, these “Sephora kids” have been driving sales in the skincare and fragrance categories. As of April 2024, nearly 60 per cent of US parents participating in a Statista survey stated that they had purchased hair care products for their Gen Alpha children in the previous three months, while slightly over 45 per cent had purchased skincare items, and about 30 per cent had purchased makeup. Additionally, around 40 per cent of US parents indicated that they spend over $51 monthly on skincare products for their teens/tweens, while a lower percentage, around 23 per cent, reported having spent about $100 on a single transaction for the same type of product. However, as more kids are asking to build a rather extensive skincare routine, legitimate concerns have arisen about which ingredients are appropriate or even safe for a young person’s skin. This has led several entrepreneurs, including Shay Mitchell, founder of luggage brand Béis, to step up to the plate with their own brands to accommodate the interests of concerned parents. One brand that has tapped into a more specifically underrepresented segment of this market is JB Skrub, a skin and haircare brand designed for pre-teens and teen boys. Necessity is the mother of invention The company was co-founded by former Condé Nast executive Jill Biren and “Modern Family” star Julie Bowen. Biren and Bowen had already been acquainted with one another as they both had sons who attended the same school. One day at a children’s birthday party, the two were lamenting the lack of hygiene brands that appealed to their sons. While it would be a few years before the “Sephora kids” trend became apparent, Biren and Bowen had already noticed a rise in skincare brands marketed towards the younger female consumer. “What was being created, from a physical standpoint, was something very pink, very sparkly, and was not attractive to my son and was being marketed to me as a mom of a young tween boy,” said Biren. “That’s when the ‘aha’ moment took place.” After conducting research on the market and identifying a significant gap in the tween boy market, Biren and Bowen decided to take action themselves. After consulting with a children’s dermatologist, researching various manufacturers that worked with doctor-founded brands, and consulting with multiple physicians, the entrepreneurial mothers were able to develop products that also met EU cosmetics regulatory standards. Five years after the proverbial lightbulb moment struck, Biren and Bowen officially launched JB Skrub with four SKUs. Over the next three years, the co-founders built a thriving DTC brand with over a dozen SKUs that steadily found profitability, sans investors or outside funding sources. Biren confirmed that JB Skrub’s annual revenue was in the seven-figure range – not too shabby for a brand that was entirely bootstrapped, she noted proudly. Between saving money on a social media budget by doing everything in-house, largely thanks to Bowen’s background in content production, and moving at a “slower” pace compared to other more-funded brands, she explained that JB Skrub was able to build profitably at a stable, measured rate, sans debt. From 2023 to 2024, JB Skrub experienced a 91 per cent growth in sales, and from 2024 to 2025, the brand has tracked 125 per cent growth year-to-date. “We’re slowly taking very smart, deliberate steps to ensure that we are in a good place as we start to scale, which is right now.” This fall, JB Skrub announced an exciting retail partnership with none other than beauty giant Ulta Beauty. Then, in October, JB Skrub went live on Ulta Beauty Marketplace, the beauty giant’s curation platform for new up-and-coming brands. Although the brand has only been on the platform for a few weeks, Biren noted that there has already been a positive reception from consumers. Ultimately, the goal is for JB Skrub to expand upon its Ulta Beauty partnership with an in-store presence and to continue growing the brand’s overall retail awareness. “What we’ve learned is that our consumer is a person who shops high and low and that there are multiple retailers that would be great for the JB Skrub. But we also want to enter the market very deliberately and carefully to get it right. We want to be very smart about our next step.” While the co-founder remained somewhat coy about the brand’s ideal retail partnerships in the future, she did note that Target was one of the brand’s “North Star” goals. How JB Skrub is including everyone in the fun While the brand is still focused on the adolescent boy market, Biren pointed out that the brand has expanded its consumer and product range since entering the market. Thanks to the fun and colourful, gender-neutral packaging, JB Skrub has accrued a fair share of female users for its products. Additionally, as Biren and Bowen’s own boys have grown up and matured, so has the JB Skrub consumer. In addition to their initial SKUs, JB Skrub has expanded its offerings to include products for the slightly older “boy” consumer, such as toner pads and acne patches. Often, parents, like Biren and her husband, will also end up using some of the products, such as the orange-scented body wash. This has led to a 50 per cent return rate in customers, as the family unit tests out the brand and ultimately forms a long-term relationship with it. As the brand continues to grow, hopefully with a more in-depth in-store presence both locally and internationally, Biren said that she and Bowen will still focus on the adolescent boy and their specific hygiene needs. Further reading: Beauty’s new boss: Artemis Patrick talks innovation and inclusion at Sephora