Clarisonic, the beauty device maker acquired by L’Oréal in 2011, will outsource manufacturing to external partners and will lay off 120 people working out of its Redmond, Wash. production facility over the next 15 months.
L’Oréal USA Tuesday filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the Washington State Employment Security Department, which requires companies with more than 100 employees to give people 60 days notice of layoffs.
A Clarisonic spokeswoman said the company will still retain a local presence. The layoffs will only affect production, and the company’s headquarters and all of its HQ employees will remain in Redmond.
Production will cease when the layoffs are completed by the end of 2017. Affected employees will receive financial support and help finding new jobs.
Clarisonic is the brainchild of David Giuliani, who also invented the Sonicare electric toothbrush. Giuliani sold his company, Pacific Bioscience Labs, to L’Oreal in 2011.
Founded in 2001, Clarisonic’s first device was released in 2004. The device uses sonically-oscillating brushes to remove dry skin, dirt and cosmetics from the skin.
Here’s the full statement from Clarisonic on the layoffs:
Clarisonic is the leading beauty device company in the world. This success has been fueled by consumers embracing and recommending its patented skin-cleansing devices. Founded in Seattle, Washington in 2004, Clarisonic has sold more than 15 million devices worldwide.
Product innovation remains a priority for Clarisonic, with an ongoing investment in our internal research and innovation capabilities based at its global headquarters in Redmond, WA. In order to provide additional manufacturing expertise to produce the beauty devices of today and tomorrow, Clarisonic has decided to make a gradual transition to shift its production to external manufacturing partners. The transition will be complete by the end of 2017. This manufacturing shift will result in reductions of 120 employees from its Redmond-based production facility over the next 15 months.
Affected employees have already been made aware of this news and will receive financial support and job placement resources, as well as the opportunity to apply for other positions within L’Oréal if in good standing. Clarisonic is very grateful for the contributions of these employees and is committed to supporting these colleagues throughout the transition period.
These changes will further enhance Clarisonic’s ability to deliver innovative beauty devices to customers around the world.
