Any parent can tell you that dealing with kids and personal care issues is an ongoing challenge. When they’re little, getting them into the tub can be tough. When they’re teens, getting them out of the bathroom can be impossible. But for marketers of personal care products, the youth and teen market offers rewards well worth any challenge.

The sheer numbers of the teen/tween market make it significant. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2000, there are 31.6 million 12- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. That population is projected by Teen Research Unlimited, Chicago, to grow to approximately 35 million by 2010.

In 2000, U.S. teens spent an estimated $105 billion and influenced their parents to spend another $48 billion, according to Teen Research Unlimited.

The Geppetto Group, a research and consulting firm in New York City, says the three essentials for appealing to teens and tweens are: a product should be new, different and just for them (teens and/or tweens). Packaging can communicate all three essentials.

“The colors of the product, the logo design, the shape of the package can all say ‘cool,’” said Chris McKee, chief creative officer at Geppetto. McKee added, “There are identity building brands that help teens communicate who they think they are. Everything, from color, to language, to product benefits—everything needs to be specific to teens.”

There are practical aspects to package design for this market as well, McKee pointed out. “Tweens have smaller hands so products should be scaled for them to hold packages comfortably. Kids are savvy about products and aren’t forgiving.”

The differences between kids, tweens and teens demand differentiated products. Cosmetic and personal care marketers courting the kids, tweens and teens markets are as diverse as the age groups they’re targeting.

L’Oréal launched its L‘Oréal Kids brand in 1997, having realized that there was no kids’ shampoo category. “There were lots of adult shampoos and baby shampoos, but nothing for three to 12-year-olds,” said Ellen Leikind, director of the L’Oréal brand that now includes 14 products.

“We wanted to create a fun, kid-friendly image that was colorful and new,” explained Pemra Atinc, manager of the L’Oréal Kids brand. “We wanted to give kids a reason to want their own shampoo and a way for moms to convince kids to sit still and have their hair washed.”

The package, which is bright and shaped like a stylized fish, is special in other ways too. Leikind said, “You can smell the shampoo through the bottle. At retail, it is placed at eye-level for our target audience and we attract them with the smell, the shape and the color of the package.”

Once the product is at home, kids can play with the package as it floats because it’s easy to hold onto. At present, the 14-item line includes seven shampoos, differentiated by hair type and special needs. There are also two conditioners, one styling gel, a detangler and three bath and shower gels.

Products that answer special needs work well, so in 2000, L’Oreal introduced the Swim & Sport formula and, in 2001, launched Long Hair, a shampoo for lengthy tresses. Fast Dry Shampoo will roll out in 2002, in two fragrances, pineapple and cool melon. It promises to help hair dry in less time.

This is a line that appeals to kids with bright colors and fun shapes in packaging, while winning over moms with formulas that are extra gentle, according to Atinc, who noted, “All the shampoos are two-in-one for cleansing and conditioning as well as formulated to be ‘no tears.’”

Jane, an Estée Lauder company since 1997, was started in 1994 by Don Petit, president of Sassaby, Inc., which was already marketing handy plastic organizers. Jane was created as a makeup line to fill those organizers.

The mass market line targets young women, ages 12 to 19, with an assortment of face, lip, eye and nail products, as well as a skin care collection called Good Skin.

Sandy Cataldo, president of Jane, explained that Petit saw an under-served niche and decided to fill it. At that time in the mass market, there were very inexpensive lines like Wet ‘N’ Wild with lipsticks retailing at about $.99 and more moderate lines like Revlon and Cover Girl priced at $6.50 and $4.39 respectively. Jane set out to fill the gap with lipsticks retailing at $2.99.

“There was never a complete line of affordable cosmetics for the 12-to-19-year-old market. Now, Jane is a brand that teens can claim for their own,” Cataldo stated.

Reasoning that many teens hover at the cosmetics counter in department stores but can’t afford those upscale lines, Jane chooses to model prestige line packaging. Cataldo stressed, “Our packaging all looks good and is quality, so our customers can feel proud of carrying the line. At the same time, it is clearly not their mother’s lipstick.”

Because newness and novelty is so important to this market, Jane introduces new colors regularly. At the same time, brand recognition is key, so packaging relies on basic black containers with different embellishments.

