+Repelle™ lets user dye in peace
Cincinnati.com, January 12, 2007
Firm finds niche market in beauty supplies
by Cliff Peale | cpeale@enquirer.com
A new Blue Ash company has designed a product to protect users of hair colorants from irritating or staining their skin and will start selling it in Walgreen’s stores nationwide in February.
Ingenuity Products LLC, started by several veterans of Procter & Gamble Co. and Andrew Jergens Co., developed the Repelle Skin Shield Wand during the last year. It will try to tap into a market that includes more than half of U.S. women, and an increasing percentage of men, who color their hair at home.
“The people who have the problem immediately and energetically react to the product,” said Jeff Goldstein, president.
Ingenuity Advisors has outsourced many of its functions, including distribution, manufacturing and design. Its employees, including Goldstein and Dave Tubesing, provide development and marketing strategy.
It said more than 40 percent of hair color users get stains on their skin, while 30 percent experience irritated skin. Repelle is applied before using the hair color and then wiped off after application. It will cost $4.99.
Goldstein said he’s trying to create a niche company that will fill gaps in health care and beauty care markets.
“The larger companies have gotten more and more scale, but you can’t monopolize innovation,” he said. “You can do a lot with an unmet need and a little innovation.”