Founded in 2015, Teaology is a skin care brand known for its use of tea infusions as a solvent instead of water in its product formulations.
“Water itself is just a solvent that doesn’t have any effect on the skin. So, our idea was to make the solvent active also by using tea infusion instead of water. From a marketing point of view, it was a good idea. Technically, it was complicated, but we managed to do so in the end,” said co-founder and CEO Paolo Bevegni.
The company recently relaunched its campaign to expand in Asia after a two-year hiatus triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We actually started [expanding in Asia] before COVID, then we paused for two years and now we have started again. Now we are are present in China through cross-border e-commerce. We are also in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore travel retail, and will be launching in India,” said Bevegni.
This year, Teaology has its eye on more Asian markets, including Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
“Asia is the skin care mecca, and we want to go deeper. In our plans, Asia will have to be very quickly in a couple of years be bigger than Europe. In the five-year plan it should be the first area for Teaology,” said Bevegni.
A concept steeped in tea
International growth will be the company’s core focus over the next few years. While Bevegni knows it will be a challenge, he believes that the brand’s appeal is globally ubiquitous.
“The world of tea is a world that we find fascinating – that may be strange because Italians are known more for espresso. You can say we are peculiar Italians because we love the tradition of tea in all its forms.
“Tea is the most popular drink in the world after water. And what is really interesting is that people see tea as form of pampering – you need coffee, but you enjoy tea, there is a big difference. That’s why tea is much closer to the ritual of beauty.”
The ritualistic connection between skin care and tea is the key to why the brand has been successful in multiple markets, Bevegni believes.
“Tea is a perfect incarnation of the values of skin care. For us, the message was very clear in terms of concept, in terms of formulation. Since we launched, we have grown tremendously quick, even with the two years we had to freeze. We are already in 30 markets around the world.”
A positive business
In addition to its international expansion, the company is also focused on its social responsibility and sustainability is one of its key priorities.
Last August, the company received its B Corp certification, a feat it is extremely proud of but believes is just a “starting point”.
“Sustainability is a complicated subject. The B Corp organisation helps us a lot to understand which is the right direction for us to go. This certification for us is just the beginning,” said Bevegni.
For its products, the company uses 100% recyclable paper packaging and plastic containers made from processed sugar cane waste. It has also begun selling refill pods under its Kombucha line.
The formulations are 95% to 100% of natural origin, complying with the ISO 16128 standard.
Today, the company supports tea farming communities in Sri Lanka, creating jobs to support more than 10,000 families and also funding scholarships for their children.
Bevegni concluded: “It’s a drop in the ocean, but it’s the best we can do. We don’t say we are sustainable but that we are trying to be sustainable. Every day is new learning.”