John Abaté International, Inc.

John Abaté International, Inc.
Reaffirming A Dedication To Quality, Customers

by Matt Morgan

Frank Abaté (left), vice president, and John Abaté, CEO

John Abaté International™ is making it easy on salons by going back to the basics. The Scottsdale, Ariz., lotion manufacturer knows salon employees have enough on their plates as it is without being inundated with two dozen new lotions each year from their suppliers of choice—all filled with ingredients they’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce. JA is ditching much of the hype surrounding lotions and instead focusing on what originally raised it to a position of prominence in the industry: all-natural ingredients, quality products and superb customer care.

John Abaté, JA’s founder and CEO, likes to think of JA as a skincare company that happens to sell lotions that help people tan better. So with that focus, it’s no surprise that JA is a major indoortanning lotion manufacturer that uses all-natural ingredients in its products, Abaté says.

The company has introduced three new products this season so it could concentrate on making them the best. “We don’t release 10 or 12 new products every year, because there’s just so much you can do with a tanning lotion,” Abaté says.

Only Natural

Natural is the operative word in 2004. In fact, JA unveiled a high-end line for discerning tanners with a name that says it all: Natural™. The two offerings, Venus™ and Reveal™, live up to the Natural name with simple-to-remember and identifiable ingredients.

“The reason we brought out the Natural line is to bring that natural motif back to our company,” says Frank Abaté, company vice president. “Over the past few years, I think people have forgotten about what’s inside the product, what’s inside the bottle. They’ve gotten enamored with all the marketing and packaging and fragrances.”

All that effort by manufacturers was done deliberately to take tanners’ focus away from the products themselves, John Abaté adds.

“We’re now trying to remind people of what we’ve stood for all along: natural and fresh products,” he says.

Venus and Reveal share advanced tanning and skincare ingredients including Phycolanine, a brown algae component that plays a major role in the development of a deep, dark tan. They also contain Australian tea tree oil for skin health; golden seaweed extract to help diminish fine lines and wrinkles; milk thistle for antioxidant activity and moisturization; Ultrasomes, which are patented, rare DNA restorative enzymes; liposomal copper to enhance a bronzed appearance; and shea butter and premium aloe vera extract for moisturization.

Both new products offer a fresh aroma that evokes a citrus orchard sweetened by hints of rose and lily. While Venus is a tingle-free formula, Reveal features Tingle Factor™ 5, the highest tingle JA ever has created.

Also, due to last year’s success of Babié, a firming dark-tanning accelerator, JA presents Silké, the newest formula in the Solarium line. “We looked at all of the ingredients in Babié, as well as the special skincare elements such as firming and anti-aging properties, and put them into Silké—plus more,” Abaté says. He predicts Silké to be the market’s top-selling product in 2004.

“When you hear the word Silké, what’s the first thing to come to mind?” he asks. “Smooth. Satin. Silké has a satin feel. When you put it on, it feels like you’re putting something satin on. It makes your skin very, very soft and supple.”

The lotion features green tea extract, a powerful antioxidant; pure vitamins A and E to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; Ultrasomes; liposomal copper; shea butter; and aloe vera.

“These are ingredients that we know—that women know—so the tanning salon customers are going to understand these ingredients as well as the person selling the product,” Frank Abaté says.

“It’s always been an issue in our industry that ingredients are hard to sell, so a lot of the ingredients we use are common buzzword ingredients that women know, like green tea extract and Australian tea tree oil and shea butter,” he continues. “Tanners are going to read it and say ‘Oh, I know what that is’ or ‘I know that’s good for my skin—that’s why this is a good product.’”

One of the many perks of JA products is the use of first-press aloe vera which, like pure and natural vitamins, is more beneficial to the skin than other forms. Also, JA includes ingredients in large amounts when many other lotion manufacturers list them on the bottle even if there’s only an ineffectual trace, John Abaté says.

“All the raw materials we use have the highest levels according to the formulization to make them work correctly,” he says. “It might be overkill, but I’d rather give you more than less.”

