As consumers become more selective about what goes into their personal care products, Colorado-based bath, body and home fragrance company Formulary 55 is taking a more specific approach to the increasingly popular concept of “clean” beauty.
Founded by Kecia Hielscher, Formulary 55 is introducing Fo55, a list of more than 55 ingredients that will never be used in the company’s products. The initiative comes as the brand enters the competitive holiday gifting season, giving shoppers and retailers a clearer understanding of the standards behind its formulas.
For Hielscher, the approach is built around three principles: “no shortcuts, nothing unnecessary, everything beautiful.” Rather than relying solely on broad clean-beauty language, the company is putting its exclusions into writing and applying the standard across its botanical fragrances, bath products and body-care offerings.
One of the standards involves avoiding ingredients restricted under European cosmetic regulations, which generally impose stricter requirements on cosmetics than those in the United States. The company says the Fo55 list is intended to provide consumers with specific information about what they will not find in its products.
The initiative arrives as Formulary 55 expands its seasonal offerings. Among the products in development is a limited-edition advent calendar featuring 12 holiday variations of the brand’s popular shea butter petite soap bars. The company is also preparing a Halloween candle featuring its signature La Nuit fragrance, along with new scents for the fall season.
The brand’s retail strategy is equally selective. Formulary 55 products are sold through boutiques and specialty retailers rather than Amazon, a decision that keeps the company focused on independent and specialty shopping environments. New retail incentives, including a social media rewards program, are also being introduced as the company heads into the fourth quarter.
Hielscher brings experience working with major brands including Disney, Nordstrom and Williams-Sonoma. She purchased Formulary 55 less than two years ago and has since been focused on maintaining the company’s established identity while looking for opportunities to expand and innovate.
That balance between heritage and growth is becoming increasingly important for smaller beauty and personal-care companies competing for attention during the holidays. By defining its standards more specifically, Formulary 55 is positioning its products around transparency, fragrance and design while giving consumers another way to evaluate what “clean” actually means.
As the holiday shopping season approaches, the company’s Fo55 initiative represents an effort to make that increasingly familiar beauty-industry term more concrete—one ingredient at a time.