Soft Surroundings Steps Into Natural And Organic Skincare With Organically You Collection

Soft Surroundings, an expanding retailer in a tough environment for stores, has increased its beauty selection with a collection of natural and organic skincare products called Organically You.

The brands Goldfaden, Ayuna and Kind Soap Company constitute the Organically You collection inside Soft Surroundings’ 75 locations that feature a wide array of merchandise spanning apparel, accessories, bedding and more. Online, its range broadens to include brands such as Kari Gran, Hynt Beauty and Farmhouse Fresh.

“We have been really successful with natural makeup brand Jane Iredale, but we didn’t have anything in skincare. We really looked at everything out there to see what was the absolute best,” says Lindsey Mitchell, assistant buyer for beauty and wellbeing at Soft Surroundings. “I pulled in a ton of brands, and we decided on an assortment that didn’t only have good textures and scents, but was really effective at anti-aging, which is at the core of what our customers want from their skincare.”

Beauty plays a prominent role in Soft Surroundings, and the retailer dedicates 11.5 bays to it on the floor. The skincare brands Osmotics, Rodial and Veneffect have been staples in the category at Soft Surroundings. For its shoppers mostly aged 40 and older, Mitchell remarks solution-oriented skincare products tackling eye area concerns, lip lines and facial wrinkles have been strong performers. The Soft Surroundings customer doesn’t put up with futile formulas.

About a year and a half ago, Soft Surroundings embarked on a deep dive into natural and organic beauty. It didn’t have a list of specific banned beauty compounds that it depended upon as it pursued products, but stuck to cruelty-free brands that avoided potentially harmful ingredients. Mitchell wasn’t too impressed by much of what she discovered. Oftentimes, natural and organic skincare products didn’t smell great or feel luxurious.

“I pulled in a ton of brands, and we decided on an assortment that didn’t only have good textures and scents, but was really effective at anti-aging, which is at the core of what our customers want from their skincare.”

“It was difficult to find products that stood up to what our customer wants from skincare. I wanted to make sure she got all of what she wanted and wasn’t sacrificing anything,” says Mitchell, noting, “There weren’t really good medium price points for something that really works for your skin. A lot of the brands were in the lower end or really high-priced. Goldfaden was the closest thing to being right in the middle.”

Soft Surroundings started flirting with Organically You in the spring of last year as a test in 15 stores. In select stores, the retailer sets aside a bay in its beauty presentation for experimental programs. The Organically You assortment brought in initially doesn’t resemble the current collection, but it provided Soft Surroundings with key learnings that guided the current collection. Mitchell suggests natural beauty brands that had confusing, expansive offerings or didn’t justify lofty prices weren’t the right fits.

With products priced individually from $130 to $198 and in a set for $175, Ayuna is certainly not cheap, but Mitchell underscores its minimalist skincare perspective is appealing. “We love that there are four items, and that’s all the customer needs to have everything she wants for her skincare routine,” she says. In the early days of Organically You, Mitchell continues, bestsellers from Goldfaden are the $55 dark circle concentrate Bright Eyes and $75 exfoliator Doctor’s Scrub. She says they deliver on their promises at welcome prices for Soft Surroundings’ shoppers.

Lauren Wolk Goldfaden, vice president of sales for Goldfaden, shares the brand entered Soft Surroundings to help lift awareness. Tathiana Cornejo, co-founder and general manager of Ayuna for the U.S. market, lauds the retailer’s avid followers. Because they keep returning to its stores time and time again, she maintains a brand has plenty of opportunities to introduce its products and familiarize customers with its concept.

“We want something with a unique spin and a new solution that we might not have thought of. We don’t want to just bring in another moisturizer.”

“The company has seen exponential growth when many brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling,” says Cornejo. “They have a wellbeing approach and are about pampering the customer. It’s about her taking care of herself and that aligned with us. Our launch there has been really great, and we’re doing really well so far. It’s definitely a big win for us.”

Nearly 20 years ago, Soft Surroundings was established as a catalog specialist focused on soft, comfortable goods. In recent years, it’s spread its network of physical stores. In 2017, Soft Surroundings opened 17 stores and hit $300 million in sales, according to the St. Louis Business Journal. Last year, the company opened 16 stores. Owned by private equity firm Brentwood Associates, Soft Surroundings is based in St. Louis.

Although its in-store Organically You lineup is now solid, Mitchell is still on the hunt for natural and organic products for Soft Surroundings’ website. She’s particularly interested in hair care and body care products. “We’re always looking for the newest and greatest out there,” says Mitchell. “We want something with a unique spin and a new solution that we might not have thought of. We don’t want to just bring in another moisturizer.”

Next, Soft Surroundings is expected to trial sustainable beauty. Mitchell surmises eco-friendly beauty merchandise isn’t top of mind for the retailer’s beauty customers, at least not yet, but sustainability could be an extra benefit that inspires purchases. She says, “Once she finds it in our store, it will be a surprise and delight that the skincare is not only quality and does all the same things that she wants from a skincare brand, but is also sustainable.”