International Beauty Branding

Multicultural beauty products are meeting the growing needs of U.S. women and consumers in Asia, India, Dubai and beyond.

By Lisa B. Samalonis, Contributing Writer

Fashion Fair’s new line serves different complexions of multicultural women.

Beauty brands are offering specific ranges—or expanding existing ranges—to include all complexions in the growing multicultural U.S. population. In addition, companies are serving the untapped needs of international women in developing world markets, which offer brands opportunities for dramatic market growth.

The world skin care market grew by 5.5% to $75.8 billion in 2008, and it dominated the global cosmetic market, according to Euromonitor International. The group forecasts that the skin care segment will be the most prospective sector in the next five years, particularly with China’s premium skin care market predicted to increase 11% by 2013. Fragrance is the next most lucrative sector (with key growth coming from mass fragrances in Brazil), followed by hair care (with key markets being China, Brazil and India.)

The United Arab Emirates is another booming region, with the cosmetics and toiletries market registering double-digit retail value growth of 14% in 2009. While fragrances remained the most valuable category, hair care is on track to be a star performer in the coming years. According to Euromonitor, growth is anticipated due to trends in sophisticated personal grooming and the tax-free environment. In addition, Euromonitor predicts Dubai will remain a hotspot due to its hosting of Beautyworld, a cosmetics and toiletries exhibition in the Middle East, and the development of two beauty retailing attractions, the Beauty and Fragrance Park in Jebel Ali and Beautyland in Dubailand.

U.S. Multicultural Influence

The U.S. is experiencing a multicultural women’s century, and this provides ample opportunity for beauty sectors, according to a Packaged Facts report, The U.S. Market for Multicultural Women. Multicultural women (defined as women who do not identify themselves as non-Hispanic white) account for nearly a third of the women’s population. “Black, Latina, Asian-American and other multicultural women represent more than one-quarter of the buying power of all U.S. women,” says Tatjana Meerman, publisher of the report.

In 20 years, multicultural women will predominate among 25- to 44-year-old women, and by 2050, they will represent 51% of the female U.S. population.

Fashion Fair Cosmetics, available in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, France, and Africa, has served multicultural women for years. The Chicago-based company introduced a new skin care line and updated packaging for its foundation basics to contemporize the brand.

“Our new logo is the main design element throughout all of our new packaging. We utilized the logo and rich hues, such as chocolate metallic and silver metallic, to convey a modern, sleek and elegant new look,” explains Cheryl Wilson, director of marketing, Fashion Fair. “We also used color to help streamline our skin care line, making it easier for consumers to identify products specific to their skin type. For example, deep blue accents were incorporated for our dry skin regimen, deep purple for our combination skin regimen, and deep brown for our oily skin regimen. As always, our products are designed specifically for women of color. Our new products continue this journey, yet expand our range to accommodate a wider array of skin tones and skin types.”

A uniform look across different packaging shapes, ease of use, and durability were considerations for all of the new packaging. Wilson notes that the company worked with a select group of packaging companies. Cospack, Edison, NJ, supplied the bottles and jars; World Wide Packaging, LLC, Florham Park, NJ, the tubes and stick foundation; Jerhel, Bayonne, NJ, and Alcan, the compacts; Alcan the concealer and loose powder; and Bellwyck, Toronto, Canada, the secondary packaging.

Whoop Ash uses bold graphics and labeling to convey its tough yet fun attitude.

Whoop Ash, a 99.9% natural emollient containing white honey, burst onto the multicultural scene in December (Figure 3). It’s a body butter with attitude and it’s packaged with style, explains Sheree Fletcher, owner and CEO of Whoop Ash. “I was committed to creating a product I would use myself. But, I also wanted to inject a little humor into an oversaturated and sometimes overly serious beauty market.”


Fletcher, who is a mother, designer, and former spouse of Will Smith, notes: “We used strong, bold colors (black, red, deep yellow and a hint of silver) and design to reflect the name Whoop Ash, and to appeal to our customer that we have identified as capable, strong, intelligent, and a ‘make it happen’ kind of person (both male and female).”

Graphic design conveys the brand message. “Whoop Ash is an action word, and the graphics used had to communicate action and taking matters into your own hands. We went with a superhero vibe to illustrate this point. Our heroine ‘Ash Lee’ is a no-nonsense character who personifies the product—she is what the product does,” explains Fletcher.

Jesse Decosta from Decosta (Canada) implemented Fletcher’s design ideas into the product label and website. West Coast Labels, in Placentia, CA, took the label design to a new level. “The crispness and silver foil outline around the Whoop Ash logo generates a kind of 3-D effect...a jumping off the proverbial page to literally whoop that ash! It is quite eye-catching,” she says.

International Appeal

The growth in the health and beauty market in China has been dramatic, explains Liz Grubow, vice president, group creative director of the international design agency LPK Beauty. “What is fascinating is what you would normally have seen in two generations of growth has happened in 10 years,” explains Grubow, who has been involved in the international beauty scene for the last 26 years. She notes that consumers in China, for example, who had used only one product or home remedy, now use multi-step regimens.

