FaceGym Launches at Sephora, Plots Further Expansions
FaceGym’s post-pandemic return to brick-and-mortar is in full swing.
The brand will launch in-store at Sephora with facial sculpting tools and skin care products and roll out to 46 doors nationwide in the coming weeks.
More from WWD
Among the seven stock keeping units that will be available in Sephora stores are the Full Face Sculpt Kit, Face Coach and the brand’s recently launched Youthful Active Roller, a microneedling tool that is infused with niacinamide and retinol alternative reneseed.
“What FaceGym does better than most is creating that experiential beauty experience,” said FaceGym founder and creative director Inge Theron, who spearheaded the brand’s pivot to digital when the pandemic hit and is now leveraging the brand’s learnings into a newfangled omnichannel strategy.
By launching online classes when COVID-19 took hold, the facial toning studio was able to significantly broaden its reach — an effect it seeks to replicate with its Sephora partnership.
The brand also forayed into skin care in 2021, which Theron said was a key move in acquiring new customers during pandemic lockdowns and a fitting complement to the brand’s facial tool assortment.
“FaceGym is known for its application techniques,” she said. “We believe that in facial fitness, your application is half the battle; it’s 50 percent those wonderful actives we put in, but the way you apply the product makes such a big difference.”
In line with the brand’s aim to provide an immersive FaceGym experience even outside of the studio, the company added QR codes to product packaging in 2020 that direct consumers to video tutorials demonstrating each product’s best application practices.
With the Sephora launch, store employees are now also available to guide shoppers through some of the brand’s facial fitness techniques as they shop. It is this inclusive approach that Theron believes makes FaceGym indispensable to its consumers.
“In a nutshell, we have a reason to exist because we treat the face differently,” the founder said. “For brands coming in now, if you do not have a really unique point of view, and you’re not differentiated with your approach, I just don’t think there’s enough space.”
The brand has been increasing its presence on the West Coast — it recently launched on Violet Gray and is opening its 14th studio in Santa Monica, Calif., later this year.
“We’ve had a very strong recovery in studios post lockdown — there was a pent-up demand,” Theron said, noting that the brand is on track to grow by more than 70 percent this year.
Also fueling FaceGym’s growth are recent partnerships with Maybourne Hotel Group, 1 Hotel and SoHo House, with Theron hinting that another activation — this time involving rooftops and full-body workouts — will be rolling out to major cities across the U.S. in the coming months.
The brand will also be expanding further into Europe, Australia and the Middle East in the near future. Theron did not comment on the brand’s sales, but industry sources estimate FaceGym will do $70 million by 2025.
“The tried-and-tested route is still paramount for us — we really believe in brick and mortar,” Theron said.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
