Exponent Beauty officially launched today as the first self-activated fresh clinical skincare line delivering peak performance. Exponent’s patented Self-Activator system quickly dispenses a precise dose of both Active Powder and Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator, creating a freshly-whipped Superior Serum with a light gel-cream texture. By mixing an Active Powder complex with the Hydrator, there are no jars, tubes, or bottles of formulas past their prime, just a convenient, single-dose application in under eight seconds.
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Unlike traditional water-based skincare formulas that start degrading the moment they’re manufactured, Exponent’s Superior Serums are protected until they’re activated – keeping the efficacy in – and the elements out. Exponent defies skincare “over-innovation,” cutting through the clutter to give consumers the highest-functioning formulas that yield impressive clinical results with self-activated skincare made in an instant to keep clinically proven ingredients at their peak potency.
Exponent’s starting lineup includes four different Superior Serums: Active Powder formulas (including Vitamin C, CoQ10, Green Tea + Resveratrol, and Probiotic + Enzyme blends) that offer targeted solutions for multiple skincare concerns when mixed with the Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator.
Born from the mind of beauty industry veteran, Liz Whitman, Exponent started with an “AHA moment” while Whitman was President & CMO of The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, where top estheticians optimize precious active ingredients by mixing skincare fresh, at the moment for the best results. This led her to question: how effective can pre-mixed retail skincare products be? After two years of researching hundreds of skincare products, including third-party testing on best-sellers, the conclusion became that skincare products, ironically, have an ageing problem. She discovered that pre-bottled skincare can degrade up to 40% in just 8 weeks, ultimately rendering your skincare ineffective.
“Our mission at Exponent is to raise the bar for effective skincare, and not just focus on what our products are free of, but what they’re full of,” says Whitman. “We know this is a category that needs more transparency and education around clinical efficacy and we’re excited to advocate for a higher standard – because skincare shouldn’t be pre-mixed, watered down, or bottled up.”
Exponent is backed by Founders Fund (Ritual, 8Sleep), Unilever Ventures (The Inkey List, Kopari Beauty, Saie), SugarCap (Starface, Snif), Flybridge Capital (Chief, Parachute) and Bullish (Harry’s, Care/of); as well as strategic beauty industry execs and entrepreneurs. Such supporters include Sara and Erin Foster, who are advisors and investors in Exponent, both with track records of working with disruptive consumer brands (Bumble, Mirror).
Exponent prides itself on its commitment to sustainability – holding its packaging too as high a standard as its ingredients, a practice that has earned the brand Certified B Corporation status prior to the official launch, ideating and designing the innovative Exponent Self-Activator to be reusable and eliminating plastic waste with refills of both the Hydrator and Active Powders made out of infinitely recyclable glass and aluminum.
In addition to the brand’s debut product line, in pre-launch, Exponent published the Exponent Standard: a research hub for consumers with actionable tools for finding effective skincare broadly. The release of the Exponent Standard is part of Exponent’s overall mission to raise the standard for effective skincare by valuing what products of FULL OF vs. FREE OF. Each recommended skincare product that meets the Exponent Standard contains at least one, proven beneficial ingredient (like Retinol and Alpha Hydroxy Acids), at meaningful concentrations (and maintain that concentration over a product’s useful life) with proven, clinical results. Alongside the product recommendation list, the Exponent Standard also retails a first-of-its-kind Exponent Vitamin C Test Kit (sold individually), to help beauty consumers measure the ingredient potency of their skincare products easily and effectively at home.
