In October 2010, a Los Angeles-based startup called BeachMint launched JewelMint — a service that sends you a new piece of jewelry every month, at a price that’s much less than you’d typically pay for a similar item in a department store. They followed the celebrity-endorsement model popularized by ShoeDazzle, teaming with Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter to choose the jewelry — and they soon found they had a hit on their hands.
Things went so well, in fact, that the company raised $23.5 million at a rumored $150 million valuation this past June. They followed that up by launching with their second vertical, StyleMint, in July — this time backed by the Olsen Twins. And now they’re ready for round three. Their latest vertical: Skincare.
On Monday the company launched BeautyMint, a service that’ll ship you a fresh supply of cleansers, toners, moisturizer, and creams every month. Rather than sending a random smattering, though, each user receives a personalized kit, depending on factors including their skin type, where they live, and the time of year. So far, the site is off to a very good start, with over 500,000 visitors in its first 24 hours. And that huge first day traffic was no doubt spurred by the fact that Jessica Simpson is onboard as the face of BeautyMint.
That’s a big deal: Simpson was one of biggest reasons you’re familiar with the Proactiv acne treatment, which she began endorsing in 2005. Now, say BeachMint founders Josh Berman and Diego Berdakin, she’s moving her focus to beauty and aging products. Which is what BeautyMint is specializing in. The service will charge $39.99 or $49.99 per month, depending on if you want to receive four or five items with each shipment.
They’ve also brought on Nerida Joy, an aesthetician who works with celebrities (including Simpson). Joy will be largely responsible for choosing which products BeautyMint will be shipping to each user — she helped design a test that users are prompted to go through when they first sign up for the site (which asks them things like if they’re concerned with wrinkles or want firmer skin). Over time, users will receive additional recommendations from Joy based on their experiences with the products they’ve previously received (in other words, your monthly shipment might change over time if the service comes up with products it thinks will work better).
All of BeautyMint’s products are being exclusively sold under its brand, and the company does its own product development (these aren’t just rebranded products). Berdakin says that because of the product development process, BeautyMint took longer to launch than its previous verticals (a total of nine months of planning).
BeachMint has more verticals coming soon, too. Later this month, the company will launch ShoeMint, which will ship users shoes each month that have been designed by Rachel Bilson, Nichole Chavez, and Steve Madden. The founders add that they have more celebrities lined up for future verticals that they aren’t ready to announce just yet.
