BIPOC-Founded Plantkos® Selected for The Detox Market Launchpad Program

Romain Gaillard, founder of The Detox Market - a leading retailer for clean, sustainable beauty brands - knows the beauty industry needs to change. "When it comes to diversity, like many industries, the beauty industry has an unacceptable status quo when it comes to inclusivity and appropriate representation", Gaillard has said with affirmation.

But he also knows that mere recognition falls short of finding a solution. So in turn, The Detox Market announced their hard commitment to inclusivity - The Launchpad program. Over a four year duration, The Detox Market has pledged $1 million dollars to helping intentionally selected BIPOC-founded clean beauty brands accelerate their growth. By allocating those funds to media space, marketing, creative resources, and senior level membership across business operations, The Detox Market aims to give BIPOC brands their long-overdue seats at the table.

As a brand founded by and for the BIPOC community, Plantkos® was an excellent candidate for The Launchpad. After connecting with The Detox Market several months before our September DTC launch, it was confirmed in mid-September that Plantkos® - the first pharmacist-developed brand proven to target the most common concerns for melanated skin - is one of six brands selected for the next round of The Launchpad. In addition, Plantkos® products will be available in The Detox Market’s online and retail stores beginning in November.

It was the combination of innovative science and a commitment to clinical proof that set Plantkos® apart.

Fueled equally by the formal pharmaceutical roots and Indian Heritage of our founder, Dr. Sejal Patel, Plantkos® combines traditional, time-tested Ayurvedic herbs with clean, clinical actives to create proprietary Phytomedicinal complexes - formulated with melanated skin in mind.

And while timing for crucial product testing fell right in the midst of COVID-19, Sejal refused to yield when it came to ensuring the quality of her products. With live human testing off the table, she located a laboratory in the UK growing synthetic skin models that function identically to human skin, making it possible to test product effectiveness on melanated skin - no human subjects required.

By cutting zero corners when it came to clinicals - to the tune of over $40,000 in trials - Plantkos® was able to launch with something few new brands do - hard science and hard facts. Hard evidence to support the benefits Plantkos® phytomedicinal formulas deliver for melanated skin, addressing its biggest challenges - hyperpigmentation, dehydration and inflammation - all at once.

"As a pharmacist, Sejal understands the complexities of formulating," quotes Elena Severen, senior director of merchandising at The Detox Market. "[She] knows what ingredients have been proven to target, calm, and help melanated skin thrive. Plantkos® is a carefully crafted and beautifully executed brand that works. We are thrilled to welcome it into The Launchpad Program."

The next round of The Launchpad premieres in December 2021 - keep an eye out for Plantkos® and the other BIPOC-founded brands with whom we are thrilled to be celebrating. Melanated skin has never been in such good company.