Clean retailer Credo Beauty is betting below the neck.
The retailer, which was founded by chief executive officer Annie Jackson, is expanding its owned offerings with Credo Body Care, a trio of a body cream, body serum and body wash that ranges in price from $34 to $52.
Industry sources estimate the products’ first-year sales will come in around $1 million. Jackson didn’t comment on the estimate, but said the launch results from Credo’s shoppers having a greater focus on beauty as a vehicle of well-being.
“We conducted a series of in-person interviews with our customers that shop us multiple times per year with 50-plus people,” Jackson said. “After 2024, people feel a bit beaten up by the hugely unsettled economy, and the election was very polarizing. We’re looking to expand even further into wellness and this brand fits into that.”
Jackson acknowledged that 2024 was a reset year for the business, which involved relaunching Credo’s website and replacing physical points of sale. “Those are big undertakings and it was a distraction to the team, coupled with this economic situation. But we’ve already seen signs of stabilization, which is incredibly encouraging,” Jackson said.
In 2024, Jackson also saw brands pare back on product development. “We’re seeing in the market all of that ramp up again and talking to our brand partners, they’re feeling incredibly optimistic about 2025,” she said.
Part of that optimism stems from Credo clients’ appetite for body care. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the body category overall at Credo,” Jackson said. “There’s two camps in body — the luxury crew, like Osea, and then those that target specific skin concerns, such as Iota.”
As for Credo’s own line, the new body products feature a proprietary sugar kelp extract that was ethically harvested in Maine by Atlantic Sea Farms, as well as mineral-rich sea water and a ferment of spirulina, seaweed and sea lettuce.
“They cultivate regenerative kelp in the open ocean. It’s a great way for fishing families to continue to work on the water when it’s the off season from lobster fishing, and they’re also removing excess carbon,” Jackson said of Atlantic Sea Farms. The formulas were developed by Krupa Koestline’s KKT Labs.
“The kelp is very hydrating, which continues to be a main concern of our clients,” Jackson said. “It’s also a great ingredient to promote cell turnover and cell renewal.”
