Aura Science Has Halo of Success

This specialty store concept—a jv from Shiseido and Limited Brands— has it all.

By Janet Herlihy, Editor

Aura Science, the latest specialty store to focus on beauty products, has opened six locations so far this year with plans to have a total of nine by year-end.

The specialty store is a joint effort of Limited Brands and Shiseido, a hybrid beauty boutique of the first order. The first 1,500 square-foot store opened in Easton Town Center, Easton, OH, in April with other key markets already covered including Chicago, New Jersey and Washington D.C.

Referring to the strategy of a line made up of groups of product targeted to specific skin needs, Robin Burns, president and chief executive officer, Aura Acience, Victoria's Secret Beauty and Intimate Beauty Corporation,defined the new brand, “Aura Science is a complete beauty destination that focuses on skincare throughout each phase of a woman's life. We offer every woman a brand that approaches her as an individual-one that listens and understands her specific beauty needs and desires."

From the open, white-on-white floor plan to color coded-skin care lines and uniquely packaged cosmetics, Aura Science has been carefully planned to the last detail, but probably the best difference we noticed when Cosmetic Packaging & Design visited the Aura Science in the Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ, was the pleasant tone and all-round helpfulness of the retail staff. On two separate occasions, sales staff was courteous, knowledgeable and totally enthusiastic about the store and its products. The combination of store design, product offering and a great sales staff is likely to be a winner.

First a Unique Footprint

“Aura Science’s in-house design team partnered with David Collins, a renowned London architect, to design the store space,” said a company spokesperson. “The store atmosphere is stimulating, both visually and emotionally. It is modern, white-on-white, with radiating light that brightens, energizes and invites. The images are provocative, and the space is easy to shop,” she explained.

The result is a modern space that is inviting and does not feel crowded or cluttered. Virtually all the product can be seen from anywhere in the store, while curved displays gently guide traffic.

Packaging Echoes the Theme

The product packaging seems to have similar themes. To develop the distinctive packaging for the line, Aura partnered with a Shiseido team that has been solely focused on Aura Science. The package development team was led by Shunsaku Sugiura of Shiseido.

The packaging was carefully designed to complement the store atmosphere with designs that convey modern femininity with soft, sensual shapes, according to the Aura Science spokesperson. “The skin care products are packaged in vibrant, saturated colors, a signature mark of the Aura Science brand,” she added.

The color cosmetic line, which includes products for face, lips, eyes and nails, is also packaged in understated yet feminine containers. The eye shadow and blush, for example, are each presented in asymmetrical white pearlescent plastic ovals. A handy button on the side opens the compact to present the product and applicator facing a mirror. The lipstick container is a compact plastic bullet in a deep metallic brown plastic. The lip gloss containers feature a clear, color evident barrel capped in the same metallic brown as the lipstick. Nail polish bottles are thin glass ovals, designed to be easily held during application.