With three decades in business, Rationale has built up a devoted following of skincare enthusiasts. Built on the foundation of six pillars of skin health and luminosity (Vitality, Shine, Resilience, Clarity, Integrity and Renewal), the company, founded by Richard Parker in Richmond, Australia, advocates high technology and ingredients. innovation from the start. Formulated to work in synergy with the skin and harnessing the latest dermatological knowledge, the products are also based on Rationale’s exclusive Skin Identical technology and cutting-edge Australian sunscreen research to better nourish, protect and repair the skin.
The company has experienced double-digit annual growth, and in 2020 Amorepacific acquired a minority stake in the company with the intention of expanding Rationale globally, including in South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. Rationale’s first stop in the United States is Los Angeles, home to a 1,630 square foot flagship located on Melrose Place. Embodying the brand’s “characteristic synergies of rigorous skincare science and luxurious, tactile experiences,” according to Parker, the space designed by architect Robin Williams in collaboration with the Rationale design team marries illuminated geometric shapes in white and cream colors with the brand colors. of its Essential Six skincare range (orange, pink, blue, green, blue and yellow).
Along with exclusive retail access, the store also offers a host of services and facials incorporating LED light therapy, lymphatic massage, as well as ultrasound, cryogenics and electroporation technology. These include the Signature consultation experience, which uses diagnostic UV imaging, a bespoke skin treatment plan and an Instant Radiance facial with antioxidant infusion; and The Melrose Signature Facial, a massage treatment performed by two skin therapists simultaneously.
BeautyMatter sat down with Parker to discuss the brand’s expansion plans, the secret to consumer loyalty and its right-left-right product design philosophy.
As a local brand, what is Australia’s unique vision of beauty?
80% of facial aging is caused by the sun. As Australians, we understand the impact on skin better than anyone in the world. Since 1992, Rationale has been at the forefront of sun damage prevention and repair. Our Essential Six collections are informed by and address the needs of a genetically displaced population facing the highest rates of sun damage and skin cancer in the world. This knowledge and technology has made Rationale a global authority on the primary causes and treatment of environmental skin protection and rejuvenation. The reward is a restoration of skin health and vitality. What we describe as “Luminous skin for life”.
How would you describe your visual identity?
Rationale occupies a new space in aesthetics that is best described as a conduit between medicine and beauty, between dermatology and luxury. Our look is sleek, strong and strikingly modern, reflecting the interplay of light and luminosity with the dynamic strength and perfection of human skin in all its expressions.
What made it the right time to expand into the US, and why LA as your first outlet?
We have many loyal customers on the West Coast and a large number of expatriate Australians in the entertainment industries in Los Angeles who have shared our story and radiant results with American skincare aficionados. Los Angeles is the perfect city to showcase Rationale, as residents face the same skin issues they face in Australia: sun, drought and urban pollution.
What are the challenges specific to the US market?
The United States is the largest and most sophisticated cosmeceutical audience in the world. Consumers here tend to read well about ingredients and regularly visit their dermatologist for treatments and advice. What Rationale can bring to the United States is our unique global authority on the primary cause of skin aging: the sun.
Our six essential formulations and personalized skin rituals are developed based on the individual’s genetic information and geocentric environmental challenges. Our treatments embrace the luxury of transformation and transcendence. And we’re more than excited to show US customers what we mean by our instantly recognizable “Brand Brightness”!
What has been your overall strategy for expanding as a brand over the past three decades? Were there any drastic changes throughout its evolution?
For the first 15 years of our history, Rationale was sold exclusively by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. It was a logical home for us, placing us at the forefront of aesthetic medicine and the birth of the cosmeceutical revolution. To this day, we remain dermatologically informed and led, but as we have grown and evolved it has also become clear to us that our offering and level of service also bears the hallmarks of the luxury market. .
The quality of the ingredients we use, our focus on holistic and beautiful experiences, and above all, our relentless dedication to what we call “the luxury of research” have all mandated us to create our own Rationale Flagship stores. perfect places where every expression of our offering and brand could find complete aesthetic and scientific expression.
Today, we represent a perfectly balanced synergistic conduit between medicine and beauty fully realized and experienced by our customers both online and offline. We will continue to grow this way as we expand globally.
What was the key to retaining your audience?
Our customer retention rates are unparalleled, with many customers having been with us for 30 years! This is due to the personalization of each client’s Daily Rationale Ritual, continuously personalized to the individual’s skin DNA and changing lifestyle and environmental challenges.
Beautiful skin is a moving target through the seasons and years, and our customers trust us to be there for them to keep them looking and feeling their most radiant. Circumstances may change, but our goal remains the same: Luminous Skin for Life. Our customers know that we are at the forefront of ongoing medical skincare research, always focused on creating the most powerful formulations to protect and repair skin from sun and environmental damage.
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