Carroten, a Greek brand that makes both tanning and sunscreen products, has become Georgian’ favorite brand since marketing, sales and distribution company Libo Group began importing Carroten to the country in 2019.
Carroten has won the Golden Brand Award, the most influential business award in Georgia, in the category “favorite sunscreen and tanning” product.
Carroten was founded in Greece in the early 1980s using carrots as a source of inspiration, known for their vitamin content and special antioxidant properties. Noteworthy is provitamin A, which strengthens the skin’s immune system and protects against ultraviolet radiation.
The carrot-based composition of Carroten has been associated with safe and natural tanning for 40 years, maintaining the health and beauty of their customers’ skin.
Carroten has become a reliable consumer brand since its inception first in its native Greece and then on the international market, including in Georgia, where the brand is represented by a variety of products.
Eka Maghlaperidze, head of the marketing department at Libo Group, reviews Carroten’s success in Georgia in this interview with Golden Brand.
Q. In a market saturated with various sunscreen and tanning products, Carroten managed to win the hearts of Georgian customers. How did the brand achieve this, in your opinion?
A. The value of the brand is its reliability, modernity, fun, innovation and experience. These values and high quality have become the key to Carroten’s success.
Since 2019 Carroten’s products have been distributed both in pharmacy chains and elsewhere, especially in coastal regions of Georgia, where the demand for such products is higher.
Carroten has developed every year, expanding its portfolio and pampering customers with innovative products. We have conducted many interesting marketing campaigns during these years, and right now we are preparing for the summer season, and we promise many innovations to our customers in 2023.
Q. Protecting our skins from the sun has become trendy and influencers are promoting products on social networks. Please tell us what the outstanding characteristics of Carroten products are.
- Although industry experts have reviewed skin care topics extensively, I believe that getting more education and raising awareness about the harmful effects of overexposure to sunlight are needed.
As you know, the consequences of sunburn are very common in summer, which means that we do not follow basic rules about this. It must be remembered that a healthy tan and quality sunscreens are inseparable concepts, since sunscreens protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. Also, getting a tan should be done gradually and not all at once — which is the most stressful for the skin and causes burns.
We are proud of Carroten products for a number of reasons. First, I would like to mention that it has 40 years of history and experience in sun protection and tanning. We are in full compliance with EU recommendations on sun protection products. We offer a four-level enhanced protection system (UVB+UVA+VL+IRA), which resists a wide range of sunlight and protects the skin from premature ageing and other damages.
Carroten sunscreens not only protect the skin from ultraviolet UVB and UVA rays, but also from infrared (IRA) and visible sunlight (VL), which sets it apart from other products. The products consist of moisturising agents that improve the skin’s ability to defend against sunlight and maintain optimal moisture levels.
Carroten products include sun protection, tanning and combination products, as well as a line for kids, which is enriched with beta-glucan, helping children’s skin develop immunity against external harmful factors, and with pro-vitamin D to improve its ability to defend against UV radiation.
The products of the kids’ line maintain the optimal moisture level of their delicate skin. In terms of sun protection technology, as in the adult line, there is a four-level enhanced protection system (UVB+UVA+VL*+IRA*), which protects the skin from premature ageing and other damages.
Q. Where can customers buy Carroten products?
A. Carroten sunscreens can be purchased at pharmacy chains, supermarkets, and other small retailers. They can also buy our products at an online store, canshop.ge, created by Libo Group for offering convenient shopping to customers.
Currently, Carroten offers sixteen products on the Georgian market, the most popular being intensive tanning oils with spf 0 and spf 6, which accelerate the tanning process and help achieve a deep, golden tan from the sun’s rays with a fairly low protection factor (spf 6). This clearly shows that Georgian people prefer getting a tan than maximum protection from the sun’s rays. Having the best interests of our customers in mind, I hope that in the future Carroten products with higher sun protection factors, spf 20 or even spf 30, will become more in demand.
Q. How do you plan to make Carroten even more popular in Georgia?
A. The brand is currently quite popular in the Georgian market. Consumers show a lot of interest in the brand and this can be seen by their activity on the official Facebook page of the brand, asking a lot of questions and being interested in product features.
In order to increase promotion of our brand, we are planning interesting offers that will be tailored to the customers as much as possible, advertising campaigns, incentive contests on our social networks and on TV, as well as collaboration with influencers. So, I encourage our customers to join us and spend summer days carefree with Carroten.
Q. What is Carroten’s market share in Georgia currently?
A. Carroten currently holds 35% of the market in the sun protection product category, and sales statistics show a clear upward trend.
Last year was quite successful for the brand, with a 65% increase in sales, which is truly an extraordinary leap in the brand’s success. Also, in 2022 our market share increased and due to the increased sales rate, the share of product placement in online or traditional channels also increased compared to competitors, which allowed us to place a wide range of products even more attractively in stores.
Last year we also expanded our product range and introduced things that have not been on the Georgian market before, such as dry oil in the form of a spray, which is vegan, does not stick to sand, has a dry effect and is highly resistant to water. We also introduced a dry aerosol sunscreen and a facial water spray. Customers have given very good feedback on these new products.
Q. Georgian customers have named Carroten their favorite brand this year. What brought Carroten this recognition in your opinion?
A. I think the success of Carroten is primarily due to its high quality. As I’ve mentioned, it is in full compliance with EU recommendations on sun protection products and is made with the highest level of technology.
Also, the marketing and PR activities that we have carried out over the years are very important: appearing on TV shows, campaigns in social networks and magazines, collaboration with influencers, etc.
We always plan marketing activities with the principle of emphasizing the main values of the brand, such as reliability, modernity, fun, innovation and impression.
Regarding the success of the brand, I cannot fail to mention the great contribution of our employees, actively involved in the development of the brand in the Georgian market together with foreign partners. Without the professionalism and selfless efforts of our employees, the brand would not have achieved such success.
