Baudie Ditches Skincare to Bet Big on Underarm Care

One of the most common pieces of advice given to beauty brand founders is to pay close attention when customers show you exactly what they want.

At Bella Skin Beauty, those preferences were impossible to ignore. While the brand sold a diverse range of clean skincare products, its Probiotic Underarm Toner alone generated roughly 90% of total revenue and boasted a stellar 50% repeat purchase rate. Recognizing this breakout potential, the company made a bold strategic pivot: it rebranded as Baudie, sunsetted its entire skincare line, and focused 100% of its resources on the hero product, now renamed Deodorant Enhancer.

The decision to eliminate an established product portfolio did not happen overnight. A pivotal moment came during a strategic session with Christopher Gavigan, co-founder of The Honest Co. and Prima, who was consulting for the brand. While he was instantly convinced of the formula's efficacy after stress-testing it through a grueling day of back-to-back corporate meetings, he was skeptical of Bella Skin’s positioning and cluttered product mix.

Alexandra Bella Shneider, who co-founded Bella Skin Beauty with her mother Diana seven years ago, recalls his blunt assessment: “He looked at us and said, ‘I don’t really understand what you guys are selling. You have face care, then you have this deodorant enhancer. It’s not clear when I go to your site.’”

The message was clear: drop the skincare distraction and own the underarm category. The Shneiders spent 15 months and their own capital translating that insight into a completely new brand identity. Baudie (pronounced “body”) adopts a playful, modern aesthetic featuring custom curvy bottles in vibrant hues—designed to be proudly displayed on a vanity rather than hidden away in a medicine cabinet.

“I designed much of it myself in Photoshop and Illustrator, then worked back and forth with our manufacturers for over a year,” says Alexandra. “Every component—the bottle, cap, and spray top—is custom because we obsessed over the details, from how it sits in your hand to dispensing exactly the right amount of product.”

Baudie has trademarked the term “Deodorant Enhancer,” a category the brand hopes to pioneer. While deodorant primers, underarm toners, and acid-based treatments have existed for years, Baudie's patented formula is designed to address body odor by supporting the skin's natural acidic pH rather than simply masking it with fragrance. The brand positions it as a microbiome-supporting alternative to conventional deodorants. As clean beauty brands face growing pressure to prove their formulas work, independent validation is becoming a key differentiator in securing retail shelf space and consumer trust.

Self-taught formulator Diana Shneider originally blended Baudie’s fermented botanicals, probiotics, and lactic acid in her kitchen. The idea emerged from the mother-daughter duo’s own personal struggles. Users are instructed to apply the Deodorant Enhancer before their regular deodorant as a preparatory step to optimize odor control throughout the day.

“My deodorant suddenly stopped working during perimenopause, and I couldn’t find a solution anywhere. We figured we couldn’t be the only ones dealing with it,” says Diana. Determined to find an answer, she meticulously researched ingredients and refused to compromise on the formula. “When manufacturers suggested cheaper alternatives, I said no. Every ingredient had to come from the suppliers I’d chosen from day one.”

The enthusiastic customer response quickly proved they were onto something much larger. “We realized just how many people had been struggling in silence,” says Alexandra. “The detailed emails and DMs we get are incredible.”

To self-finance the rebrand, the Shneiders made significant sacrifices, including cutting their own salaries to zero. “We haven’t taken salaries in a long time because we’d rather put every dollar back into the business than take on debt,” says Diana. This lean, self-funded approach allowed the company to lower prices at a time when most of the industry was raising them. Diana notes, “While everyone else was raising prices, we were able to lower ours from $28 to $22, and down to $19 per bottle if you buy a three-pack.”

Baudie’s Deodorant Enhancer arrives as conversations about body odor move from whispered insecurities to social media feeds, where creators on TikTok and Instagram candidly discuss how anxiety, hyperhidrosis, menopause, and other life stages affect body odor. This shift mirrors a broader trend where creators leverage their communities to launch highly targeted personal care products, much like how fragrance influencer Funmi Monet partnered with Sephora to debut her own brand. Brands are responding with a growing array of odor-control products, transforming what was once an embarrassing hygiene issue into a broader conversation about health, hormones, and the skin microbiome.

It also comes as the body care market experiences unprecedented demand from both consumers and investors. Advent International acquired a majority stake in Salt & Stone earlier this year, while brands like Maëlys, Truly, Cyklar, and Saltair—which has reportedly tapped investment bank Raymond James to explore options—have emerged as prime candidates for future M&A deals as strategic acquirers search for the next generation of body care winners.

Despite the market heat, the Shneiders have deliberately passed on outside funding. “We had the opportunity to raise venture capital, but after a lot of deliberation, we chose not to,” explains Diana. “We run the business very intuitively and authentically, and I didn’t want outside pressure to change the product. These formulas are our babies.”

Maintaining complete ownership has enabled Diana to retain tight control over her supply chain. Even after transitioning production to a contract manufacturer, Baudie mandates that ingredients be sourced from the specific suppliers she personally vetted, such as a specialized botanical farm in Bulgaria.

Early retail feedback suggests Baudie’s hyper-focused repositioning is striking a chord with buyers. According to the Shneiders, the brand is currently in talks with major retailers, including QVC and Urban Outfitters. Before the rebrand, Urban Outfitters already counted Bella Skin’s Probiotic Underarm Toner among its bestselling beauty products.

“This feels like our moment,” says Alexandra. “Retailers are saying, ‘OK, now they’re a brand. They’re here to play.’ The branding made all the difference.”