Sun care is a category where brand innovations focus heavily on consumer education and product adoption strategies. Relatively recently, Coppertone introduced a whipped product in hopes of getting more consumers excited about applying sunscreen (and that product’s unique packaging won an award at this month’s ADF&PCD show in NYC). Along the same lines, the high-tech UV Patches from L’Oréal are meant to help consumers know when to reapply sun care.
Tancream is also on a wellness mission but the new brand doesn’t overlook beauty conventions to get there. Plenty of consumers not only enjoy spending time in the sun, they want a bit color from it too. Tancream offers both UV protection and self-tanning benefits in a single product formulation.
Cosmetics Design caught up with co-founder Katy Foxcroft back in May to learn more; and while a few of the finer points we discussed may have changed since then, what follows is a good snapshot of an innovative sun care / beauty business on the rise.
Name: Katy Foxcroft and Gillian Robson, Co Founders and Directors
Indie Beauty Company: Tancream Ltd
Launched: the company launched in December 2015 and the product launched in January 2017
Headquarters: York, North Yorkshire, UK
Financial footing: Having spent 3 years in development, we have created, formulated, manufactured a unique product and have funded our first batch of Tancream ready for retail.
Team work: 2 employees
Distribution: Tancream is sold globally through ecommerce on www.tancream.co.uk; through other online retailers, including Face ETC, Face the Future, Dermacare, Feelgoodmatters.com, and through a seller account on Amazon.co.uk.
Tancream is also sold at these UK retailers: WP Browns, Georgia Lily, Penita's, Refresh (Mel's), and Aldwark Manor.
Years in beauty: Tancream co-founder Gillian Robson has worked in beauty for 25+ years. And, Dr Jack Ferguson and Jo Warren, formulators of Tancream have worked in the skin care and sun care industry for 35 years.
Years at Tancream: Foxcroft and Robson have worked at Tancream since conception.
Entrepreneurial experience: Robson owned her own hair and beauty spa for 25 years and Foxcroft owned her own print management company and sales and marketing company for 20 years.
The business: Tancream Ltd is a forward thinking UK manufacturer of cosmetic beauty products who has developed a new and innovative product which is a sunscreen and gradual self-tan cream in one formulation.
The wow-factor: The product has been certified as Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 50 and UVA 5 star with anti-ageing and moisturizing properties, therefore appealing to the health conscious market. Alongside the sunscreen protection, the gradual daily self-tanning agents are blended using new technology to combine both systems. Manufactured in the UK, the cream will protect against the burning and more serious longer term damage to the skin whilst the ultra-protection level of UVA 5 star protects against the deep penetrating UVA rays that damage the dermal collagen and elastin causing premature skin ageing.
There is nothing like it currently available in the marketplace and the product has patent pending status.
The customer: Teenagers through to adults – both male and female.
Milestone moment: With Tancream, we have created a buzz with media, magazines, TV, and cancer charities.
Advice for fellow indie beauty entrepreneurs: Keep positive and take the risk!
Just one: Asked about her go-to product, Foxcroft says, Tancream of course, but that otherwise, she’d have to say any sun protection factor 50.