Global consumers are embracing technology and the fusion of innovative ingredients as well as the story and methodology behind the product. “This becomes the inspiration for all the graphics, shape and weight of the product, packaging and the overall experience,” says Grubow.

Olay Regenerist debuted in China with its professional level of expertise and its sleek product design.

One of LPK’s clients, Olay, recently launched Olay Professional in China (Figure 4). “The product is a trend in terms of the expertise and potency that a professional level [product] can deliver. We are also seeing people, especially in China and India, who want more information, whether it is reading up on products on the website, or having pamphlets and other materials. They will take away a piece like that before they come back and make a purchase,” she says.

A large part of a product’s international appeal is the understanding of what consumers in each culture value and then conveying that through the product’s message, packaging and design. “Different cultures value different aspects of what they deem to be the gold standard of beauty. In China, there is this desired luminosity and evenness of tone and it is the same in Japan. In India, lightness is deemed as a gold standard,” Grubow says.

Expansion

Over the last year, the peptide-based anti-aging skin care company HydroPeptide began distribution in China, India and Saudi Arabia. Plans are to expand to South America and Russia next. In 2010, product offerings include PowerLift Anti-Wrinkle Ultra Rich Concentrate and HydroPeptide SPF 30. The products pack a punch with high impact ingredients and packaging. “We have received much interest from overseas retailers because of our authority on peptides,” explains Justin Dotterweich, director of public relations, HydroPeptide, in Issaquah, WA.

HydroPeptide uses blue packaging to convey water, moisture, and healing to its global customers.

“An important [design] aspect of any product is color,” says Dotterweich. This is also particularly important in foreign markets because traditional American color associations don’t always match those of different cultures. Our blue packaging conveys water, moisture, and healing to customers from many cultures. Blue is a great color choice when targeting foreign markets—it can work well with both males and females. Additionally, with “hydro” meaning water, we feel our dark shade of blue is a great communication tool for HydroPeptide,” he explains.

Foreign regions, such as the Middle East, hold great potential because many of the latest advances in beauty and skin care have not made it to these markets yet. Peptides are one of these advances, says Dotterweich. “Consumers in foreign countries prefer to buy products made in the USA. There is a trust issue, and foreign consumers feel American-made beauty products are of a higher quality. Also, unlike many products, we’re able to manufacture beauty products in the USA cheaper than other countries. This is due to the availability and access to raw ingredients here in the USA,” he says.

However, challenges, such as shipping/customs, returns, and messaging, exist for companies serving these regions. “This goes back to language/cultural barriers. An ad or tagline that is widely successful here may not prove useful in a foreign market. Content must be “tweaked” for each different market,” Dotterweich adds.

For its international expansion, Ineke LLC, of San Francisco, CA, is working closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce. “They are actively helping us with our China plans including analysis and recommendations about a distributor.

When Ineke Rühland created her eponymous line, she strove to execute elegant detail with international appeal. Imagery, graphics and colors provide insight into the fragrance. “Interestingly, our sales are higher in Europe than in the U.S. European consumers are appreciative of quality design and attention to detail, and our line seems to meet their approval. Many European markets, like Italy, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavia, are interested in having something different versus something that is broadly available, and so they are very open to niche beauty lines as long as the quality level is high,” she explains.

The line’s most recent offering is Field Notes from Paris. “There are few stock pieces which give our line a unique look and style. The bottle is from Saint Gobain, which actively helped engineer the custom bottle,” says O’Such.

Bottle decoration—a combination of bottle spray and ceramic ink—was done by USS Corporation, Newark, NJ. “We've echoed some of the carton elements on the bottle. We also spray each bottle to match the carton,” he adds. Italix, Santa Clara, CA, provided the distinctive metal band, which fits in the bottle recess. It contains a chemical etching which allows for the unique lettering. A custom cap, which includes the brand name, was produced by Axilone, New York.

Designed with Alliora and manufactured in France, the carton is a folding box that when pre-assembled provides a sturdy “setbox” type appearance at a lower cost than that of a setbox. “This design allows us to fully print all sides of the carton with four-color printing and additional silk screening and hot stamping. It includes a debossed square with a self-adhesive fabric label with the Ineke logo,” explains Rühland.

The packaging for Dabur Hair Oil features vibrant colors and a popular actress from India.

Future Growth

According to LPK’s Grubow, India is just emerging, mainly because it has been such a challenge for companies to figure out the best channel to get product to consumers. Then companies will need to determine other factors, such as popular types of product, price points, and the best way to communicate with women consumers.

Dabur India Ltd. recognizes the evolving needs of India’s women. Its package redesign for the established Dabur Hair Oil, India’s largest hair oil with more than 35 million consumers, modernizes the 70-year-old Dabur Amla brand.

“The rural Indian woman is changing, and so are her aspirations and beauty needs. While she lives in a small town in India, she aspires for beauty and seeks modernity in all the products she uses,” explains brand head Arvind Shukla. “The new look—with its brand ambassador actress Rani Mukherjee on the front label—maintains the continuity with the brand’s beauty association while infusing a youthful appeal.”

From the U.S. to around the globe, the multicultural aspects of beauty packaging and design will be well worth watching for many years to come.