As athleisure continues to drive growth in apparel (reaching $21.9 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2017, according to NPD), beauty brands are keeping pace with millennials’ desire for breathable, skin-friendly products that fit their active lifestyles. CEW Beauty Insider reviewed a selection of the latest athleisure brands capitalizing on the athleisure trend.

Supergoop! Holly Thaggard, CEO & Founder
Brains behind the brand: The number-one reason why people don’t wear sunscreen is that it doesn’t feel good on the skin. “I was inspired to fill the void in the market for a product that was highly efficacious, ingredient-conscious and conveniently packaged. I wanted an SPF that everyone would want to wear every day,” Holly said.
Positioning: “When our brand launched, the idea of self-care, health and wellness and athleisure really didn’t exist. It’s been amazing to watch the world catch on to the idea that daily SPF is a part of a healthy living routine. We like to say, if you’re going to work out, drink green juice and then not wear SPF, you are clearly missing something!”

Standout products: “Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 is a total game-changer in SPF. It checks all the boxes – invisible, weightless, textureless, odorless, make-up gripping, blue-light protecting broad-spectrum magic. I also am in love with our beautiful new makeup setting powder in SPF 40. Both are sweat resistant up to 40 minutes, so great for a casual workout.”
Reason to believe: “Because formulating SPF is 100% all we know, we have been able to push the boundaries of what traditional sun care feels like and how it’s delivered to skin. We use the cleanest ingredients, with hundreds of raw ingredients on our ‘no’ list. Supergoop! was the first brand in the U.S. to formulate a chemical SPF without the use of oxybenzone, a now-proven carcinogen and skin irritant.”
Marketing/social media campaign: “We’re constantly thinking about disruptive ways to inspire the world to wear SPF every single day. We have a social-first marketing strategy that comes to life through a combination of IRL activation, influencer collabs and partnerships with like-minded brands and media partners. What’s amazing about this brand is that we can play so naturally across the health and wellness category, and continue to think of this space as a critical one for us.”

Clinique Fit

Janet Pardo, Senior Vice President of Product Development

Brains behind the brand: “The modern Clinique client is active, on the go, and doesn’t have time to be putting on, and taking off, makeup all day. Clinique FIT was designed with her lifestyle in mind – we wanted to offer her a line that would take her from the gym to breakfast to the office to happy hour, all while delivering on the quality she expects from Clinique,” said Janet.

Positioning: Clinique Fit is active beauty for an active lifestyle – it’s a carefully curated line of athletic-inspired, high performance skincare and makeup designed to fit seamlessly into an on-the-go lifestyle.

Standout products: Workout Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 40 and 24-Hour Workout Mascara

Reason to believe: The Clinique FIT line was developed to be life-proof – that means high-performance, high-endurance makeup and skin care that stay where you put them.

Sweatwellth
Rebecca Killian, Executive Vice President
Brains behind the brand: The increasing interest in fitness, health and wellbeing is fueling the demand for ath-beauty products, but “our attention is now switching to providing body and brain function benefits rather than just creating sweat resistant, waterproof formulas,” Rebecca said.

Positioning: “We have developed new and innovative body products, created to not only prepare and support you before and during physical activity, but also enhance your active performance and your cool down recovery.”

Standout products: Power Shower Post Workout Cleansing Spray doesn’t require water, and unlike body wipes, formulas aim to help users cool down while maintaining moisture and optimum skin pH levels due to ingredients including jojoba, coconut oil and smart antioxidants.

Reason to believe: “Our products are formulated without all the bad stuff, we call it B.S., and have opted to set a standard of ingredient safety so our products may be used with full confidence by anyone. Our full ingredient deck is available for all products.”

Marketing/social media campaign: From running groups to boutique fitness to personal trainers, the company’s social strategy has been to build a community with these people at the core. The community building strategy has been to introduce the line to those who would be able to fit these products seamlessly into their daily busy and fit lives, and share their story with our community.

Pretty Athletic

Leyla Cooper, Co-Founder

Brains behind the brand: Pretty Athletic was co-founded by Leyla Cooper, a former lawyer, who saw a gap in the market for easy-to-use and results-driven skin care for before and after exercise.

Positioning: Pretty Athleticis the UK’s first skin care brand uniquely designed and developed exclusively for active women. The five-piece capsule collection has been created to target the skin care needs of women-on-the-move and those who exercise regularly.

Standout products: Workout Glow, Hydration Kick and Cooldown Cleanser

Reason to believe: All the products are formulated and manufactured in England, and they have a strict ingredients policy. That means all the products are 95 percent natural, with essential oil blends rather than fragrance. No parabens, silicones, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, plastic microbeads or MI. The products contain a potent mix of botanical ingredients, scientifically proven actives and vital skin nutrients.

Marketing/social media campaign: “Our target community is active women who strive for a healthy and balanced lifestyle. As such, we want to really focus our marketing spend against the channels where our target community shops, interacts with friends or influencers and media. We have invested in sampling, fitness shows, a brand ambassador, PR and influencers. So far, we have been fortunate enough to be featured in a number of major U.K. titles covering both mainstream beauty but also health and fitness, and keep growing our social media followers,” said Leyla.

Kinx Athletic
Brian Duangpichakul, Founder

Brains behind the brand: A collective of active individuals who believe beauty and fitness go hand-in-hand.

Positioning:

The brand is entirely dedicated to, and inspired by, those who lead an active lifestyle.

Standout products: The brand doesn’t focus on one ingredient, rather, it focuses on a formulation as a whole. To support claims, prior to finalizing its eyeliner formulation, the company worked through many versions and conducted real-life testing with volunteers to ensure that the eyeliner would indeed withstand intense, sweaty situations.

Reason to believe: “When you’re active, the last thing you should worry about is whether or not your makeup is holding up. Kinx’s products are specially formulated to withstand all kinds of sweaty situations,” said Brian.

Marketing/social media campaign: The brand has built pop-ups at nearly all Southern California Athleta stores where it offered free makeup demos. It’s also participated in Fit4Mom’s national conference, offering free demos to all participants. And, Kinx has partnered with social media influencers, organizations that promote active lifestyles and complimentary brands to build the Kinx community and believers.

High Endurance Cosmetics
Ashley Vuu, Founder
Brains behind the brand: High Endurance Cosmetics was founded by a mom (and marathon runner) who was looking for makeup to stay on during long distance runs and last into her kids’ soccer practice, or a business meeting after a workout. Since the official launch in October 2016, the company has been named “The Future of Beauty” brand by FounderMade, and now has staff working in 25 U.S. states, with sales worldwide. More than 50% of the brand’s business is from return customers.

Positioning: “We sell makeup for all women, from gym goers to busy moms to travelers. Everyone needs long-lasting makeup,” said Ashley.
Standout products: A popular item is the Sweat Pretty Setting Spray, which is formulated to pair well with other products and mattify makeup to make it longer lasting. The BB cream is another bestseller. It’s lightweight and gives that ‘no makeup makeup’ look while fighting sweat at the same time.

Reason to believe: “We’re honored to be endorsed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as a premier cruelty-free brand. We strive to make ethical, long-lasting products right here in the US & Canada, and still provide them at a reasonable price,” said Ashely.

Marketing/social media campaign: “We’ve seen both areas grow: grassroots, and retail. Honestly though, our best marketers are our customers. Even with so many new competitors coming on the scene, over half of our business still comes from repeat customers.”