Zoë Foster Blake, the founder and chief creative office of DTC-first company Go-To Skin Care, has found many opposing marketing dynamics between her home country of Australia compared to the U.S.
"In Australia, I say that we're not really taking customers from other brands, but instead, we're creating new skin-care customers," said Foster Blake. "These are women who have never tried a sheet mask or a face oil, or worn SPF. And we're saying, 'Hey, it's really easy, and it can be fun.'" Though coming to the U.S. has been more challenging given the competitive landscape, via its sole partnership with Sephora, 80% of the brand's U.S. sales are now through retail versus online. In Australia, it is an even split.
Foster Blake joined beauty editor Priya Rao to talk about the brand's potential for venture funding ("In Australia, it doesn't really happen," she said), the originality of the DTC model and the outsized importance of influencers in the U.S.