Meet The Only Skincare Brand Whole Foods Is Adding To Its Assortment Now

At least in Whole Body, Luma & Leaf is trying to help put Whole Foods Market’s “whole paycheck” reputation to rest.

The masstige clean beauty brand is rolling out nationwide at the Amazon-owned natural grocer with five products priced from $17.99 to $26.99: Hydraglow Hyaluronic Acid + AHA Gel Cleanser, Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Serum, Soft Focus Pore Clearing Toner, Relief & Repair Oat + Niacinamide Moisturizer and Fresh Lift Peptide + Hibiscus Firming Moisturizer. The price range places Luma & Leaf at the lower end of the prices in Whole Foods’ Whole Body skincare collection, where products from the likes of Dr. Hauschka, Trilogy and MyChelle Dermaceuticals regularly surpass $30.

Launched in direct-to-consumer distribution by advertising agency Bigeye in 2020, Luma & Leaf has entered a handful of boutiques and Amazon, but Whole Foods represents its first major brick-and-mortar retail partnership. It’s the only skincare brand the grocer, which has 515-plus locations in the United States, is bringing into its Whole Body assortment now as part of its merchandise reset. For Whole Foods, among many retailers, profitability has been paramount, and brands must pass high hurdles to enter assortments lest they be a drain on them.

“This is the beginning of another chapter for this incredible brand. We’re going to lean heavily into this relationship. We’re grateful for it, and we’re going to do whatever we can to make a success. We know this is a great launching pad to some other great opportunities that have started bubbling up, and we’ll continue to ride that as well,” says Justin Ramb, president of Bigeye and Luma & Leaf. “We want to grow the community, and we’ll continue to go and push overseas as well.”

Chelsea Bartkowiak, who joined Luma & Leaf last year as VP of global retail sales at Luma & Leaf after sales and retail positions at Glo Skin Beauty, Lord Jones, Tata Harper and Kate Somerville, notes Luma & Leaf’s value proposition has been a winner with retail buyers, including Kathleen Chiang, category merchant for beauty at Whole Foods. “When you get your hands on the product and you try it and feel it, not only does the product look beautiful, but it’s great,” she says. “The goop inside is really great, and you’re pleasantly surprised that, wow, it’s a $24 moisturizer, and my skin feels so loved and hugged. That moment is really resonating with the buyers that they’re getting something of high quality and great value.”

The value is even better for Whole Foods shoppers this month. Luma & Leaf is hitting the retailer with a promotion to incentivize them to give it a chance. They can receive 20% off the brand’s products, and Amazon Prime shoppers can receive 10% off. Some 500 Whole Body staff members can receive products for free if they participate in Luma & Leaf’s gratis program by filling out a survey and accessing its training materials. The brand has hosted two training sessions for Whole Foods attended by about 100 staff members each.

Bigeye’s creation of Luma & Leaf was informed by surveys of thousands of women who told the agency they’re interested in clean skincare at approachable prices with tried-and-true ingredients. The brand’s formulas feature vitamin C, shea butter, peptides, hyaluronic acid and lactic acid. They avoid animal-derived ingredients, artificial fragrances, petroleum and polyethylene glycols (PEGs). Luma & Leaf is housed in colorful packaging inspired by artist Henri Matisse’s paintings that’s recyclable and can be upcycled.

“This is the beginning of another chapter for this incredible brand.”

Chiang says, “This brand has done the consumer research to develop a line that addresses the most common skincare needs using plant-forward ingredients, plus they have sustainability goals that align with Whole Foods Market’s mission to nourish people and the planet. I also love the fun, bright packaging. I’m excited for our customers to discover this fantastic brand.”

Luma & Leaf intentionally didn’t head to major retail out of the gate. Instead, it zeroed in on building its customer base and propelling them to come back to its products. Today, Ramb says the brand has tens of thousands of social media followers and a 60% repurchase rate. Supported by the 50-person team at Bigeye, Luma & Leaf has pursued a diverse ad strategy encompassing over-the-top (OTT) media, Instagram, Facebook, paid search and more. Paid search has been particularly effective for it in drawing consumers hunting for key skincare ingredients.

“Because of the beauty of the packaging, it really stands out on Google. So, once we get them to the site, our conversion rates are really good,” says Ramb. “We wanted to kill it on DTC because then we could roll into retail with some really good numbers and, more importantly, a really good community…We knew that, when we went to retailers, they were going to say, ‘OK, what’s your community? Do you have a following? We do.”

Ramb and Bartkowiak believe there’s room for Luma & Leaf at retailers across the pricing spectrum. Target, Ulta Beauty and Walgreens are a few of the brand’s retail targets for future distribution, and it hopes to expand its roster of grocers and boutiques, too. Luma & Leaf is working with distributor Lotus Light and sales agency Gather Brands to support its retail presence. In its initial year at Whole Foods, the brand projects it can surpass $1 million in sales at the chain. Internationally, Luma & Leaf is set to travel to India, China and the Middle East via distributors and livestreaming platforms.

Luma & Leaf kicked off with five products and has enlarged its selection to a dozen products. Its bestsellers are Hydraglow Hyaluronic Acid + AHA Gel Cleanser and Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Serum. The brand recently stretched into body and hand care with the $32 body butter Unconditional Care and $12 hand cream Botanical Bliss. There are three new products slated for release this year. A hydration serum is up next.

“If you already are loving a regime that you’re currently on that, but you would love to add maybe a serum or add a toner, we play really well with all other brands,” says Bartkowiak. “Being able to walk into a Whole Foods and get your amazing Luma & Leaf product, from your cleanser to your moisturizer to your serum, and not breaking the bank when you go to pay for it, I think it’s going to make our clients extremely happy with their purchases.”