Beauty Independent: These Five New Beauty And Sexual Wellness Brands Are Here For Consumers’ Post-Pandemic Needs

If Beauty Independent editors’ inboxes are any indication, brands are diligently planning for warmer months, when consumers can congregate outside and maybe get a bit rowdy. Recent pitches scream: Stylish razors! Body toning tools and creams! Pedicure protocols! SPF in every format! As evidenced by a barrage of sexual wellness launches, beauty entrepreneurs also appear to be acutely aware that people are anticipating putting their vaccinated bodies to good use with new partners for the first time in over a year. Skincare still remains a strong driver of brand creation, but neophytes in the segment are attempting to differentiate themselves with inventive offerings defying categorization and buzzy new ingredients. In our most varied roundup yet, we spotlight five new brands coming from a diverse group of founders serious about serving the needs of life after lockdown.

Roots & Bloom: Over the past year, consumers haven’t had to worry much about the state of their feet. Who’s peeping at their toes? Now, as post-lockdown sandal season fast approaches, they may be gazing down at their peds in despair. New foot care specialist Roots & Bloom arrives just in time. Sherri Reid started developing the range of luxe, vegan foot therapy products to heal her own feet, which were becoming increasingly dry, hardened and scaly with each passing year.

”I began to get more frequent pedicures while also trying an array of other measures that included slathering on Vaseline and sleeping in a pair of tube socks at night,” she laments. “I also tried various foot scrubs, creams, foot soaks as well as scaling as a way of keeping that dry, hardened, flaky skin at bay. It was always a losing battle. That’s when I started conducting an extensive amount of research and experimenting with various formulations.”

It took Reid three years to develop a product line and regimen that worked for her feet. Priced from $25 to $65, Roots & Bloom has launched with five targeted treatments featuring chemical exfoliants and moisturizing agents. They have skincare-worthy active ingredients such as hyaluronic, mandelic, salicylic and glycolic acids, niacinamide, aloe leaf juice, avocado oil, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, and rose hip seed oil.

“Our products are dedicated specifically to helping achieve optimal foot care and are formulated with high-quality ingredients that are clean, herbal as well as natural,” says Reid. “We offer a truly new and innovative approach to removing dry, hardened, flaky skin in order to achieve and maintain smooth feet in a fast, simple and relative cost-effective way.”

Roots & Bloom has been in direct-to-consumer distribution since going live late last year, but Reid is interested in bringing the brand to prestige retailers like Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Bluemercury, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Macy’s. The downside of starting during the pandemic was that Roots & Bloom had to navigate supply chain delays. The upside was that it was able to be a resource for consumers tending to their feet at home as nail salons were shuttered. 

“This prompted many to look for products and regimens online to support their own,DIY foot spa regimens,” says Reid. “Because we launched in an online and DTC format, we were there and ready to meet this need with our new Foot Therapy Skin Care line.”

Now that spas and salons are open again, Roots & Bloom’s products can be used as supplemental care between appointments. “Some of our clients use our Foot Therapy products post pedicure to stretch out the time between visits,” says Reid. She adds that, though she launched Roots & Bloom mostly with women in mind, she’s seeing a growing amount of interest from men. 

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