Lather, a personal care company that’s been focused on clean beauty since it debuted in 1999, has tapped Caroline King as its new chief growth officer. Most recently VP of marketing and creative at Nasty Gal, King brings more than a dozen years of experience to her new role just as the Los Angeles-based brand is pursuing growth opportunities in big box retail as well as further expansion in the hospitality space.
 
The marketplace for beauty and personal care brands focused on natural is more crowded than ever before—something that’s not lost on this venerable firm founded by Emilie Hoyt, a migraine sufferer who says her headaches were often triggered by synthetic fragrances in beauty products. With a long history of delivering products without synthetic ingredients or colors that were also paraben-, sulfate and cruelty-free, privately-held Lather opened two stores last year, bringing its total to seven. In addition, the brand can be found in more than 300 hotels in the US as well as at select luxury and lifestyle hotels from Costa Rica to Macau. 
 
Lather’s newest product is Rose + Shea Hand Therapy, a vegan formulation enriched with rosehip seed oil that also harnesses shea butter, olive and oat to plump and soothe dry skin and protect it from additional moisture loss. 
 
We checked in with King just after she started her new role to find out how she will spearhead new growth and help Lather tamp down all the noise so its message rings loud and clear.
 
Happi: What’s the next big move for Lather in 2020? 
King:We have an exciting year ahead for all of our verticals, with a focus on our retail side of the business. We have big opportunity to scale our .com and brick and mortar stores to further develop the Lather brand among consumers. Hospitality will still play a major role, and sit alongside these other channels to continue to act as a source of discovery for the brand. 
 
Happi: How is this brand, which has been around since 1999, a leader in terms of what consumers of today are demanding when it comes to personal care?
King:There are a lot of clean/natural skin care brands out there but I think what sets us apart is our commitment to caring about what our customers are putting on their bodies. Our founder started this business because she realized her frequent migraines were connected to synthetic fragrance… basically unlabeled/unregulated toxic chemicals that are in the majority of beauty products on the market. Our hope is to shed light on this issue and educate our consumer so that he/she can make smart and healthy choices for themselves. We're not a trend or a buzzword, we're a lifestyle.
 
Happi: What challenges lie ahead for Lather?
King: We are pioneers in the natural skin care space… it's gotten a little noisier since 1999! With so many new clean brands on the market, we need to be able to stand out in a big way. This year we're heavily focused on developing the brand story and the visual aesthetic and ensuring that translates down to the customer experience… whether that's online, in-store or during a hotel stay.