11.29.07
Mode Cosmetics
New options in “green” cosmetics for the mass market beauty shoppers.
By Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor
Affordable “green” luxury cosmetics will soon be within reach for mass market consumers. Set to launch in 2008, the new color cosmetic collection from Albany, NY-based Mode Cosmetics will span 259 SKUs. What sets this line apart from the other color cosmetics is the company’s use of natural, biodegradable and certified organic and kosher ingredients and botanicals. Another plus is its commitment to using “intelligent and non-wasteful packaging.”
Mode fills a void in the market. |
She added, “The Mode woman wants to be in the now and be in the know. They are educated in the benefits of natural ingredients and with Mode, they don’t have to spend a lot to be chic, smart and healthy.”
The brand’s face and eye makeup collection encompass a broad range of foundations, pigment-rich concealers, luminizers, pressed natural eyeshadows and blushes, and bronzers that contain an array of skin-friendly ingredients such as sweet almond, grape seed and avocado oils, natural minerals, pearls and pigments, African shea butter, vitamins and fruit extracts. For example, the company’s Natural Skin Mineral Powder Foundation contains just titanium dioxide (a light reflecting pigment derived from minerals) and iron oxide (for its skin complementing pigments), as well as certified kosher cocoa that is rich in antioxidants to help “contribute to photo-protection and maintenance of skin health.”
Ms. Samuels said the line’s ingredient quality contributes to a higher quality product, enabling women to “achieve a state of overall well-being.” The company’s kosher ingredients include sweet almond oil, coconut oil, castor oil, lanolin, grapefruit oil, lime oil, orange oil and stearic acid. Its African shea butter is certified organic by Lacon GMBH, in compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP), USDA.
“We use ingredients in high percentages that are healthy for the skin and are less likely to cause sensitivity or irritation,” she said. “Typically mass market brands do not actively promote beneficial ingredients, nor promote healthy lifestyles. For example, many of our products are formulated with fruit oils, butters, essential oils, and botanicals, ingredients not readily found in mainstream color cosmetics.”
Even with better than average ingredients, Mode is able to keep its prices low (between $3.00 and $10.00 per item). “We are able to deliver our products so affordable because we are manufacturers,” commented Ms. Samuels. “Everything is done in-house; there is no middle man involved.”
Segue Way into Skin Care
As if a brand new 259-SKU color cosmetic line wasn’t enough, the sisters behind Mode are ramping up to launch a similarly themed skin care collection that’s also set to debut in 2008. The collection will include fragrance-free nourishing skin moisturizers, crèmes, treatments and serums for the face, eyes, hands and body, all enveloped in “uber-luxe” recyclable acrylic packaging.