At a glance
DRMTLGY is a medical-grade skincare brand with a loyal US customer base and clear international demand. The team wasn't asking whether to expand globally; they were asking how to do it without lighting money on fire. Beauty is a category where the details (labeling, VAT, marketplace rules, ad efficiency) decide whether international grows profitably or just grows.
The answer they built with OpenBorder is a multi-channel international business that runs across DTC, Amazon UK / EU / Australia, and TikTok Shop UK, with a fast-growing APAC footprint (Singapore is now DRMTLGY's fourth-largest market by revenue). International GMV is up nearly 5x, and the underlying unit economics improved at the same time: 26% more revenue per session on 15% less spend, and a 36% lift in international profitability.
The problem: Growth was possible, profitable growth was harder
DRMTLGY came to OpenBorder with five real constraints, not one.
Paid media wasn't efficient internationally. International traffic was showing up, but the return on ad spend wasn't where the team needed it to be. Without a way to shift budget dynamically toward the countries that were actually converting, spend leaked into markets that didn't pay it back.
Logistics and compliance were a bottleneck to expansion. The team was ready to open more markets, but every new region meant VAT registration, product registration, and import compliance work. That work was slowing decisions that should have been quick.
International site traffic wasn't converting well. Customers were landing on the site but not buying at the same rate as US shoppers. Pricing, shipping options, and checkout weren't localized in a way that gave international customers confidence.
Multi-channel was untapped. Amazon and TikTok Shop are two of the largest surfaces where international beauty demand actually lives, and DRMTLGY wasn't on either at scale. Offline retail was on the radar too. All of it needed an operational partner.
Shipping costs were eating margin. The existing international shipping setup was too expensive to make international a real profit center. Unit economics had to improve before scaling made sense.
Why OpenBorder
DRMTLGY needed one partner covering three surfaces at once: cross-border logistics and compliance, marketplace and channel expansion, and performance marketing tuned for international. Splitting that across three vendors would have meant three separate accountability lines for a single P&L. OpenBorder combined all three under one roof, with monthly performance touchpoints reviewing what was working and what wasn't.
The solution
1. Multi-channel market expansion
OpenBorder helped DRMTLGY open the channels where international beauty demand was already sitting.
Amazon UK, EU, and Australia. OpenBorder launched DRMTLGY's presence across three Amazon marketplaces, managing product compliance, FBA setup, and PPC advertising strategy end-to-end.
TikTok Shop UK. OpenBorder facilitated the TikTok Shop UK onboarding, enrolled DRMTLGY in the Beauty Partner Program, and set up influencer collaborations. TikTok Shop UK has since grown 6x month-over-month, consistently.
APAC. OpenBorder helped DRMTLGY focus on new regions in APAC. Singapore in particular, has grown fast enough to become DRMTLGY's fourth-largest market by revenue, an outcome the team wouldn't have discovered without the operational room to test it.
2. Performance marketing tuned for ROAS
This is where the profitability story lives.
Strategic ad spend allocation. OpenBorder shifted budget dynamically toward high-performing regions rather than spreading it evenly across markets. The result was a 41% increase in ROAS and a 36% increase in international profitability.
Efficiency, not just growth. In Q1 2025, DRMTLGY reduced international ad spend by 15% and still saw revenue per session go up 26%. That's the definition of a healthier international business: fewer dollars in, more revenue out per visit.
Retention and LTV. A/B tests on pricing, upsells, and promotions lifted the LTV to CAC ratio. Returning customer revenue grew 37% between January 2024 and March 2025, evidence that these markets weren't a one-time boost, they were building a repeat base.
Localized CRO. Region-specific pricing, VAT-inclusive checkout, and optimized shipping options gave international shoppers the same confidence and clarity DRMTLGY's US customers already had at checkout.
3. Logistics and compliance, off the team's plate
Regional fulfillment cut shipping costs 32% for UK and EU orders, directly widening margin on the biggest international regions.
Express shipping options were introduced, which improved customer satisfaction alongside the cost reduction.
Automated tax and duty compliance across VAT, VAT refunds, import duties, and regulatory requirements meant DRMTLGY could open new markets without hiring an international operations function.
The combined effect: market entry time dropped from 6+ months to 4 months, so the team could act on demand instead of waiting on infrastructure.
Results
Revenue and growth
- Nearly 5x international GMV growth since partnering with OpenBorder, across a broader footprint than before.
- 6x consistent month-over-month growth on TikTok Shop UK since launch.
- Singapore now DRMTLGY's fourth-largest market by revenue, discovered through APAC expansion.
Profitability and marketing efficiency
- +41% ROAS on international campaigns.
- +36% international profitability.
- +26% revenue per session in Q1 2025, on 15% less ad spend.
- +37% returning customer revenue from January 2024 to March 2025.
Operations and compliance
- -32% UK and EU shipping costs through regional fulfillment.
- New regions launched in 4 months instead of 6+, with OpenBorder managing international compliance.
Looking ahead
DRMTLGY and OpenBorder continue to explore new international opportunities, with a shared focus on further optimizing logistics, advertising, and multi-channel growth. The near-term expansion agenda includes deepening APAC, pushing marketplace share on Amazon, scaling TikTok Shop UK, and evaluating offline retail entry.
