Beauty / news
Sarelly Projects $15M in Sales as Mexican Beauty Brand Pushes Into the US
Mexico City-based beauty label Sarelly is forecasting $15 million in sales this year as it expands from its home market into the United States with a product line built for Latina consumers.
Rémi Martini, a French-born beauty executive, spent more than a decade inside LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, L'Oréal and Coty before relocating to Mexico City in 2014, a move he has said reordered his priorities and set the stage for a brand aimed at Latina shoppers.
The founders argue the Latina beauty consumer is the fastest-growing in the Americas, especially in the US, yet few companies design for her from the outset. Martini cited Rare Beauty's collaboration with Tajin and e.l.f.'s Super Bowl telenovela as examples of brands courting Latinas by adapting existing products rather than engineering performance from a Latina point of view.
Sarelly entered the market through fashion accessories rather than color cosmetics. Martini said fashion is simpler to launch and noted a personal enthusiasm for handbags, which he collects. He proposed to co-founder Anna, an industrial designer, that they prove the business could reach $1 million in revenue and turn a profit by drawing on her audience.
Anna built a bag as a self-imposed challenge, though a makeup product team was already assembled from day one. The accessories were always positioned as a way to test the waters, accumulate an audience and gather lessons before the core beauty operation went live.
The company now expects $15 million in sales this year as it makes a significant move beyond Mexico into the US market.