Mary Kay Launches MK Signature

After nearly 40 years of pink packaging, Mary Kay is replacing its traditional color cosmetics line with the MK Signature collection featuring sleek, metallic packaging in a platinum shade.

In December, the company introduced the creme lipsticks (existing shades plus 12 new colors), lip glosses (new formula and eight new colors) and lip liners (existing shades plus three new colors). In March, a MK Signature compact will be introduced and, in June, other compacts, eye and cheek colors (new formulas for both), and the rest of the new line will debut.

MK Signature will include new shades and a broader offering of products–there will be 45 shades of eyeshadow–in order to deliver on the “temptation principle,” said Rhonda Shasteen, vice president of core business marketing at Mary Kay Inc. “Color cosmetics are often bought on impulse, so we must have a color to tempt every consumer,” Shasteen stressed. “There will also be more products to appeal to Hispanic and African- American consumers.

“We’ve made every effort to create a global palette,” explained Shasteen, to serve its worldwide audience. Mary Kay is sold through an international direct sales force of approximately 850,000 independent beauty consultants working in 37 different markets worldwide.

All the design work for the new packaging was done by an internal team, according to Shasteen. “The challenge was to create a package that feels like a little luxury. It has to read quality–almost jewelry.”

For a sleek effect, the primary packages feature platinum as the principal color with subtle gold accents. Lip liners will have a frosted tip that indicates when the product is running low. Even the outer cartons got a new look, now featuring a two-toned, hot pink heart pattern.

The new packaging is sourced from several suppliers, while the new formulas are all done in-house. MK Signature doesn’t simply look like a more high end product. The quality of the packaging has been stepped up. For example, the lipstick cases are now metal rather than plastic.

The name, MK Signature, came out ofsuggestions by the sales force, who were challenged to come up with a name that was sleek and modern, yet still fun and whimsical. The name MK Signature emerged from memories of how the late founder Mary Kay Ash signed notes with a simple “MK.” The word signature also ties into the idea that the product line promotes the personality of the wearer.