MIAMI — Somabella Laboratories, a maker of ethnic skin care products under the Specific Beauty brand, is expanding its retail distribution and planning some new offerings.
Launched last year, Miami-based Somabella’s Specific Beauty is a dermatologist-tested, -designed and -proven treatment regimen for women with multihued skin tones. The line is the brainchild of skin care expert Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, an award-winning, board-certified dermatologist. The director of ethnic skin care at the University of Miami, she specializes in treating women with multihued skin tones, covering the range of tones including tan, olive and brown skin.
"In this patient population, the most common skin complaint is hyperpigmentation, or uneven skin tone," Woolery-Lloyd said.
Also designed to be affordable, Specific Beauty products can be used for all skin types and have natural ingredients, providing an alternative to offerings containing hydroquinone, which Woolery-Lloyd said is not meant to be a long-term treatment and has been associated with allergies and other health risks. When used as directed, the regimen will result in a more even skin tone and improved skin texture, leaving skin hydrated, brighter and more radiant, according to Somabella.
The Specific Beauty collection includes five products: Night Treatment Complex, a lightweight skin-brightening formula to improve skin texture; Daily Gentle Cleanser, an ultragentle skin cleanser that also works well for dry or sensitive skin; Skin Brightening Serum, a targeted spot therapy to improve overall skin tone; Daily Hydrating Lotion SPF 30, a moisturizer with UVA/UVB protection; and Exfoliating Cleansing Cloths for deep cleaning.
Woolery-Lloyd said new products are coming up later this year, including a professional moisture complex and an acne clarifying wash.
"The target consumer [for Specific Beauty] is any woman of color," she explained. "So that includes African-American, Hispanic and Asian women, who all have this common complaint of uneven skin tone, dark marks, blemishes, etc. They desire even-colored skin: all one color, no dark marks and no changes in their skin tone."
Specific Beauty recently became available in select Wegmans Food Market stores and Ricky’s NYC beauty shops, and plans call for the line to debut in select Walmart stores starting in March and in select Target stores in the fourth quarter, according to Philip Williams, principal of The Brand Suite, the marketing firm representing Specific Beauty.
Somabella also is working to roll out Specific Beauty in major drug chains and other mass retail outlets later this year, Williams said. The products also are sold via online retailers such as drugstore.com, SkinStore.com, DermStore.com and Skincarerx.com.
The brand is supported by a national advertising campaign and an aggressive public relations effort, as well as digital and social media, Williams said. "As we build our retail distribution, we will take our strategy more local and regional to drive awareness," he added.
