Gen Alpha Brand TBH’s New Design Is Simple Like Its Age-Appropriate Products

TBH, the haircare, skincare and body care brand for tweens and teens from the maker of Fairy Tales Hair Care, is getting a glow-up suited to the Sephora kids era.

With input from a dozen scrutinizing young consumers recruited from social media and Allen Mazie, owner of design agency Workshop Branding, TBH has fashioned a new, sleeker look that banishes the text message and emoji graphics on its original packaging to send a clear message that it offers straightforward solutions for developing skin. Packaging with the new look will roll out in July in advance of the brand possibly entering more retailers later this year. It’s already sold at H-E-B and on Amazon.

“Today’s moms really understand that you need to be careful with what you give your kids. There’s so much out there, and all these influencers the kids are looking at are not promoting children’s products,” says Risa Barash, founder and CEO of TBH and Fairy Tales. “I think we were spot-on with coming up with something simple, and we are not trying to be something we’re not.”

Nothing has been changed about TBH’s product lineup. The brand’s assortment spans 11 products each priced under $10, including bestseller Gentle Face Wipes, Spot Face Wash, Gentle Face Wash, Deodorant, Body Wash, Face Moisturizer, Body Lotion, Shampoo and Conditioner. For parents seeking to nudge their children away from potent products intended for adults, TBH describes its formulas as “age-appropriate” and avoiding harsh chemicals.

“We spoke to dermatologists, and we knew that the kids don’t need a lot of ingredients. We just kept everything really, really, really clean,” says Barash. “Our Gentle Face Wash and Gentle Wipes have chamomile, calendula and cucumber in it. Our Spot Wash and Spot Wipes have .4% salicylic acid, whereas most other products have at least 1%.”

Fairy Tales introduced TBH five years ago after Barash noticed her then-pubescent son Jack’s greasy hair and wanted to create a product to tame the oil slick his scalp had become. Since then, teens and tweens’ interest in beauty has exploded, and the Sephora kids phenomenon, which saw gen alpha consumers rushing Sephora to buy products from brands the likes of Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, Rare Beauty and Sol de Janeiro, is a prime example of that explosion.

“Today’s moms really understand that you need to be careful with what you give your kids.”

Recent data from the market research firm NielsenIQ shows spending on facial skincare for American households with teens and tweens rose 28.6% and 27.2%, respectively, versus the year-ago period compared to 13.1% for the United States in total. A survey from data insights company CivicScience reveals 46% of U.S. parents with children from 6 to 11 years old have purchased skincare products and 60% have purchased haircare products for their children over the last three months.

The headline-grabbing Sephora phenomenon spiked TBH’s monthly sales 20% earlier this year. Although Barash believes the phenomenon was social media-driven and is dying down, she doesn’t believe teens and tweens’ interest in beauty is going anywhere. “Puberty is not an easy time,” she says. “So, if you can have a cute line that helps take care of their issues, that’s what we’re here for. No more, no less.”

TBH’s refresh cost around $15,000 to execute, and the brand is on track to generate $1.5 million in sales this year, excluding any forthcoming retail partnerships. About 60% of TBH’s sales are done on Amazon, and the e-commerce giant is responsible for over $10,000 in sales on a monthly basis for the brand. People searching for teen or tween skincare or even Sephora kids are discovering the brand on Amazon.

With distribution at Ulta Beauty, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Wegmans and Meijer, among many retailers, multimillion-dollar brand Fairy Tales is an experienced player at stores—and Barash brings that experience to bear as she begins to build TBH’s retail presence. Ideally, she aspires for retailers to place the brand’s products together in the kids’ section. TBH uses Market Performance Group as its retail broker.

“I would love to be the J&J of good quality, affordable children’s personal care.”

“Kids like to shop those aisles because they know it’s for them, so I think that’s really just the smart place,” says Barash. “And if mom is looking for something for kids, she goes to the section that has a big sign on it that says ‘kids.’”

In the beauty industry, a frequent concern expressed about the business of brands catering to kids is that their customers will only stick with them for a limited period and segue to other brands when they mature. TBH addresses that concern by being a brand Fairy Tales’ customers can buy as they grow up (the brands are cross-promoted), but it doesn’t allay it entirely—and Barash is fine with that.

“I started Fairy Tales a very long time ago, and 25 years later, we’re on our second generation of customers,” she says. “So, yeah, we might be niche, but we own our niche, and we’re doing really well with it.”

Another difficulty for brands geared to kids is that they have to win over parents and kids who often have different preferences. TBH speaks to both groups. However, moms are its main focus. It’s worked with famous moms such as reality television star Jennifer Lynn Farley, better known as JWoww, children’s and young adult book author Carrie Berk and influencer Noel LaPalomento to spread the word. It’s also worked with kid influencers such as those with the handles chelsenngg and sweetemmiejane.

Fifteen percent of TBH’s sales are dedicated to marketing and advertising, and it runs ads on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Around 80% of traffic to its website at the moment is from new customers. Going forward, the brand expects to increase collaboration efforts and events aligned in particular with girls involved in sports and STEM.

To grow TBH’s assortment, a toner and sunscreen are in the product pipeline. Down the line, Barash suggests pimple patches and masks could be considered. “We’re a problem solution-based company, and we will stick with that,” says Barash. “It’s a really curated assortment of things kids need, not just want.” Ultimately, she adds, “I would love to be the J&J of good quality, affordable children’s personal care and just everything a mom needs from soup to nuts. We’re getting there.”