The vegan beauty industry accounted for an estimated $15 billion in worldwide revenue in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to over $20 billion by 2027, according to Strategy R and Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
 
Vegan Fine Brands (VFB), an independent all-vegan retail and consumer products company, plans to open a stand-alone Vegan Fine Body concept in Boca Raton, FL. The new store is touted to be the largest 100% vegan face and body care product retail outlet in the US, according to the company. As reported in Happi, vegan beauty is on the rise in the household and personal care indsutry. VFB encompasses Vegan Fine Foods, Vegan Fine Café and Vegan Fine Body.
 
The company’s original Vegan Fine Body location was previously part of the Vegan Fine Foods complex in Fort Lauderdale that originally opened in 2018—but the rapid growth the company experienced since inception has necessitated the move to an expanded space from a space within the food store to its own stand-alone location.
 
The new Boca Raton store will showcase leading vegan and ethically sourced brands such as Herbatint, Earth’s Care, Global Beauty Treasures, The Grandpa Soap Company, Schmidt’s, Thayers and others, and will feature discounts for current Vegan Fine Foods customers as well as loyalty points. 
 
According to CEO and Founder Steven Smith, “We have been overwhelmed by the response we’ve received to our Vegan Fine Brands idea and this expansion into larger space in a high-end area such as Boca Raton is just the first step in our expansion and franchise plan.”
 
Smith, a former engineer at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, started Vegan Fine Brands in 2016 with the goal of offering customers “a wide selection of delicious foods that are good for their health and the health of the planet and the animals with whom we share it.”
 
While searching for plant-based alternatives in the past, Smith found he had to go to multiple stores to find the products he wanted, as well as spending “massive amounts of time” reading product labels to make sure all the ingredients were plant-based. He did the same when he would shop for healthy, face and body products which were 100% vegan.
 
Overall, the current trend in the vegan beauty space is toward simpler, multi-use products, sustainable ingredients and packaging, third party transparency and verification, and companies that align their values with consumers who share their commitment to diversity and inclusion. They are values that Vegan Fine Body wholeheartedly supports, not only in words but more importantly, in actions, as VFB offers products for all skin types and colors.  
 
 “Our customers are from varying walks of life, we have customers that are celebrated Miami-based musicians, athletes and performers and we get the business community and families from Broward and Dade Counties and beyond,” he said. “Because 100% of the brands are plant-based, non-GMO and void of unethically sourced ingredients, shoppers do not need to read the labels. We make it simple for our customers to find healthy, ethically sourced products, all under one roof.”
 
For Smith, VFB taps into his personal narrative in other ways, too.
 
“I spent years living in food deserts with little to no accessibility to nutrient dense foods and I see how damaging that can be for underserved communities,” he said.
 
The company also recently announced an equity raise through Wefunder that will facilitate its expansion and propel the company to its goal of having a Vegan Fine Brands in every major US city by the end of 2024.
 
 “We couldn’t have done it without the faith and support we’ve received from our generous investors,” said Smith.