At present, Jane is sold in 13,000 stores including Target, Wal-mart and many drug store chains.

“We see tremendous opportunity in other categories,” stated Cataldo. New products include Iced Shadow, which launched in January 2002, with a unique formula and package. According to Cataldo, it’s a loose shadow powder with lots of water-cooling sensation. “It’s also very long-lasting and can be applied in layers to desired color,” she explained. “The package is a round canister with a built-in sifter. The customer can apply it with a brush or with her finger. And you can see the color through the package.”

Jane’s MegaBites Glossy Gloss is a flavored lipstick extension to the MegaBites line that will roll out soon. Cataldo said it will be flavored like the original, but will be packaged in a tube with an angled tip applicator so consumers don’t have to get the gloss on their fingers to apply it.

Mary Kay is courting the teen audience with its Velocity line targeted for 14 to 22-year-olds (or anyone with a young attitude), which began rolling out in July 2001. The body care segment of the line was launched in September 2001, completing the line of fragrance, color and skin care.

“Mary Kay’s market is the ‘heartland’ and, while we wanted the product to look trendy and current, we did not want to be so edgy as to offend,” explained Rhonda Shasteen, vice president of global marketing. “We feel we have a huge audience of Baby Boomer moms who share cosmetics with their daughters, but the daughters want products of their own.”

The line launched its first fragrance, also called Velocity, with a bright, energetic young woman in mind. Described as a “euphoric, fruity floral with an intense burst of tropical freshness from rare exotic flowers,” the Velocity fragrance was created by Quest International.

Before anyone smells the fragrance, the packaging is already communicating the brand’s image with orange accents for a feeling of boldness and energy. When resting, the bottle is purposely turned upside down to demonstrate the unexpected and set askew to depict movement, according to Shasteen. An iridescent finish indicates motion as colors change when the bottle is moved.

Mary Kay did a lot of research with focus groups made up of girls of the target age. Shasteen explained, “The research was the catalyst for developing the line. We packaged the skin care products in low density tubes that are very soft that the consumers said they wanted. Our colors are designed to read energy, youthfulness and vibrancy.”

If Mary Kay has targeted the heartland, Too Faced, a higher-end line of cosmetics that appeals to the young and hip, is after an edgier audience.

Too Faced was named by founder Jerrod Blandino, who first used the term while working behind the Estée Lauder counter at Saks. “Too Faced was a term for a woman who would have a breakdown if we were out of her favorite lipstick shade or foundation color. You know, they were just too wrapped up in their looks,” Blandino said.

With the title of chief executive officer/dreamer, Blandino began the company in April, 1998 after building his beauty resume, first as a sales consultant behind the Estée Lauder counter at Saks Fifth Avenue, then as a regional make-up artist in Hollywood. Frustrated with what he saw as a lack of creativity, he began mixing up custom blends for his clientele. When demand for these custom products became a full-time job, he created Too Faced to be “an irreverent, sophisticated and trendy cosmetic line for the fabulous hipster who demands the best, most glamorous and high-quality products available on the planet.”

The line, which is sold in more than 200 doors including Sephora, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Fred Segal in the U.S., as well as stores in Europe and Japan, targets “any woman or girl who wants celebrity style, trend-setting color, and the world’s most luxurious ingredients all wrapped up in chic packaging,” Blandino explained.

All design work, product to packaging, is done by Blandino, who said, “It’s just a trend or style gene I’ve got, I guess. I just do what I think is cool.”

Blandino’s partner, Jeremy Johnson, whose title is president/action man, is credited with taking the company from concept to reality. Johnson’s experience includes time as a business consultant to various fashion companies, including Armani. He began his cosmetics career as a business manager for Chanel and Estée Lauder.

Johnson, who handles all of Too Faced marketing, promotional and artist training programs, has managed to place the products in high visibility places including the television shows “Will & Grace,” “Sex and the City,” “Providence and “Felicity.”

Future plans call for expanding the line beyond the current products for eyes, lips, face and nails and possibly adding a fragrance.

Too Faced’s packaging is a text book example of what appeals to the teen market. Packaging colors contrast black with silver and feature many clear caps and lids that show off the bright shades of lipstick and eyeshadow within. Many of the packages are decorated with a cartoon face dominated by the eyes.