Buttah Skin by Dorion Renaud - Startup of the Year

Company: Buttah Skin by Dorion Renaud, Fort Myers, FL
Company Description: Buttah Skin was founded in 2018 to give melanin-rich skin the attention it deserves. We combine the best of nature and science in highly effective products for both women and men. Our products target the issues people of color face every day — dryness, discoloration, oiliness and blemishes. We use simple, proven-effective, good-for-you ingredients that leave the skin glowing, healthy and renewed.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Startup of the Year - Consumer Products Industries

Nomination Title: Buttah Skin

Buttah Skin is a Black-owned enterprise providing the best of nature and science in highly effective skincare products for both women and men, formulated to reveal more radiant results for those with melanin-rich skin.

Uniquely for a company in this space, Buttah was founded by a man, Dorion Renaud. Throughout his career in the public eye as a model and actor, his tireless search for skincare products that addressed the needs of his skin was fruitless until he discovered raw, organic, natural shea. The transformational properties of this single ingredient inspired him to create Buttah Skin.

Since the company’s founding in late 2018, Dorion and Buttah Skin have attracted the attention of dozens of media outlets, fromEbonyandTIMEtoCosmopolitan,VogueandThe Zoe Report. Our core customer is a melanin-rich female between the ages 34-54. We also have a substantial male audience which is a bit younger, 27-45. Our gender breakdown is 74% female and 26% male.

Currently, Buttah Skin products are available for purchase online at www.buttahskin.com , HSN.com , QVC, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and from Amazon in North America and, as of January 2021, in the U.K.

Buttah launched in 2018 with three products — Facial Shea Butter, Vitamin C Serum, and Cleanser (which together comprised the Complete Skin Kit). In 2020, Buttah undertook a clinical study of these three products. A third-party testing laboratory evaluated 36 men and women who used the kit daily over a four-week period. Mixed ethnicities ranging in ages from 30 to 55 with uneven skin tone and Fitzpatrick skin type IV-VI were included. The study concluded that when used together, these products improve the brightness and skin tone evenness in melanin-rich skin.

In 2019, Buttah added a Whipped Body Butter. Since the start of 2020, Buttah has introduced seven more products:

CocoShea Cream
Charcoal Detox Mask
Vibe Brush
Rosewater Toner
Egyptian CocoShea Body Wash
Black Gold Polishing Bar
Oatmeal Shea Cleansing Bar

With the CocoShea Cream, the Skin Kit became customizable, as consumers could choose the Facial Shea Butter or the CocoShea Cream.

In Q3 & Q4 2020, Buttah invested substantially in digital advertising, realizing 12 million monthly impressions. As part of this effort, we partnered with more than 50 global influencers to support three product launches.

In Q3 & Q4 2020, Buttah had 211 million media impressions, including Vouge, TIME, Essence and Los Angeles Times.

In November 2020, Buttah launched a successful mini sampling program, distributing more than 50,000 units and achieving a 3x ROI.

In a year of heightened awareness and discussion of diversity, equality, and inclusion, Buttah Skin demonstrated a Black-led company catering to people of color can thrive. Buttah empowers people of color to prioritize self-care. Unlike other companies in the space founded by men (see, for example, this LA Times article: https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-09-04/brands-offer-innovative-black-men-skin-care-industry-products), the Buttah product line up is gender neutral, and we have three times as many women as customers than men.

With our Customizable Skincare Kit, our male customers have a low-risk, uncomplicated way of experiencing three kinds of products — a cleanser, a serum, and a moisturizer — that they otherwise may never experience.

In 2020, being a direct-to-consumer brand clearly worked in Buttah’s favor, given the disruption to retail caused by COVID-19. According to Euromonitor, “34% of consumers are ‘digital beauty’ shoppers, meaning that they purchase hair, skin or colour cosmetic products through online retailers and are influenced by digital media, online user-generated, or expert-generated content when shopping for or using beauty and personal care products” ( https://bit.ly/3qfWVwL).

Buttah also benefited by offering skin “health” products rather than cosmetics or perfumes, which were hit hard by the pandemic, especially in the early stages, according to Cosmetics Design Europe ( https://bit.ly/3tSQodD).

Perhaps the best way to express the significance of Buttah’s achievements is to look at the financial aspect: In 2020, Buttah Skin revenues increased 3,857% year-over-year, without stocking out.

Our Brand Book illustrates the unique look and feel of Buttah Skin and the vibe created by Dorion Renaud. It also outlines the results of our 2020 clinical study; shares a smattering of media coverage; and beautifully presents each of our products.

Three video clips features Dorion explaining the ideas behind Buttah, plusan overview of the Customizable Skincare Kit.