Renée’s 2018 Review and a Sneak Peek of 2019

Hey everyone, It’s Renée here. Happy 2019. I hope you’re enjoying a fresh start to the new year. For me personally, 2019 begins a new chapter in my life with the recent loss of my husband. He was also a leader at Renée Rouleau Skin Care in the role of Chief Operating Officer. In the spirit of transparency, here’s what went on in 2018 and here’s what’s coming for 2019.

2018: What a year for me personally…

Goodbye to Florian, My Husband

If you follow my personal Instagram @reneerouleau, then you probably know that he was first diagnosed with cancer in May 2018. Given six months to live, he passed away just eight weeks ago on November 6, 2018. He was a leader at Renée Rouleau Skin Care, and a great husband, father, son, brother, uncle and loyal friend.

Florian’s death left me with the deepest sadness I will ever feel: the loss of someone who has been by my side for 22 years. However, I have such gratitude for all he taught me. Florian exemplified one of life’s greatest teachings as he lived by the saying, “It’s not death we should fear, we should fear never beginning to live.” He packed a lot into his 60 years, and his death has brought this more to light. He has deeply affected how I view the world and celebrating his life is giving me the strength to move forward with a renewed purpose.

You can read all of my posts and other tributes to him on Instagram at #ThisIsFlorian. You’ll laugh and cry, and surely be inspired. He was perhaps the “Most Interesting Man In The World”. Or at least to those who were lucky to know him. He is truly missed but his legacy is being carried on in a big way.

2018: A Great Year at Renée Rouleau Skin Care

Overnight Eye Serum Launch

Another problem-solving product was born that quickly became a big seller. Counting on an eye cream to alleviate dryness won’t get you very far. Instead, using a gentle exfoliant will dramatically lift away crepiness so your eye cream can work better and lines can look softer. Achieve BETTER results with Overnight Eye Serum.

Transparent Ingredients, Including Vegan Options

For the longest time, I didn’t list the full product ingredients on our website because I didn’t want people judging a product by the ingredient list and making false assumptions. (Read why you can’t judge a product by an ingredient label.) However, because of my informative blog, we have a following of educated skincare enthusiasts that really enjoy seeing the full list, so we made this change in 2018. Each product page now indicates if it is vegan or formulated without gluten.  (See the list of vegan products.)

Anti Cyst Treatment is Now Called Anti Bump Solution

New name for our best-selling Anti Bump Solution and the story of how I discovered this product 30 years ago is truly fascinating. Read the history of this product and why I’m unsure of how it really works!?!?

Minimal Backorders, Yay!

Our company is growing fast. Despite products flying off the shelves, out-of-stocks have rarely been an issue. Our new inventory system, along with the good work of our Austin operations team (Jennifer, Kacie, and Ben), has helped perfect our supply chain.

Orders Filled FAST

Sure, we’re not Amazon, but since we do our own fulfillment in our Austin warehouse, we can work quickly. Orders placed before 2:00 PM CST will be shipped the same business day. Daniel, Jeff, Alfonso, Kacie, and Jennifer take great pride in delighting our customers with boxes that are carefully packed and sent out fast. (See our team on Halloween!)

New Name, Larger Size Sunscreen

Since sunscreen needs to be applied generously, we increased the size of our best-selling Weightless Protection SPF 30 (formerly Daily Protection SPF 30) from two ounces to three ounces. If you are prone to clogged pores and want your sunscreen not to feel greasy, you must try this.

Live Chat on Website

Have a skin question and want a fast answer? We launched live chat during business hours so you can talk to one of our in-house estheticians. They are so helpful and I encourage you to take advantage of this!

“No” to Many Lucrative Opportunities

Despite the many offers I have gotten in 2018 from so many reputable online and retail stores to carry our line, we are staying true to being direct-to-consumer. Selling directly from our store to your front door is how we keep prices down.

