A new competitor enters the ceramide skin care space
ESN Group also makes cosmetics and personal care products under the brand Earth Science as well as Sarabecca perfumes and fragranced products.
The privately owned company got its start in 1981 and prides itself on “a commitment to naturalness, concern for the health of customers and dedication to social and environmental responsibility.”
Serious competition
Skin care with ceramides as the hero ingredient has been a mainstay of the mass market personal care sector since the 1980s when the Cetaphil product line moved out of the pharmacy and onto retail shelves.
That popular brand and Galderma, the Nestlé Skin Health subsidiary that oversees the Cetaphil brand, was in the news quite a bit a couple years back. In January 2016, Galderma received funding to help expand its North American production facility capacity by more than 20%.
The very next month Cetaphil launched a dedicated men’s skin care line, as Cosmetics Design reported. “With the growth of the industry and the growing male consumer demographic, creating a line curated for their needs was the next phase in offering targeted skin care to our current fan base and to new consumers,” president and general manager at Galderma for North America Miles Harrison, remarked at the time.
L’Oréal is also very much a player in the ceramide skin care space. Early last year the beauty giant paid over $1bn to acquire the Valeant skin care brands, of which CeraVe is one. “These brands will deepen our relationships with health professionals and will strengthen our positions in North America in this key and fast growing market,” Brigitte Liberman, president of L'Oréal active cosmetics division, told the press last January; and she went on to note that “we believe CeraVe has a great potential for international growth in the years to come.”
Enter Ceramedx
The Ceramedx debut product collection comprises a cleanser, a moisturizing cream, and a body lotion. (It’s worth noting here that industry banter has body care shaping up to be the next unsung, in-demand category.)
Ceramedx formulations include a “plant-based ceramide technology” known as Riceramide-3 Complex. Beyond that the ESN Group’s new brand shifts attention to the made-without aspect of the cleanser, lotion, and cream: “These products are fragrance-free and made without parabens or petrolatum,” as the press release announcing the brand launch notes.
Board-certified medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatologist Corey Frucht, who’s somehow affiliated with ESN Group, is pleased for the launch, commenting in the press release, “One of the things I love about the Ceramedx products is that they're hypoallergenic and fragrance-free. This represents a more natural alternative for patients of mine with dry skin who need a therapeutic product.”
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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.
