The mass market facial market category tells a similar story. According to Information Resources Inc., Chicago, facial makeup sales fell 2.3% to $772.1 million for the year ended June 15, 2003. Despite the decline, experts did see a number of trends emerge from the past year.
“Skin care benefits made more of a presence in makeup, with products offering vitamins, SPF, moisturizing, firming and anti-aging properties,” noted Natalie Seidman, director of NPD Beauty.
Smaller segments were said to fuel dollar growth in the prestige segment as well, such as lip gloss and mascara. Last month, L’Oréal released its new Glam Shine collection of lip colors featuring a micro-crystal technology that amplifies light reflection and creates volume and dimension. It also plumps lips and has a hydrating gel base and a non-tacky formula. The nine gloss shades range from goddess to starlet. Also new is L’Oréal Colour Juice, a set of juicy lip glosses with sheer color and shine. The squeezable tubes come in 10 shades such as watermelon crush and iced latte. NPD Beauty experts said newer textures also made a big impact on sales.
“‘Traditional’ products also offered new or different forms and textures, including glossy or creamy products for eyes, or creme or powder compact foundations,” Ms. Seidman said. “Popularity of multi-purpose products designed for use on eyes, cheeks and lips—or some combination—were also seen in 2002.”
Bobbi Brown’s Nude on Nude collection features sheer washes of color for the lips and the rest of the face. |
Teeny Teen Products
With disappointing sales for the adult segment, many marketers are hoping to find a wealth of opportunity in the teen segment, although many teen products actually better target tweens, according to the Zandl Group’s “Teen Girls: looking good” report, and teens are more savvy and sophisticated than ever. Also, the teen cosmetic category may be losing steam as the informal/casual trend continues to grow. Another trend impacting cosmetics is the growth of more extreme music styles, such as punk, goth and metal, and the importance placed on hair coloring and piercings/tattoos. Zandl experts said these girls are most likely to buy niche brands. Other trends that will strongly impact the teen cosmetics market are technology and a revival of 1980s style.
But these warnings do not phase Avon Products. This month, Avon will unveil Mark for 16- to 24-year-olds. Experts said this segment is notoriously fickle, as well as spontaneous and experimental. With employment levels of this age group at their lowest in the past 30 years, Avon plans to recruit representatives at colleges, high schools, shopping malls and other youth-oriented hot spots.
“If our true mission is to be the company for women, Avon must also be the company for young women,” noted Deborah Fine, president of the newly-created Avon Future division.
Executives said the website, www.meetmark.com, yielded 13,000 inquiries from girls in early June. Avon said there are 300 million young women ages 16-24 who spend $250 billion at retail in its top 30 markets. The company said it expects Mark to add $100 million to its U.S. sales in the first year, starting in September 2003. It then plans a global rollout by the end of 2004. “We want to be where she is and lives,” said Ms. Fine. “Forty-nine percent of our target lives in or around the college campus. They have a constant need for flexible employment.”
The products were designed to be sophisticated, making the possible consumer audience much wider. Prices will also be on par with drugstore brands.
“The formulation, packaging and colors were edited more tightly for this consumer,” Ms. Fine said. Representatives will also be using a “Social Beauty” concept that insists young women want to be both social and beautiful.
Innovative products include “hookups;” i.e., interlocking and mix-and-matchable lash, lip, concealer and eyeliner products. Avon executives said more than 500 combinations are possible. Also new is the giggles line, including the coffee bar lip glosses and a customizable lip color palette. Favorite colors infinite color kit offers custom designed compacts with lip products, face colors, eyeshadow and blush. All of the products are portable and small enough to fit in jean pockets. The same can be said for the small “minicure” nail color doubles and glass slicker sheer lip shine. Mark will also feature a fragrance series, skin care products and accessories.
Mary Kay has added several products to its youth-oriented Velocity line, including End2End fragrance and lip gloss, combining scents such as banana flower and mangosteen with an iridescent and sheer lip gloss. Executives said young women desire trendy, portable products to suit their hectic lifestyles. The lip gloss also features a holographic effect, wherein light causes undertones to shift and shimmer. Also new is Velocity Shadow Box eye compact, a square palette with four sheer, crease-resistant eye colors. Two compacts are available: heart throb and sweet heart.
