endota Brand Spotlight | Bite Size BKK
Posted on December 30 2021
Skincare and self care rituals have been synonymous with millennial women for quite some time, but skincare trends skyrocketed in 2021, from DIY facials that went viral on TikTok to beauty brands promoting more clean beauty ingredients. The post pandemic beauty boom has definitely arrived and customers have gotten savvier from setting up makeshift spas during quarantine this past year.
So, we sat down with Pat Benjasiri, founder of PJ Trading Group, Thailand’s exclusive distributor of Endota Australia, a globally certified clean beauty skincare brand with an ecosystem of product lines, from anti-aging to mom and baby product ranges-to learn more about what it really means to be certified, and how skincare trends are evolving in the post pandemic world.
The Endota Story
“I personally have always been interested in skincare,” says Pat. “Endota has always remained top of mind for me, and they have successfully built a big business in Australia spanning from spas to products.”
Pat’s interest in skincare have led her to launch Mellow Naturals, a skincare brand with a focus on natural and local ingredients in Bangkok, but then an opportunity arose to bring in Endota from Australia too.
“I reached out to Endota about potentially becoming the official distributor for Thailand, and the rest is history,” she said.
Let’s rewind a little. What exactly is Endota, then?
“Australian brands are quite niche, compared to their western counterparts, but the brand has a significantly impressive backstory and approach into building a successful skincare empire,” says Pat.
Endota was founded in 2000 by Melanie Gleeson, with the bold aspirations in making wellness a priority more than an added luxury. Endota’s first launch was a day spa in Victoria. Fast forward to 2021, and the company now operates over 100 day spa locations in Australia, houses over 140 locally made products and employs over 1,500 people as well as wellness colleges.
The first to be introduced in Thailand Mother & Baby range is COSMOS certified, dermatologically tested, pH balanced for sensitive skin and contains no harsh ingredients or chemical irritants.
“This is especially important for consumers who are becoming savvier and more knowledgeable about skincare,” says Pat. “Particularly consumers who are pregnant or are mothers like to ensure that their baby’s products, or products which can potentially affect the unborn baby are completely organic, and having that certification gives a lot of credibility.”
Beyond the Mother & Baby line, Endota Thailand also sells a complete lineup of anti-aging products, and other organic and home spa products such as body lotions, cleansers, and more.
Defining Clean and Ethical Beauty
Beyond the product offering, Endota’s brand values is something that attracted Pat to the company.
“These days, it’s important for brands to practice what they preach, and to really represent their brand values,” says Pat.
We hear terms such as clean beauty being tossed around quite a lot in the media, but what does it really mean? In layman terms, clean beauty refers to products made without ingredients shown to harm human health.
“Endota takes clean beauty a step further with its Organics® and Mother & Baby ranges both being COSMOS certified organic, some brands can just use the term organic but not actually have any certified organic ingredients or elements,” says Pat. “Endota’s products are scientifically researched and certified.”
Mindfully made and socially conscious beauty and skincare products are on the rise, as millennial and gen z consumers keep brands accountable. Clean beauty has officially become an established sector, with Endota Australia also having launched a more affordable clean range to attract a wider group of customers.
The rise and demand for non-toxic, chemical free ingredients for your face and body have contributed to customers calling out for transparency and being willing to pay more for ethical products. This is also in line with consumers’ shifting preferences to holding brands accountable for their actions beyond the products they sell.
“For me, Endota’s uniqueness is within its intentions and brand values which are carved out into four pillars of Balance, Connect, Intent, and Truth. It reflects everything they do and this makes it really stand out among the rest,” says Pat.
The Landscape Shift
“For those new to the Endota brand, I’d recommend the easy to use Power Serum Sheet Mask which comes in a set of 4, and the Peptide 8 Hyaluronic Serum, which is an all-in-one repair serum.”
Endota has a wide range of products that suit every skin type, from ultra sensitive to even young infants. From a ready to go 15 minute sheet mask to body cleansers and age defying serums, there’s something for every age group and needs.
However, skincare can sometimes be classified in the nice to have segment rather than necessities, particularly when a lot of people’s spendings has been limited throughout the pandemic. However, there were counter arguments to this claim too.
During the pandemic, people spent considerably more on skincare but less on cosmetics. For Pat, she’s confident the trend is here to stay.
“I want Endota to become top of mind when people think about healthcare,” says Pat. “For me, high quality and organic skincare is an investment in your holistic well being.”
The pandemic accelerated many trends, with self care being one of them. With people locked in at home for extended periods of time, many turned to social media channels and ecommerce to practice self care rituals, from face masks to skin scrubs to relax and refresh.
“The pandemic taught us to prioritize our physical and mental wellbeing,” she says. “I think this trend of carving out time for ourselves, even when our social schedules resume back to normal will stay.”
The Omnichannel Strategy
Currently, Endota Thailand is available online via its official website, Shopee, Lazada, official LINE account and offline at Skin Lab boutiques in Bangkok.
“We have pushed a multi-channel strategy, and online channels such as Shopee has been very successful,” says Pat. “However, we are also planning to push more towards offline as well because sometimes it’s good to try products before you commit.”
Endota will be appearing in Siam Paragon’s beauty hall as a five-week pop up from December 16th till January 19th, so potential buyers can head over to try serums and lotions themselves before buying.
Launching any type of brand in today’s connected age requires a carefully crafted strategy and balance between influencers, strategic locations and marketplace presence.
Upon launching in Bangkok just two years ago, Endota Thailand chose to sell their products at curated skincare boutique Skin Lab, which opened the brand up to many potential buyers who were knowledgeable about skincare and open to trying new niche skincare brands.
“Skin Lab gave us exposure,” says Pat. “Then, we also started to target micro influencers who had influence in their community as well as mommy groups, which relies a lot on authentic recommendations and real life product reviews.”
Both Lazada and Shopee remain the brand’s key channels, but in the future, the focus will continue to be on balancing both retail locations and online presence, with a mission to create more experiences for customers.
“The priority going forward for me is to establish Endota in becoming a fully fledged wellness and skincare brand,” she says. “Endota is much more than just a few selected skincare products, and there is a lot of potential in growing the brand to resemble what it is in Australia.”