After launching at Neiman Marcus last year, Senself, a premium skincare brand blending traditional Georgian botanicals with well-known skincare ingredients, is adding Nordstrom to its roster of luxury retail partners.
Rolling out in September, the department store will stock Senself’s full five-product collection both online and in its locations. The collection includes the $120 Calming Botanical Serum, $185 Rapid Release C Serum, $65 Rich But Light Moisturizer, $58 Skin ReBound Treatment and $80 Triple Shield Rich Cream.
“As the largest retailer in the U.S., Nordstrom is known for its customer satisfaction and community service, two values that we share,” says Ani de Sadeleer, who founded Senself with Gwen Salakaia. “Their success with Nordstrom Beauty shows their skill in promoting new brands, making them an ideal partner for Senself.”
Salakaia says, “It is very important for brand positioning and awareness to position our brand with luxury retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and I think that gives us a great platform to position our brand [in] the U.S. market, enhancing our market presence and accessibility.”
De Sadeleer adds that Senself and Nordstrom’s focus on reaching millennial and older gen Z consumers “strengthens our collaboration.” De Sadeleer and Salakaia began testing the brand’s products in their home country of Georgia initially, enabling them to assess the response to it in a smaller market prior to placing it in the United States. Senself is available at dermatological clinics, premium skincare and beauty stores and select hotel spas in Georgia.
“Georgian consumers are very picky because they take care of their skin so well, and the beauty and wellness is next level there,” says Sadeleer. “Most of them use very high-quality premium brands such as Biologique Recherche.”
De Sadeleer and Salakaia had a wealth of experience before starting Senself. Originally destined to become a lawyer, Salakaia decided instead to enroll in New York’s Parsons School of Design and helped guide public relations strategies for fashion brands like Chanel and Christian Louboutin. She was also the former fashion editor at OK Magazine in Georgia. Sadeleer was in hospitality marketing and worked for hotel groups in Paris and Hong Kong.
A key inspiration for Senself was the prevalent use of nettle and plantago in Georgian herbal remedies. The ingredients are known to have anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Sadeleer’s skin sensitivities have benefited from them, and she and Salakaia saw the potential of harnessing them in skincare products that marry them with modern actives.
Senself, meaning “sense of self,” targets consumers with sensitive skin that can be irritated by harsh ingredients. Its ingredients are primarily sourced in Europe, and its products are manufactured in the U.S. Salakaia says, “It’s very important for us to know that the ingredients in our formulas are grown sustainably, and we monitor all of the ingredients.”
As Salakaia and Sadeleer attempt to drive brand awareness, they’re leaning on organic partnerships with influencers who believe in the efficacy of Senself’s products. Looking ahead, they expect to expand Senself’s assortment into haircare, body care and supplements.
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