Native fixed its formula, then sold to P&G and Target.
A $12 aluminum-free deodorant sold online raised $500K, lifted repeat buying from about 20% to 50%, and sold to Procter & Gamble for $100M cash in 2017. P&G has owned it since.
BLOOM10X did not work with Native. This breakdown uses public sources only, linked below.
- Jul 2015Launches online, built on WooCommerce
- Summer 2016New formula; repeat rate climbs to about 50%
- Nov 2017P&G buys it for $100M cash
- Sep 20181,800+ Target doors
- Late 2018First TV, connected and cable
- Feb 20194,400 Walmart stores
- 2021About half of sales in stores
Repeat buyers first, shelves second.
The fix that paid for the ads
From online-only to half in stores
Five plays behind the growth.
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Fix the product before you scale
Founder Moiz Ali spent the first year changing the formula after buyers said it was hard to apply. He emailed every customer for two years asking for a review or a complaint. Repeat buying went from 20–22% to about 50% after the 2016 formula (Practical Ecommerce, Oct 2020).
Copy this: email every early buyer from a real inbox and hold back ad spend until the repeat rate moves. Retention →
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Take the risk out of switching
Ali says buyers of aluminum-free deodorant online cared about “free shipping and a bunch of reviews”. Today shipping is free from $15, and ads lead with “350k+ 5-Star Reviews” (Meta Ad Library, Nov 2026).
Copy this: put your review count in the ad and set free shipping just above one unit’s price. Static ads →
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Sell scents like drops
In 2017 the sticks came in scents like pumpkin spice latte (TechCrunch). By 2021 seasonal scents got their own Target displays, a “huge driver” of sales (Business Insider). On Nov 10, 2026 the page listed 62 scents, 21 of them limited.
Copy this: release one limited version each season so email and ads have a new reason to run. Raise AOV →
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Buy TV once Facebook tops out
Google and Facebook were 80–90% of spend until late 2018. Then Native added connected TV and cable, tested in New York and Los Angeles first, and started podcasts and direct mail (Glossy, Jun 2019).
Copy this: when Meta costs climb at your spend, test connected TV in one metro and read sales there against the rest. CTV advertising →
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Take the shelf, keep the site
Retailers had been asking; Ali talked to 12 buyers and sold to P&G. Target and Walmart followed within 15 months. By 2021 stores made about half of sales, yet the VP of marketing said “we can’t focus 100% on retail” (Business Insider).
Copy this: keep your site for data and new launches even after a retailer says yes. LTV calculator →
62 scents on one product page.
- 1One product, chosen by scentThe page is “Deodorant Stick”; the scent is the choice.
- 2Reviews by scentCoconut & Vanilla shows 4.6 from 1,241 reviews.
- 3Two sizes2.65oz and 3.1oz, not every scent in both.
- 4The safe picks firstThree “Most Loved” scents lead the grid.
- 5Badges for the rest“On Fire” on Charcoal, “Hidden Gem” on Unscented.
- 6Limited runs in the same grid21 tiles say Limited Edition, with Peanuts, Holiday and Wonder-Fall tags.
Our wireframe of the purchase options
- 1Proof per scentRatings sit on the scent you are looking at.
- 2Choice before priceThe scent grid fills the screen before any price shows.
- 3One-time is the defaultThe checked box is the full $14 price.
- 4A big subscribe discount25% off, “No strings attached, cancel anytime”.
- 5One stick misses free shipping$14 is $1 under the $15 threshold.
- 6Gift tiersThe top bar promises a free gift at $35 and at $55.
Our wireframe of nativecos.com/products/deodorant-stick on Nov 10, 2026. Not a copy of their page.
Our math on the buy box
Copy this on your product page
- Show ratings for the exact variant on screen, not the whole product. Conversion
- Set free shipping a dollar or two above one unit so the second unit feels free. Raise AOV
- Put limited editions in the main selector, tagged, instead of on a separate page.
- Add gift tiers above your average order and announce them in the top bar.
A DTC brand sending ads to Target.
“Native x Peanuts now at Target!”
- Copy: “Your skin deserves a best friend too.”
- A licensed Peanuts pack with fall scents.
- 28 of the first 50 active ads the Library returned end “at Target!”, all started Nov 9 or 10, 2026.
“350k+ 5-Star Reviews”
- Caption: “You shouldn’t have to choose between ingredients you feel good about and odor protection that actually works.”
- The review count is the headline, not the product.
- Links to nativecos.com, not a retailer.
$14 or $10.50
- “Subscribe & Save 25%” with “No strings attached, cancel anytime”.
- The button repeats the price: “Add to cart $14.00”.
- Bundles are 20% off on a separate build-a-bundle page.
Active US ads on the Native page, Meta Ad Library, Nov 10, 2026. “About 200” is Meta’s estimate.
How the review-count ad is built.
- 1The brand pageIt runs from Native’s own page, not the creator’s handle.
- 2The disclosure up frontThe caption starts with #NativePartner, then the switch argument.
- 3A real personThe creator’s own video carries the claim.
- 4Proof as the headline“350k+ 5-Star Reviews”, then nativecos.com and Shop now.
Our wireframe, built from ad 916371638110679 in the Meta Ad Library, Nov 10, 2026. Not a copy of the ad.
Three-minute ads people watched.
“We had a pretty mediocre product.”
“It took us three or four years to even feel like we were ready to do this.”
Read it with three caveats.
- The numbers are the founder’s. The 50% repeat rate and $100M year come from Ali’s interviews; Native does not report sales.
- 62 scents need a giant behind them. Native credits P&G’s fragrance team for running that many programs that fast. A small brand should run three or four.
- Emailing every buyer has a ceiling. It works for the first few thousand. After that you need a post-purchase survey to hear the same things.
- What we’d change: the Target ads hand the customer to the retailer. We’d hold out a few regions to see if the ads lift store sales at all.
Six moves for a $1M–$10M brand.
- Email your first buyers yourself and fix what they complain about. Retention
- Track repeat rate before you raise spend, and what a repeat buyer is worth. LTV calculator
- Put your review count in the headline of a static ad. Static ads
- Launch one limited variant a season to give ads and email a fresh reason. Ad fatigue
- When Meta costs climb, test connected TV in one metro. CTV advertising
- Know your cost per new customer before a retailer asks. CAC calculator
Where every number comes from.
- Katie Roof, “Procter & Gamble just bought this venture-backed deodorant startup for $100 million cash,” TechCrunch, Nov 15, 2017. techcrunch.com
- Eric Bandholz, “Native Deodorant Founder on Scaling to $100 Million in 2 Years,” Practical Ecommerce, Oct 9, 2020. practicalecommerce.com
- Aaron Gottlieb, “Native’s Moiz Ali: ‘We are investing significantly in TV’,” Glossy, Jun 4, 2019. glossy.co
- Alex Bitter, “How quirky online deodorant startup Native used Procter & Gamble dollars to grow brick-and-mortar sales to become 50% of its business,” Business Insider, Apr 1, 2021 (cites WWD for sales at the time of the deal). businessinsider.com
- Native, Deodorant Stick product page and homepage, viewed on mobile Nov 10, 2026. nativecos.com/products/deodorant-stick
- Meta Ad Library, active US ads for the Native page, viewed Nov 10, 2026. facebook.com/ads/library
- Native, official YouTube channel (@native_cos), videos dated May 9, 2022 to Apr 16, 2024. youtube.com/@native_cos