Fun fact: Some of our products are manufactured in the same laboratories as the most luxurious (and expensive!) brands.

I believe that running a company where saying yes to everything for the sake of growing revenues is a no-win situation. Bigger does not make a company better.

Since we are not in retailers, orders shipped outside of Texas will not pay sales tax.

Virtual Consultations!

We did more one-on-one virtual consultations than ever before. Our estheticians all love connecting via Facetime and Skype to help you find the perfect skincare plan and answer all of your questions. Schedule a virtual consultation now.

DHL for International Orders

Our products are enjoyed all over the world and using a service that gives fast and reliable service was a much-needed change we made in 2018. DHL ensures your products are getting to you in days instead of weeks.

Fun fact: Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, and  Switzerland are the top five international destinations we ship to.

New & Improved Skin Recovery Lotion

I’ll update a formula when research provides me with a way to make a product perform even better. In 2018, Skin Recovery Lotion got a makeover. Seeing is believing so check out the before and after’s of my nephew’s dry, irritated skin. (Wow, right?)

2019: What We Have Coming!

New & Improved Skin Type Quiz

This year, we’ll be giving it an update to improve the customer experience and make sure you’re getting the most accurate results. In the meantime, read three mistakes people make when determining their skin type and then take the Skin Type Quiz. (We will also be improving the mobile experience on our website and blog, too this year.)

More Videos!

We’re officially building a video studio in our Austin office resulting in more skincare content for you. I’ll still be writing new blog posts but being able to watch and learn will delight our customers, for sure. Read my philosophy about skincare, based on my 30 years of hands-on experience as an esthetician.

New Products

With all that went on last year, new product development took a back seat. I’m ready to get back in the lab to start developing new products for 2019. Per usual, the products will be well-formulated and solution-focused. First up is a cleanser and toner for adult hormonal breakouts inspired by the success of Rapid Response Detox Masque. I know so many of you will be excited about this! It will launch this year, hopefully by the fall.

Speaking of products, since it’s a new year, it’s time to start with some fresh products. If you have products that look like this, it’s time for them to be tossed. (Thank you Refinery29 for this good reminder!)

Shipping to More Countries

For various reasons, we have been unable to ship to countries like Argentina, Greece, Spain, and others. We are currently working with our carrier, DHL to see if we can make it possible this year.

Skincare Trends

I have my finger on the pulse of the skincare industry and all the advancements. Here’s what trends I predict for 2019.

Personal Development

Florian started a journal when he was diagnosed with cancer. His first entry said “The first day of my last days!” From there, he wrote three goals.

—Take care of people.

—Take care of clutter.

—Change a life.

It was one of Florian’s wishes to take care of our hard-working team at Renée Rouleau Skin Care both in Austin and in Plano. He allocated a personal development fund and we are having a speaker come this week (and once every quarter) to help coach us through our own personal life planning. It’s a program called Life Pulse that will give us the tools we need to create the life we want. We are all very excited about this gift from Florian and feel good that he is indeed taking care of people and changing a life.

Fun fact: Another one of Florian’s wishes was for Renée Rouleau Skin Care to get recognition as a “Best Place to Work.” So I will be working on getting this done!

And Much More

There will be no shortage of good things to come for our loyal customers, clients, fans, friends, and followers. As always, we help make smarter skincare consumers and aim to give everyone the confidence that comes from healthy, clear, glowing skin. This mission is more than skin deep. We genuinely care about our customers and community.

I would love to hear how your 2018 experience was with us and how we can improve or what you might like to see in 2019! You can email me with your thoughts! Be sure to follow us on our company Instagram. 🙂

From my heart to your eyes, and ears and skin.

Onward and upward.

Gratefully,

Renée

P.S. Our Austin office is currently hiring for two BIG positions. We need a VP of Operations/COO and a Marketing Director. Visit our careers page for details. I am so proud of the company I started in 1996 and one that Florian helped to make even better when he joined in 2008. Our future is bright.

Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”