Inside a Skincare Brand Selling In 85+ Countries
In this episode of The DTC Insider, Brian Roisentul sits down with Julia Garyfallou Northcraft, Senior Director of Marketing and Sales at Timeless Skin Care, to discuss the decisions behind running a fully bootstrapped skincare brand selling in more than 85 countries across DTC, marketplaces, and retail.
Julia shares how growing up in her family’s business in Greece shaped her approach to marketing, why Timeless manufactures its products in-house in Texas, and how the brand maintains a small, focused catalog without chasing trends. She also discusses international expansion, the importance of strong local partners, and why brands cannot simply copy their US strategy into another market.
They dive into AI discoverability and the growing importance of marketplaces. Julia explains how the team is adapting website content and product pages for large language models, why consistent messaging matters across channels, and the unanswered questions around where AI recommendations will send shoppers. She also breaks down the investment, margin analysis, and inventory planning brands should consider before entering a new retailer.
Plus, they explore how Timeless supports retention through customer education, monthly promotions, and a loyalty program, even when repeat purchases happen across different channels. Julia shares the brand’s approach to working with creators who already use its products, its early investment in TikTok Shop, and how it is extending Black Friday promotions beyond DTC. Throughout the conversation, she explains why marketers need to understand profitability and operations alongside creativity when evaluating opportunities for growth.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
• How Julia’s experience in her family’s business shaped her approach to marketing and sales.
• Why marketers need to understand the entire business rather than operate in isolation.
• How Timeless manages a presence in more than 85 countries across DTC, marketplaces, and retail.
• What manufacturing products in-house in Texas means for production and inventory planning.
• Why Julia now considers marketplaces essential to a complete growth strategy.
• How different marketplace experiences create resource allocation challenges for lean teams.
• How Timeless is adapting website content and product pages for AI discoverability.
• Why AI recommendations raise questions about whether shoppers will reach a brand’s website, a marketplace, or a retailer.
• Why consistent brand messaging matters across sales channels.
• How to distinguish a retail opportunity focused on brand awareness from one intended to generate revenue.
• Why brands need to understand investment requirements and margins before accepting a retail opportunity.
• How demand estimates and replenishment planning help protect retail partnerships.
• Why finding the right local partner is essential when entering international markets.
• Why a US strategy cannot simply be copied into another country or region.
• How registration, labeling, and logistics requirements affect international expansion timelines.
• Why Timeless maintains a small, focused catalog instead of chasing skincare trends.
• How simple formulas and product education help reduce customer decision fatigue.
• Why tracking returning customers becomes harder as a brand expands across channels.
• How customer education, monthly promotions, and a loyalty program support retention.
• Why Timeless prioritizes partnerships with creators who already use and recommend its products.
• How giving potential partners weeks to test products supports authentic recommendations.
• How Timeless is approaching TikTok Shop as a discovery and brand awareness channel.
• How the brand is extending its Black Friday and Cyber Monday strategy beyond DTC.
• Why acquiring customers through promotions requires managing their expectations about future prices.
• How Julia evaluates long-term marketing investments through margins, operational capacity, and business impact.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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This episode is brought to you by BSR.
BSR helps 7-figure+ brands build and optimize strategic growth systems that unlock hidden revenue and scale profitably, without adding chaos, channels, or unnecessary spend.
To learn more about BSR, visit their website or book a call here.
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