• by Les Luchter , April 7, 2023

Unbeknownst to many, The Clorox Company has been in the health supplements business for the past seven years. But perhaps not for much longer.

At the end of March, Reuters reported that Clorox is seeking to sell off its four money-losing supplement brands: RenewLife, Natural Vitality, Rainbow Light and NeoCell.

Clorox had acquired RenewLife in 2016 and the others in 2018.

Unlike other brands in the Clorox portfolio -- which include Burt’s Bees, Brita and, of course, its namesake cleaning products --the company’s supplement business relies heavily on D2C sales, noted Vivian Chang, vice president growth, Clorox Direct-to-Consumer, in a late-March keynote presentation at MediaPost’s Brand Insider Summit.

Earlier in the month, Clorox had consolidated the four brands into one D2C website, BetterYourHealth.com, which Chang said is “kind of like the gap.com model,” which allows consumers to purchase products from Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and other company brands.

In addition to one account, one cart, one order and one shipment, BetterYourHealth.com also allows for volume discounts and subscriptions, Chang explained.

And, looking forward, the site allows for “bringing in other brands that are not just the wellness and supplement brands.” As an example, she cited the potential targeting of new moms with not only appropriate supplements, but also compostable wipes and other Burt’s Bees baby products.

Speaking of Burt’s Bees, Chang provided two recent examples of successful campaigns from the line.

In one, which increased revenues 4X year-over-year, the brand offered “personalized lip balms.” A national media ad ran concurrently with a social campaign, bringing consumers to Burt’s D2C site to order balms personalized with someone’s name or other lines.

This past holiday season, Burt’s Bees lip balm saw a 16% year-over-year increase in revenues at Target, thanks to a partnership for branded balms with poet/author Cleo Wade branded balms sold only at the retail chain. By scanning an on-package QR code, consumers got a month’s worth of daily affirmations texted to them.