"Eight-year-olds are asking for retinol."

That's how the conversation started. Just that one sentence, delivered with the kind of exhaustion that comes from watching a preventable disaster unfold in slow motion.

The BY&BY founders had been watching kids damage their developing skin because nobody—literally nobody—was making products designed for what their skin actually needs. Parents were paralyzed in store aisles, toggling between baby shampoo and adult face wash, knowing neither was right. Ten-year-olds were copying twelve-step skin routines from influencers whose skin biology was fundamentally different from theirs.

And the planet? Still on fire.

"Can you help us build something that actually solves this?"

Reader, I was in.

Here's what made this irresistible from a strategy perspective:

The market: $1.3 billion. 68.3 million kids ages 3-18.
The competition in prestige: One. Literally one brand.
The need: Desperate, immediate, growing.
The challenge: The category didn't exist yet.

Which means you're not just selling products. You're teaching people that this category should exist. That they need it. That this is what good looks like.

That's the work that makes me wake up fired up.

Kids' skin barriers aren't fully developed until late adolescence.

That protective outer layer—is thinner, more permeable, more vulnerable in kids. When they use adult products too early, they're not being proactive. They're potentially disrupting barrier development in ways that cause sensitivity issues lasting into adulthood.

But who's teaching parents this?
Not the brands selling them products.
Not the influencers their kids watch.
Not even their pediatricians unless something's already wrong.

So you get ten-year-olds with retinol. Twelve-year-olds layering acids. Fourteen-year-olds with routines more complex than their parents', using products formulated for skin that's done something theirs hasn't: finished developing.

This was the gap we needed to fill.

Not with more products. With education, credibility, and products that actually matched what developing skin needs.

THE STRATEGY :

Pillar One: Make Education the Product

Most brands treat education like content marketing. Something to help SEO. A nice-to-have.

We made it the entire point.

BY&BY doesn't just sell shampoo and tell you it's gentle. BY&BY teaches you why children's scalps need different surfactants than adult scalps. What pH-balanced actually means for developing skin. Which ingredients to avoid and—critically—why.

Every bottle becomes a teaching tool.
Every purchase is an investment in knowledge.
Every interaction builds understanding.

What this did strategically:

Created value beyond the physical product
Built trust through radical transparency
Gave parents language to explain choices to their kids
Positioned BY&BY as authority, not vendor
Made the brand impossible to commoditize

Pillar Two: Formulation as Competitive Moat

Every ingredient decision started with one question: "Is this appropriate for developing skin barrier function, and does developing skin actually need this?"

Not "will this sell?" Not "is this trendy?" But: does developing skin need it?

The credibility move:

They built an advisory board that wasn't for show. Double Board Certified Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology experts. Board-Certified Dermatologists and Pediatric Dermatology Fellows. People who actually review formulations, guide development, lend genuine expertise.

This level of scientific backing is usually only seen in therapeutic products. They brought it to everyday products.

What this created:

Defensible differentiation (substance, not spin)
Deep reassurance for anxious parents
A moat around formulation expertise
Permission for premium pricing based on actual value

Pillar Three: Sustainability You Can Actually Point To

Eco-consciousness is table stakes for this audience. It's also where most brands resort to vague claims and pretty green packaging. They needed specifics. Proof. Honesty.

The approach:

Concrete commitments (50%+ post-consumer recycled materials)
Transparent communication (here's what we're doing, here's what we're still figuring out)
Educational integration (teaching environmental stewardship through daily routines)
Ongoing practice (not a marketing checkbox)

What this built:

Authenticity you can point to, not just claim
Content that demonstrates values, not states them
Community around shared commitment
Trust through radical honesty

THE BRAND IDENTITY :

Strategy without identity is just a deck nobody reads. So let's talk about how we made this feel right.

The Name That Does Three Jobs

BY&BY is a phrase meaning "eventually, in time"—perfect for a brand about patient growth and developing habits.

But it also just sounds gentle. Patient. Thoughtful.

The logo plays with this: "BY AND BY" with "AND" stacked vertically between the two "BY"s. It reads as the phrase but looks distinctive.

The ampersand becomes its own icon.
Connection.
Parent & Child. Product & Education. Today & Tomorrow.

The Voice: Thoughtful (And Nothing Else)

Not "fun" (too childish).
Not "clinical" (too cold).
Not "luxurious" (too precious).

MESSAGING ARCHITECTURE :

The Hierarchy

Mission (Why we exist):
"Empower families with safe, educational, and environmentally conscious personal care for children, fostering a legacy of healthy habits and skin wellness from an early age."

Primary Message (What we do):
"Empowering families with safe and eco-conscious personal care for children"

Supporting Messages (How we talk about it):

"Nourishing Young Skin Naturally" (formulation angle)
"Celebrate Clean / Cultivate Childhood" (purity + development)

Proof Points (Why believe us):

Age-specific formulations for developing skin
Advisory board of dermatologists and pediatric experts
50%+ post-consumer recycled packaging
Education integrated into every product

How We Actually Use It

To anxious parents:
Safety. Expertise. Age-appropriateness. Barrier development. Calm their fears with specificity.

To eco-conscious parents:
Concrete sustainability. Transparency. Teaching values. Show the work, not just claims.

To kids:
These are your products. Not baby stuff. Not borrowed from parents. Designed for you.

To retail partners:
Market gap. Engaged demographic. Defensible differentiation. Community potential.

To press:
Category creation. Scientific backing. Sustainability leadership. Founder story.

Same brand. Different emphasis. That's what good messaging architecture does.

We Aligned Values with Value

This audience wants:

Transparency → we give them ingredient education and supply chain visibility
Safety → we give them dermatologist-backed formulations
Environmental consciousness → we give them authentic practice, not platitudes
Empowerment → we give them knowledge to make informed decisions

BY&BY delivers functional value (products that work) AND emotional value (beliefs aligned).

That creates loyalty that transcends product performance.

We Made Education the Differentiator

In a market drowning in claims, we teach.

When you teach someone something genuinely valuable, they remember you. Trust you. Come back to you. Tell others about you.

Education creates evangelists, not just customers.

What We Actually Built

Not just a kids' skincare brand.

A category-defining educational platform that happens to sell age-appropriate personal care products.

The products are the vehicle.
Education is the value.
Trust is the outcome.
Community is the moat.

Because here's the thing about building categories from scratch: you're not just creating products people want. You're teaching people this category should exist. That they need it. That this is the standard.

When you do that successfully, you don't capture market share.
You create the market.
You define what "prestige children's personal care" means.
You set the bar everyone else has to reach.

And you build something that lasts.