Clean & Conscious
Skincare that Inspires Trust
Beauty without secrets
Andrea Pierce-Naymon is the Founder and mastermind behind OY-L Skincare. Like many women of her generation, she purchased skincare products for years and never once looked at the label. As a teenager she found skincare and cosmetics within her price range at the drug store and as she matured and her income rose, she aspired to department store brands and then luxury lines. For years, she treasured and trusted these brands, and it wasn’t until her daughter became ill that she began to pay more attention to what she was putting on and in their bodies. This care and concern for clean and natural products is what inspired the birth of OY-L Skincare.
Quality Ingredients that
Empower natural Beauty
Like many consumers, Andrea had been using skincare products for years and was ill advised on the chemicals these products contained. After discovering an app that rated the ingredients in household products and foods, she quickly found out that much of what she (and all of us) used every day was toxic. This discovery prompted her to find a natural solution for her family and anyone who would listen. Knowing that she was on to an innovative product, she left the fashion, style and retail world to create OY-L, an all natural skincare line on a mission to provide beauty without secrets.
When we sat down to chat, Andrea opened the conversation by sharing that her daughters, both millennials, are what inspired her to build a sustainable beauty brand. She stated that “baby boomers are not thinking about sustainability as much, but millennials and younger generations are much more conscious.” As the spending power of millennials mature, more companies will have to adapt to their desires for sustainability or risk declining sales. A recent study found that those between the ages of 18 and 30 were far more likely to value and practice sustainable behaviors, such as paying more for sustainably developed products.
With sustainable values at the forefront of her business, Andrea was adamant about not only creating clean skincare products but also about offering conscious packaging options. OY-L uses glass bottles for their products and doesn’t use boxes because boxes go straight to landfills. Though from a business perspective, she was being pushed to package her products in boxes, Andrea shared that people have responded well to her glass jars, and she’s glad that she trusted her judgment versus that of her advertising firm.
A growing community
Another way that Andrea continues to grow her sustainable and eco-friendly skincare line is by “putting an end to beauty secrets.” OY-L strives to be 100% transparent about the ingredients they use in their products. They use four main ingredients that you can find one or more of in all of their products: hemp seed oil, lavender essential oil, Manuka 20+ honey, and pink Himalayan salt. Customers who shop locally at her brick and mortar store in Ohio can see the production process happening behind the scenes with a view through store windows. For those that shop online, consumers can find a list of all of the natural ingredients used and an explanation for why each ingredient is used. As a result of their transparency, OY-L has seen their ecommerce business grow 25% more versus last year, however, they still find success with the brick and mortar because of the store experience.
Around the globe, COVID-19 caused stores to close down, so many clients had nowhere to put their products. At Renew Logistics we opened up new warehouses and created solutions for goods that couldn’t make it to stores. Our industry experience coupled with our quick adaptability allowed us to support our clients with ecommerce fulfillment, retail distribution and order management. Fully aware of the toll the pandemic took on many small businesses, I was curious as to how OY-L Skincare was impacted by these sudden changes.
Andrea shared that her company received an influx of orders because people found themselves at home with more time to devote to skin and body care. In just one day, she received over sixty orders from Saks Fifth Avenue that she produced, packaged and drop shipped herself. She found herself without a team and in turn had to make, label and package everything. She worked really long hours but managed to get the orders made and shipped on time
In Good Health
Because of the influx of orders and increase in business, coupled with a grant she received from the governor, Andrea was able to save up money to open her own store in the midst of the pandemic. She responded to the crisis by creating a Be Well Kit, a powerhouse of products designed to keep customers healthy and well. This kit, which contains a plant-based hand sanitizer, a body serum to relieve dryness, an antibacterial roll-on for an aromatherapy boost and a cotton face mask- is one of the brand’s most popular items and attributed to thousands of orders during the pandemic.
I was curious about OY-L’s process for scaling since the brand has seen such rapid success over the last few years. Andrea shared that she really values teaching her customers about natural skincare and sustainability, and will only partner with larger brands if the partnership makes sense for her vision and values. To date, she has turned down offers to sell her line in Target and Macy’s, but remains open to potential partnerships in the future.
Because sustainability and clean products are a key driver to her business success, OY-L offers small batch production and many of their products cannot be warehoused. Andrea states that when products are full of chemicals they can be warehoused for preservation, but natural products do not last as long. Most of OY-L’s products have six months to a one year shelf life, however two of her most popular products have to turn every four to six weeks in order to ensure the quality of the items.
I believe that OY-L Skincare will continue to see their business grow as more and more consumers become more eco-conscious. Renewal Logistics offers assistance with co-packing, and helps brands find solutions to warehouse problems similar to those faced by OY-L Skincare due to their limited shelf life. We even have experience with larger brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, whom we’ve been able to help consolidate distribution centers and make changes that support more sales. Ultimately, our goal is to work with brands of all sizes and make the partnership work with your business’s financial strategy.
Andrea shared that OY-L skincare recently introduced a new facial serum which has been a favorite amongst her customers so far. She is currently researching the benefits of cacao and is interested in making a dry chocolate mask in the near future. To learn more about OY-L Skincare and to check out their line of sustainable and eco-friendly products, visit them online at www.oy-l.com or stop by their shop if you are in the Ohio area.
Meet The Founder
Anne Farber
Andrea’s daughter, Betsy, started having trouble getting out of bed, and when she did, she’d pass out. Betsy was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a chronic neurological illness. It spurred Pierce-Naymon to become vigilant about researching everything Betsy put in or on her body, including those treasured beauty products.
She’s since whipped up a winner that’s taken her on a whirlwind trip to the Indie Beauty Expo in New York City, where she scored a deal to sell her products on Saks Fifth Avenue’s website. Oh, and national magazines including Allure, Essence and Vogue ran articles gushing about her OY-L brand.
“It just blew up,” says Pierce-Naymon, CEO, founder and formulator of OY-L. “We were just making face creams constantly.”
Now, this little Akron startup sells up to 800 products a week, is in 30 stores nationwide and ships globally. On the brink of expansion, Pierce-Naymon chats with us about oils, her guilty pleasure and her idea of beauty.