Mass Market Mavens
Cover Girl, the No. 1 facial makeup brand, according to IRI, had sales of $59.9 million for the year ended June 15, 2003. The Zandl Group said the most popular cosmetics brands with teens ages13 to 17 between from 1997-2002 were Cover Girl (18%) and Maybelline (9%). However, Zandl experts warned that clean-looking lines, such as Cover Girl and Clinique, may be slowing down due to some girls opting to use less makeup altogether and on the opposite end, more extreme punk and goth looks.
“Due to the slowdown in the economy, more than ever consumers want high quality products at a great value,” insisted Anne Martin, vice president of global cosmetics marketing, Procter & Gamble. “Also, Cover Girl continues to be the best-selling mass market cosmetic brand in the U.S. and has been consistently ranked the coolest cosmetic brand among teens for the past six years. Products that are perennial favorites for teens include LipSlicks lipgloss and EyeSlicks gel eyeshadow.”
Cover Girl offers fun products this fall in the new Love Sonnet collection. “The inspiration was derived from the sheer femininity and cozy, warm colors combined with comfortable, textured fabrics seen at both the textile and runway shows,” insisted Ms. Martin. “Cover Girl translated this trend to cosmetics by developing shades that are warm and romantic, with fun sparkle and shimmer finishes.”
The new EyeShimmer pens offer click dispensers, cushioned applicators and lightweight formulas for a sheer wash of shimmer. Limited edition shades include romantic gold, rosegold glow, copper rose, antique bronze, innocent glow and autumn light. Other new shades for cheeks, lips, eyes and nails range from snowflake frost to espresso.
Avon’s Mark line targets teens with innovative, mix-and-matchable products and drugstore prices. |
Executives said the fall look is all about flawless skin, suede eyes and bee-stung pink or red lips. To achieve a clear complexion, Cover Girl offers Smoothers AquaSmooth foundation. Another star product this fall is transfer-resistant Outlast All Day lipcolor in limited edition Verona blush, rose in bloom and mauve juliette shades. Executives said Outlast All Day Lipcolor is the No. 1 long-wear lipstick at mass.
Eyelashes are not forgotten with Cover Girl’s non-sticking and vitamin rich Aquasmooth/Multiplying mascara value pack in various combinations, such as ivory/black and buff beige/black.
In July, Cover Girl launched WetSlicks lip gloss, which delivers shimmering color and lasting shine with the comfortable feel of a lip balm. “The moisturizing formula provides a satiny, soft, non-sticky feel that lasts,” Ms. Martin added. WetSlicks also has a doe foot magic wand applicator that offers easy application.
Other recent introductions include Cover Girl Outlast Pearls collection with Perma Tone, which combines the 10-hour benefits of Outlast All-Day Lipcolor with an exclusive shimmery finish.
Cover Girl’s Clean Oil Control makeup helps provide a fresh, shine-free look all day in a specially balanced formula that contains oil-absorbing powders and skin conditioners for lightweight, even coverage.
Of Glitz and Glamour
The romantic look of movie stars is making an appearance this fall. Avon’s fall Spotlight collection is available next month. Avon executives said the inspiration was the glamorous world of the silver screen from 40s divas to 70s rock icons to today.
“The look is dramatic, certainly not low maintenance, but softened and feminized without any harsh edges or lines,” said Ellen Slicklen, director of U.S. color marketing at Avon Products. “The focus is clearly on the eye which is adorned in sultry, soft shimmering shades of eyeshadow and softly-blended eyeliner.”
The golden and dark pink hues are available in Nailwear nail enamel, Ultra Color Rich Renewable lipstick, Glazewear Liquid lip color, Extreme Volume Flexicoat Maximizing mascara and True Color eyeshadow and powder blush. Shades range from violet smoke to gold digger.
New this fall is Mary Kay’s MK Signature Twinkle, Twinkle…You’re a Star Shimmering lip and nail set to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. The whimsical gift set offers a new shade, pink starshine. In September, the MK Signature Lip Polish will be launched. This lipstick has the feel of a lip gloss with full coverage, a demi-matte finish and a satin sheen. Five shades are available.
