standards are so high when it comes to formulation,” she said of the European country). For its U.S. launch, out this month at cocobaba.com, she releases her three core products: a body scrub, body oil and butter mousse, ranging in price from $19.99 to $24.99. The brand shares a sales projection of $3 million in the U.S. and $5 million in Europe for the next year.
It’s “clean, thick and nourishing,” Willis said of the line, which was reformulated for the U.S. market (among other changes, fragrance was removed). “I want moms to have that bit of luxury. You know, being a mom is tough. It’s hard to juggle, and self-care just goes to the wayside when you’re a new mom. I’m really just wanting to nurture these moms.”
Affordability and accessibility are also key to her, she added. She’s launching an affiliate program that offers members 15 percent commission. Willis saw the benefits of her single mother becoming a seller of NuSkin, the personal-care supplier, in the Nineties, a side job that helped them “make ends meet.” It’s what inspired the business decision.
Next, Willis plans to launch a specialty treatment product, and she’s working on a skin-care baby line.
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