Former Target exec to launch teen deodorant in Target next month

Carly Broderick had a dilemma.

Her 10-year-old son came home with a pamphlet on puberty as the school tried to prepare students and their families for how their young bodies would begin to change.

"I was reading through the packet and thought, 'Gosh, he's going to need deodorant soon, and what will I get him?'" Broderick said.

Broderick, though, was unsatisfied with traditional deodorants. Known for overpowering fragrances and overtly masculine marketing, she decided to start her own deodorant and antiperspirant brand Miles, specifically made for tweens and teens.

Broderick, who used to work at Target Corp. as a merchandise planning director, will start to sell Miles at select Target stores in early March.

Broderick has built a career at consumer-facing companies, including Universal Studios and retail digital marketing agency The Stable.

During the pandemic when she was the chief operations officer at The Stable, Broderick came up with the idea for Miles, whose name signifies the journey teens makes during their adolescence.

When she first looked for a deodorant brand for her son, Broderick considered buying him the same brand his father used, but it was more of "a dad brand" that she wasn't sure matched her son or his age group.

"A lot of the legacy brands, their marketing represents a very traditional view of masculinity, and I don't really think that's what Gen Z is all about," Broderick said. "I think Gen Z is much more about individuality."

Broderick also considered buying him a more natural brand, but she wasn't sure how effective it would be.

After surveying other parents, Broderick, who is a Minnesota native, worked alongside a Chanhassen-based manufacturer with a research and development lab to come up with the formula for Miles.

Some of the deodorant's ingredients include safflower oil, arrowroot powder and tapioca starch. Miles' antiperspirants, which reduce sweating, contain aluminum, which is typical of antiperspirants.

"The lines are blurring," she said. "Both genders are crossing the lines in retail stores to use whatever product they want regardless of where it's placed."

Earlier this year, Miles started selling on Amazon.com. Depending on the success of the launch, Broderick said she also sees opportunities to grow the brand to include other body care products.