Notorious Chic is the theme for fall at Trucco Cosmetics. Executives said the palette was inspired by the publicity and self-promotion that defines musicians today. The colors play on diverse shades and textures. The collection offers the Paparazzi cream palette with five sparkling face creams, as well as eye colors in c-note (emerald green), platinum (silver) and 24 karat (gold), and Divinyls lip glosses in honey lips (tawny nectar) and sugar sugar (neutral rose).
Lancôme is focusing on three looks this fall: silvery eyes and classic crimson lips, smoky eyes and strawberry lips and smoldering lids and scarlet lips. The skin is flawless with Transparence de Tient complexion fluid in vanilla, muffin, cookie and espresso. To make application easy, Lancôme offers Makeup Dots, circular foam sponges to keep fingers out of the foundation and makeup smooth.
The company’s new waterproof and non-fading Colour Dose eyeshadows are available in colors such as midnight sylvie. The lips and cheeks are enhanced with Colour Dose Lips and Cheeks hues such as juicy rouge and scarlet Simone.
The House of Taylor, under parent company Elizabeth Arden, will launch a makeup line this fall called Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics, in the mass market. The line made a brief appearance in JC Penney last year before the department store discontinued all cosmetics. Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics’ silver packaging is covered with diamond-like crystals. The pressed powder too has diamonds encrusted around the perimeter. The products range in price from $5.50 nail polishes to $12.50 pressed powders.
Fabrics for the Face
Several color cosmetic palettes were inspired by flowing fabrics seen on runways. Revlon, the No. 2 vendor of mass facial makeup according to IRI, has added taupes, mauves and violets to the Moonlit Mauve palette this fall. According to executives, these colors are elegant, yet shaded with illusion like fall fashions. Specifically, the Revlon Wet-Dry Quad shadows are available in limited edition shades of Moonlit Mauve and Dusky Haze, and eyeliner shades of Sage and Chocolate Bar. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick and nail polish comes in moonlit mauve, shimmering dusk, starbright rose and midnight mauve, with a complimentary Revlon Timeliner for Lips in spice. Berry rich is the new color for cheeks.
Also new is Revlon’s alluring and eye-catching Enchanted Color collection. New lip and nail shades include charmed, mystical, enchanted and mesmerized. Eyes are bold and dramatic with alluring, a limited edition dark gray powder in the Revlon Wet/Dry Quad Shadows form.
This fall, Maybelline will introduce the Shaggy Chic color collection, which takes its cue from the soft and modern look of fall fashions, such as knits. “Inspired by this trend, the Shaggy Chic includes creamy neutrals and fresh, feminine hues,” added Mike Indursky, vice president of marketing, Maybelline.
This August, Maybelline launches Wonder Finish Clean Powder Finish foundation, said to be the first liquid-to-powder foundation in the mass market. It has a shake-to-activate bottle to thoroughly mix the skin perfecting powders, color pigments and liquid base. “Once the product is applied to the skin, the liquid in the base evaporates, leaving behind 50% less makeup than ordinary foundations,” explained Mr. Indursky.
Cover Girl’s Love Sonnet fall palette looks to soft fall fabrics for inspiration. |
The Chanel Fall Collection 2003 plays on the simplicity of white and black runway fashions. Executives said it combines elegance, retro 1960s and rock-n-roll. To create flawless skin, Chanel launched Voile Universel Ultra Sheer makeup SPF 15, Base Lumiére Illuminating makeup base and Irréelle Blush Silky Cheek Colour in be-bop (rose mauve).
Chanel introduces Jeans de Chanel this month, a pressed powder eyeshadow in four variations of blue, from lavender blue to black denim. Executives said a typical American female owns, on average, eight pairs of denim jeans, which was the idea behind the palette. The micronized talc imparts a smooth, light texture, as well as titanium and iron oxides, silica microbeads, nylon powders, lauroyl lysine and silicone. To compliment these colors, Chanel also offers Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in blue jean (blue sparkle) and Extracils Super Curl Lengthening mascara in blue moon.
