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Actress Brooke Shields knew she had to gain her customers’ trust before launching her beauty brand, Commence, on June 3. “We decided to start with a few hero products,” she explained.
Surprisingly, instead of focusing on brows, Shields opted for hair care. The brand debuted with three products: a $21 2-in-1 Instant Shampoo, a $30 Root Serum, and a $26 3-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner.
Before launching, Shields created an online community, Beginning Is Now, where women over 40 could connect and discuss their experiences and fears. The community grew to 100,000 Instagram followers before Commence took over the account, now boasting 115,000 followers.
The Beginning Is Now website now redirects to Commence’s e-commerce site, and its newsletter has transformed into the Commence newsletter. The team is also extending virtual meetups to keep the community engaged. Shields initially hosted Zoom calls with community members, who eventually asked, “What are you selling?”
Shields started the community to understand women’s grievances, not to monetize them. This understanding led to a waitlist of 23,000 people by the time Commence launched.
The decision to focus on hair care came from Shields’ conversations with the community. “We found out that hair quality, density, thickness, and shine were major concerns,” she said. Scalp health, hair thinning, and graying were also significant issues for women over 40.
Shields noted that the community’s trust eliminated skepticism about the brand. “We used various marketing tools to get to know them and understand their biggest problems,” she said. “The waitlist was because they already trusted us.”
As a 59-year-old, Shields had strong opinions about the brand’s products. The first was eliminating the word “dry” from their language. For example, their dry shampoo is called Instant Shampoo. “Any woman over 40 will tell you the word ‘dry’ needs to be taken out of their book,” Shields said.
Shields also insisted on non-aerosol products free of benzene. “Benzene is poison,” she said. To avoid drying out scalps, the brand’s head of research, Mark Knitowski, used quaternized hyaluronic acid, a smaller molecule that could reach scalp pores.
“We have filed for a patent for this innovation,” Knitowski said. The dry shampoo also includes rice powder to absorb oil and alfalfa extract, which may support hair growth. “With one application, users saw reduced sebum and enhanced scalp hydration within 32 hours,” he added.
Customers have embraced the product. “They’re saying, ‘I could wash my hair less and get the volume I want,'” said Karla De Bernardo, COO at Commence.
When Commence launched on June 3, sales came from both Beginning Is Now members and new customers. Most bought two of the three products. Shields has a significant following on social media, with 2.1 million Instagram followers and 939,000 on TikTok, where she recently performed the “Apple” dance with her daughter, Grier.
The brand did not use paid advertising at launch. Instead, Shields mentioned the products while promoting her Netflix movie “Mother of the Bride,” released in May. By late June, influencers like Tennille Murphy (316,000 Instagram followers) promoted the products. The Instant Shampoo sold out by July 15 and restocked on July 25.
A successful celebrity-founded beauty brand combines good products, a likable founder, a smart team, and a strong retail partner. While it’s too early to compare Commence to established brands like Fenty or Rare Beauty, Shields’ strong connection with her fans and followers is a significant advantage. “She’s truly authentic,” said De Bernardo. “People trust her and talk to her about various issues.”
Shields’ mid-range pricing was non-negotiable. “I’m ‘People Magazine’ and ‘Vogue’ — I can do high and low,” she said. Shields has worked with several brands in the past, including Colgate, True Botanicals, and Coppertone sunscreen.
For now, Commence is focused on building trust in hair care. “We can’t expect people to abandon everything they’ve been using for 12 new products without earning their trust,” Shields said. More products, including shampoo and conditioner, are coming soon.
Brow products will also be introduced eventually. Shields’ iconic arches present an opportunity the brand won’t ignore.