Regine Han, head of international public relations for Omno, said it was developed to fill what it saw was a gap in the body care category.
“The whole market is very saturated with facial care products and in Asia, we feel it’s there’s a whitespace that has not been fulfilled.”
She elaborated that the product options for the body that are made with premium ingredients formulated for the Asian climate are limited.
“Very often, we all only rely on brands that are foreign and not developed for this weather. If you have products coming from US, Europe, they're usually thicker. So, the lotion that we have developed is much more lightweight,” said Han.
Furthermore, many consumers view body care as an afterthought and the brand hopes to change that by advocating that “the skin on our bodies should be treated the same way our face.”
“We want people to treat their body like they treat their face. We use ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, both well-known skin care ingredients,” said Han.
Additionally, most of the ingredients carry certifications such as EcoCert, Nordic Swan Certificate, COSMOs, and Certified 100% Bio-based by USDA Bio-preferred Program.
According to the firm, it developed its products to “strengthen body skin health so that our skin will be more resilient to environmental stimuli”.
Omno was launched in March 2021 and is distributed exclusively by Le Lac, which also represents Kiwi personal care brand Ashley & Co.
According to Han, the brand has been growing month-on-month since its launch.
At the moment, the brand primarily retails online and is available offline at a few lifestyle stores around the island.
In addition to that, Omno also supplies around 30 high-end restaurants in Singapore, including Michelin-starred outfit Burnt Ends. This provided the firm an opportunity to get their products into the hands of people.
“Other brands would prefer to go to a magazine, but although it gets eyeballs, you can’t connect with the consumer that way,” said Han.
The company has also inked a contract to supply a new hotel launching in the middle of this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Aside from Malaysia, Omno is also available in Taiwan. However, it is not focusing on the international market yet as it is channelling efforts to build a strong brand locally first.
For now, the focus is on building a strong digital presence. To aid this, the company has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) loyalty programme.
“As a technology-driven brand, our loyalty programme also needs to be digital. NFTs are great for that and digital marketing. I believe in this technology in the sense that it is a very transparent. There’s a lot of issues with privacy today and with blockchain technology, you get to see where and who you open your information to.”
The company is also working with Handprint, which connects companies with charitable causes so they can contribute.
“Using this technology, we can channel a portion of our sales to different charities in Indonesia or Vietnam to help save mangroves and corals. Very often, companies like our will spend money on charitable causes, but we don’t know where it goes. We could plant trees that die, and no one would know,” said Han.
“Through blockchain technology, we can see where our money has gone and ensure our consumers of their contribution. Consumers nowadays want transparency, they want to get more out of what they spend, and we are here to open up. This level of transparency is what we hope to achieve.”