Blue is also featured in Les Quatre Ombres Quadra eyeshadow in blue notes with shades of pink, light blue, white and dark blue. For the lips, blue shades such as crystal blue are available in Levres Scintillantes Glossimer, in addition to Levres Lumiere Intense Glossimer Extreme shades of darling (mauve) and chiffon (pink). Nails are not forgotten in six fall shades such as crystal blue and ruby slipper.
Also in August, Chanel offers Collection Velours de Chanel lip kit with matte finish and pearl pigmented lip colors, including crimson, peachy pink and brown. The velvety formula contains purified waxes, oils and Karité butter.
Yves Saint Laurent is focusing on women’s true colors this fall and winter using deep, velvety shades inspired by jewels and precious metals, with a focus on a provocative mouth. A new product is also offered, Ombre Solo eyeshadow in 12 shades such as garnet and glacier blue. The product achieves vibrant, light-filled, metallic shades, according to executives. New blush shades include pink fusion, as well as Lisse Gloss Smoothing lip gloss shades such as bewitching orange. Red desire is the key Fards A Levres Rouge Pur Pure lipstick, which is accompanied by blood orange and brown tornado in the collection.
Romantic Reveries
Could Harry Potter inspire a cosmetics collection? That may be a stretch, but L’Oréal did tap into children’s storybooks to create its fall look. Cherie Tale, L’Oréal’s fall collection, infuses Old World antiqued golds and rustic plum raisins with contemporary pearl-like finishes. The look was designed to achieve the timeless beauty of fairytale heroines. The eyes are subtly defined, the cheeks are flushed and the lips are shimmering.
Colour Riche lip colors include golden apples, nature’s blush, enchanted plum and raisin rapture. Pixie dust and raisin charms round out the new Lip Glossé Sheer Sparkling lip glosses, and shades such as maiden in raisin and her Majesty’s rose are available the Colour Juice sheer juicy lip glosses.
For the eyes, L’Oréal offers the Eyeshadow Quads in enchanted forest, green with envy and fairy tales, as well as Wear Infinité Eyeshadow Duos in fairy teal, once upon a plum, into the woods and bashful browns. The Pinch of Colour liquid blush hue is blushing and the two Touch-On Colour blushes are cashmere rose and get down plum.
With a strong eye focus, Colorlab offers Sketch Stick eyeliners this fall. |
Barely There
This fall, several lines center on natural-looking hues. Almay is focusing on a sheer look with Almay Nearly Naked Touch-Pad liquid makeup. The product’s exclusive Micronized Liqui-Silk technology is silicone-based and provides a lightweight, satiny look and feel. It also contains SPF 12 and a touch-pad delivery system for controlled applications and an antibacterial ingredient to keep the pad germ-free. It is available in six shades: nearly nude, nearly neutral, nearly beige, nearly warm, nearly sand and nearly honey.
The Almay Bright Eyes Color collection also debuted this spring, offering three color-rich formulas to create radiant eyes. The products include Almay Bright Eyes Color Cream shadow, Bright Eyes Defining Color Duo eyeliner and Bright Eyes mascara and are said to work together to create limitless eye looks in shades such as modern neutrals, pastels and deep tones. The formulations are hypoallergenic and lightweight. The mascara features the Reflective Color complex that intensifies light with micronized reflective particles and a lash-lifting brush. Shades of the collection range from champagne shimmer to mocha & cream.
Bobbi Brown is bearing it all with the new Nude on Nude collection for the fall. Ms. Brown said the palette was inspired by a necklace her husband gave her as a gift.
“The look is nude and all about shades that enhance the natural colors of a woman’s complexion,” Ms. Brown explained. “It looks great on everyone—it brings out different pigments and compliments all skin tones.”
The line features seven new shades of lip gloss and three new lip colors in shades of nude, heather, divine, beige, raisin, rum raisin, chocolate, cocoa, brownie and suede. Ms. Brown said they were designed to make it easier for a woman to find that one shade that she can apply for an instantly pulled-together look. The cream blush sticks use sheer colors ranging from a pink flush to bronzed warmth as well. The Nude on Nude Eye palette has brown hues of malted, cement, wheat, nude and espresso.