In keeping with the latest in aromatherapy trends, JA has reformulated several of its best sellers—“because they were good products and they’re still good products,” Abaté says. “Salons told us they love the product but fragrance was an issue.”

One of the original products introduced by John Abaté, Melaplus™—a melanin-enhancing moisturizer designed to promote and prolong tans—gets a new touch of fragrance for 2004. The product’s vanilla base now has a hint of coconut. “It’s more of a mainstream scent that people relate to tanning lotions, the beach and all that,” he says.

The licorice fragrance of Titanium™ was replaced with a light fruit-and-flower aroma that is more universally appealing for men and women. “Licorice is a love-or-hate scent,” Abaté says. “Basically, it reintroduces a great product—one of the best we’ve ever had— and gives customers a new reason to buy it. The change in the fragrance gives it another lease on life.”

Giving Back

John Abaté International, the tanning lotion manufacturer, produces natural products that help consumers to achieve better tans and salon owners to improve their bottom lines. JA, the responsible corporate citizen, helps to enrich the lives of the less fortunate.

Last year, JA became the official and exclusive suncare provider for AIDS Walks around the country. Its first official donation was to AIDS Walk New York in May, followed by the donation of 13,000 exclusively made 1-ounce bottles of SPF 15 for participants in AIDS Walk Los Angeles and AIDS Walk Atlanta, taking place Oct. 19 in their respective cities. JA also is gearing up production for this year’s AIDS Walks in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

It is unique for an indoor tanning company to support such a predominately outdoor effort but, as Abaté says, “We’re concerned about their skin, and many participants are tanners.”

Participation in AIDS Walks is just one of the company’s many charitable-giving initiatives, which includes the provision of suncare products to various fund-raising golf tournaments and other sporting events throughout the country.

The company also sponsors the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins cheerleaders and teams with them for charity. The cheerleaders bring visibility to JA’s efforts by attending trade shows, posing for pictures and signing autographs. With help from the squads, JA recently supported Childhelp USA, a Scottsdale-based national charity that meets the needs of abused and neglected children.

Also, the Falcons cheerleaders have joined forces with the Atlanta Hawks dance team to form Birds of a Feather. The combo has contributed to Project Open Hand, which delivers meals to the homebound and critically ill; the American Cancer Society and its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer benefit walk; and the Make- A-Wish Foundation.

Reorganization

The story of JA’s new products and bold vision cannot be told without acknowledging the lotion manufacturer’s current financial restructuring.

The restructuring actually refers to JA’s recovery from debt under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which the company filed for last year. Chapter 11 allows a company to continue its day-to-day operations under the scrutiny of the bankruptcy court.

“You live in a fishbowl—everything has to be reviewed,” Abaté says. “I would not suggest that anyone go through reorganization. Only the large, strong, viable enterprises emerge successfully.”

More than half of Chapter 11 companies never make it, Abaté says, but failure is not an option at JA. “We have to win,” he explains. “I have two young sons, in addition to their older siblings, to inherit the reputation that we’ve all worked so hard to achieve.”

After each meeting with court-appointed examiners, Abaté grows increasingly confident of the company’s success. “We plan to emerge in the very near future,” he says.

Through it all, John Abaté International refuses to let the reorganization affect the products it makes. In fact, because the premium ingredients JA uses are more expensive, some employees suggested the company cut back to save costs. Abaté told them “‘Don’t you dare.’”

“During the reorganization, we had to try to trim down, and we never, at any time, touched the formulization,” he says. “We have a reputation, and I have a responsibility because of that reputation, that we produce a very high-quality, all-natural product.”

Reorganization has left JA a toned and streamlined operation dedicated to customer appreciation and maximum efficiency. Abaté thanks everyone who has stood by the company. “When salons support JA, they’re supporting the industry,” he says.

“Any company that goes through a reorganization emerges stronger, better prepared financially, and more focused on the product and the consumer,” he adds. “Together with salon owners, other industry professionals and tanning clients, we will enjoy the upcoming season as a celebration, emancipation and vindication to carry on, to show that we can win the battle and the war and be around for decades to come.”