Cosmetic Healing
As NPD Beauty reported, some new products have skin healing ingredients to further enhance beauty. Sally Hansen is owned by Del Labs, the No. 8 vendor in the mass facial makeup category. Executives said the new Sally Hansen Healing Beauty line redefines makeup with a Bio-Active complex, which is said to prompt the skin to look and feel healthy using botanicals. The complex contains vitamins A, C and E, as well as rosemary, peppermint and lemongrass.
Del’s Cornsilk line also incorporates the Bio-Active complex, and offers microsponges and a Cornsilk complex to absorb excess oil and salicylic acid to reduce blemishes. The normal/combination skin products offer green tea extract to reduce redness and promote healing and kaolin and microsponges to absorb shine. Encapsulated retinol and the Bio-Active complex are found in Sally Hansen’s dry/aging skin complex. In all, the Sally Hansen Healing Beauty line boasts 37 multi-sensory products and 106 shades.
Classified Cosmetics is expanding with bronzers and shimmers this month. Designed for post-cosmetic surgery skin, the products use a layering aerosol spray that thinly layers product and does not irritate skin. Era Rayz Spray-On Bronzer is available in 1 In the Sun (light skin) and 3 By The Sea (medium to dark skin). The shimmer, Era Glaze Spray-On Shimmer, is available in 24 karat and platinum.
Making the Most of Minerals
The mineral cosmetic segment is expanding with new products for those who want an earth-derived glow. La Bella Donna launched the Get Glowing collection, which gives the face a natural, sun-kissed glow with mineral-based shadows, blushes and bronzers. The oil- and fragrance-free Compressed Mineral and Loose Mineral foundations come in caffe or sophia. Orange shades, such as copper, as well as neutral pink and beige shades are featured in the fall Mineral Light Lip colours, Lip Sheers and Lip pencil. La Bella Donna’s Mineral Cream-To-Blush contains vitamin E and pure mineral pigments. Bianca is the fall cheek color. Executives said all of the products are free of FD&C dyes, oil, talc, alcohol or fragrance. Executives said they are sold at Bergdorf Goodman in New York and fine spas, resorts and specialty stores.
I.D. Cosmetics, a division of Bare Escentuals, San Francisco, CA, offers The Perfect Brow kit. Each kit contains i.d. bareMinerals brow color, i.d. Angled Brow brush and i.d. Brow Finishing gel. The mineral-based brow colors are available in pale/ash blonde, dark blond/medium brown, auburn and brunette. The kit costs $32.
Glominerals, distributed by Caleel+Hayden, Denver, CO, has added Lilac, Rain Forest and Midnight gloeyeshadows to its 20-plus shade collection. The company has also launched the gloCream eyeliner and a dual head eyeliner/brow brush with bristles on one end and a blender tip on the other.
Jane Iredale’s new Liquid Minerals is said to diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles, minimize pores and even out skin tone using light-scattering particles, such as mica, titanium dioxide, boron nitride and iron oxides. The product also contains liposomal technology that releases a bounty of active ingredients into the skin. The spheres contain free radical fighter olive squalene, seaweed lipids, lavender flower water, vegetable glycerin and more. The non-comedogenic Liquid Minerals has a pump that mixes the liposomes with a botanical gel into a mousse.
Jane Iredale’s Soft Pink collection is also set to debut this fall. Proceeds will be donated to The National Breast Cancer Foundation during the month of October.
Repackaging and Revisions
In the competitive cosmetics segment, several companies have decided to update their looks to further entice consumers. Natural product maker Burt’s Bees is currently revising its Wings of Love cosmetics line. Not only is the company changing the name to Burt’s Bees for better consumer recognition, but the company has also reformulated the products, photographed more models and overhauled the packaging to better explain its color story.
“We’re putting a lot of intense energy into the makeup line right now,” explained president and co-founder Roxanne Quimby. “We’re improving the 50 SKUs of cosmetics and took consumer suggestions into account.”
The newly revamped line is set to debut in early 2004.
Tony&Tina is relaunching several products with updated aromatherapeutic formulas. Mood Balance lipstick is available in three new forms: velvet, cream and sheer/gloss. Lavender, rosewater and St. John’s Wort work to relieve mental and physical distress. Moisturizing calendula has also been added. In addition, the Herbal lip pencil was made more portable with a slim automatic pencil design with an attached sharpener.
For Your Eyes Only
As previously noted, smaller categories such as mascara experienced a lot of growth in 2002. In January, L’Oréal introduced Double Extend mascara lash extender and magnifier that not only increases lash length up to 60% using a ceramide R, but also does not fade, smudge or clump due to its unique silky fiber basecoat. The mascara is available in true brown, black brown, black and blackest black.
Lancôme introduced the Cils Booster Mascara Enhancing Base in January to prep lashes before applying mascara. The vitamin-enriched formula is complemented by a triangular brush to help smooth the lashes.
This month, Maybelline offers Sky High Curves Extreme Length and Curl mascara with a curve action to instantaneously provide an eye-opening effect and a lengthening formula that extends lashes up to 30% and sets them at a 30° upward curve. Also debuting in August is the Liquid Eyes Long Wear No Fade Shadow, Maybelline’s first liquid eyeshadow that is formulated to lock in color and keep out creasing and fading. “It’s formulated with a combination of lightweight conditioning agents that ensure smooth application and help to protect the delicate eyelid area,” Maybelline’s Mr. Indursky insisted.
Cover Girl also introduced several new products including Multiplying mascara and an upgraded line of Eye Enhancers eyeshadows. Multiplying mascara’s Lash Duplication complex gives the impression of twice the lashes. The upgraded line of Cover Girl Eye Enhancers eyeshadows now includes three distinctive finishes: sparkle, shimmer and matte with finer micro-sized powder particles.
Custom cosmetic company Colorlab Cosmetics recently launched new brow and eyeliner pencils called Sketch sticks. “This fall, we see the return of the eyeliner,” explained Tim Mauer, national makeup artist for Colorlab Cosmetics, Rockford, IL. “There is lots of liquid liner on top, smoky and diffused looks around the eyes and rimming of the inner lining of the eye. It’s creating drama without being dramatic.”
Mr. Mauer also said Colorlab can custom blend cream eyeshadow with a lip gloss-like feel.
Sales of Maybelline’s Great Lash got a boost with the launch of Great Lash Blackest Black, according to Mr. Indursky. “It brings a whole new sex appeal and energy to the brand,” he added.
Avon had success with its new Lash Designer mascara and Quick Pen Modern Eye Color in the second quarter.
“This year has been stronger in the eye and face segments with results way over expectations, with the lip and nail just on or below expectations,” said Avon’s Ms. Slicklen.
Jane Iredale’s Liquid Minerals uses liposomes to correct skin imperfections and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. |
Talking with a Full Mouth
Lips were the focus of some cosmetic companies this year. Veréd Cosmetiqué, Lawndale, CA, offers new cocoa-flavored Lip Crayons in six shades: champagne, citrus, breathless, burnished, lush and devil. The key ingredients are shea butter and castor oil, which moisturize and protect the delicate skin of the lips. They are sold in spas and salons.
It’s the Lips lip gloss, new from Oh Baby Cosmetics, Morgan Hill, CA, features a moisturizing and shiny formula with aloe and vitamin E. Executives said the non-sticky lip gloss is applied with an easy applicator. The six new colors include innocent, princess, tease, sinful, diva and conceited.
The Hostess with the Most-ess
With a host of new products out this fall, executives hope consumers will increase their spending. Though tried-and-true incentives seem like a good idea, some companies wonder if these plans will continue to reap benefits.
“Given the economy and concerns abroad, consumers overall have been more cautious in spending,” insisted Maybelline’s Mr. Indursky. “Consumers have been responding to the increased level of high value promotional events, such as buy-one-get-one-free offers, which is only exacerbating the problem.”
The Zandl Group said there are only three reasons for consumers to step away from their trusted brands: price, better products and novelty. The winners this fall will have all three and provide insight into future spending habits.
Looking for a new ingredient for your color cosmetics line? Please turn to page 68 in the print version of Happi.