Minerals. Packaging. Leslie. Mention these three key words to anyone in the beauty industry—in fact, to nearly anyone in the United States with access to any medium from magazines to home shopping networks to the Internet to the mall—and undoubtedly the ubiquitous Bare Escentuals will pop into mind.

Minerals are, of course, the literal gold mine behind one of the most successful cosmetics companies in the country. Packaging for the products has hit a creative high, showcasing the brands’ offerings in irresistible cartons and cleverly named all-inclusive kits. And Leslie, as in Leslie A. Blodgett, the lifeblood and visionary—and now executive chairman of Bare Escentuals—stands out as perhaps the most influential cosmetics “face” ever, having personally sold vast multitudes of products by trailblazing—sharing her message via QVC and social media—and capturing the hearts of millions.

The San Francisco-based company offers skin care and cosmetics products under brands including bareMinerals; RareMinerals; Buxom and md formulations and in March, will launch a new “revolutionary” skin care line under the bareMinerals umbrella.

While the wide range of products maintains a cohesive look thanks to catchy names, bold graphics and discernable colors, there’s also a rebellious spirit that captures the essence of the company.

According to Nathan Pence, VP creative, Bare Escentuals, “We love the color pink—and we use certain fonts—but we break the rules whenever we want in order to add an element of surprise to make products individual and different. We try to treat each package uniquely; we identify each product, and then design a package that does it justice. At the same time, the products retain the same flavor and are easily recognizable.”

Packaging at Bare Escentuals is a “collaborative process between primary and secondary packaging,” says Pence. He explains that primary packaging is a mix between stock and custom, while all secondary packaging is designed in-house. The packaging team comprises six or seven people on the design end and includes copy and production.

There’s no doubt they succeed in getting the message across.

Consumers’ Top Choice

According to NPD research for the 12 months ending June 2010, Bare Escentuals was the No. 1 brand in mineral makeup in prestige department stores and the No. 6 brand in total makeup.

In addition, Karen Grant, senior global industry analyst and vice president, beauty, The NPD Group, notes that Bare Escentuals ranks among the top 10 on a number of important attributes to consumers such as: brand I trust, high quality, for someone like me, good for everyday use, and uses latest formulas/ingredients. They are also the No. 3 brand rated as “hot”—right after CoverGirl and MAC, and among women age 45-64, they rank as No. 2 behind CoverGirl.

The Right Foundation

In 1994, when Blodgett took over as CEO of the small bath-and-body company, she saw major potential in the brand that Diane Ranger, a pioneer of mineral makeup had started in her kitchen. Ranger departed the company for new mineral makeup ventures, and Blodgett went on to build an incomparable business model, focusing on the introduction of a “revolutionary” foundation she created, called bare-Minerals—foundation that she said was good for users and would actually improve skin—as it is composed of“100% pure bareMinerals with no additives and zero irritants whatsoever.” The product became a phenomenal hit, spawned a plethora of beauty items, and just a year ago, resulted in the sale of Bare Escentuals, to global giant Shiseido for $1.7 billion in cash, a deal which is likely to further catapult the progressive marketer to international fame and fortune.

The highly touted merger saw Blodgett resign as chief executive officer and assume that of executive chair and member of the Board of Directors, but no doubt she will continue her primary role as spokeswoman, for in many respects, she is synonymous with Bare Escentuals and key to its success.

Following the Leader

Grant describes Blodgett as a “dynamic force who helped to shake up the industry.” She says, “While using minerals in cosmetics was not really a new concept, Blodgett made it feel new.”
Lois Joy Johnson, beauty columnist and author of the soon-to-be-released The Makeup Wakeup, published by Running Press, says that Blodgett was on a winning path from the start, when she premiered the company’s original bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation, the product that remains the shining star of the expansive portfolio. To date, it has won more than two dozen industry and readers’ choice awards.

Not only did Blodgett change the way that many women viewed makeup, she guided them singlehandedly through the beautification process. She’s not just an authority on makeup, but relatable as the girl next door—and a trusted girlfriend.

Johnson explains, “Bare Escentuals bareMinerals hit a nerve with women from the very first infomercial with Leslie Blodgett for five big reasons: (1) It was a revolutionary face makeup texture—a powder that didn’t look ‘old’ or feel like makeup, yet managed to blur flaws and discolorations while improving the look of your skin; (2) the idea of a makeup based on minerals appealed to consumers who were tired of the same old claims and hard-to-understand technologies that were blanketing the market; (3) the price and packaging were sensible and there was an emphasis on performance; (4) Blodgett herself was non-threatening—she looked and sounded like your sister/neighbor/co-worker/best friend, and she showed women in clear, easy lessons how to use the product and why it was better than what they were using; and (5) the idea of a built-in sunscreen that was not greasy, didn’t feel heavy or mask-y and contained ingredients that would not encourage or exacerbate sensitivity—was simply irresistible.”

Packaging Done Right

While the formulas won over consumers, creative packaging proved to be a major contributor to corporate success, starting with the introduction of all-inclusive kits, and continuing with innovative applicators, package design and copy.

Grant describes Bare Escentuals as “a brand in which packaging has played an important part in getting the message across through the use of kits—which offer value through multiple cosmetic choices—and by making a clear statement about ingredients—all while maintaining a prestige look. Consumers say ‘I can try this’ [there’s an array of colors, it’s a good value].”

The Click, Lock, Go sifter prevents mineral powder migration and spillage.

Pence says, “Kits drove our business quite a bit. We were the first to do kits, the first to put together edited assortments to speak to feeling, color…”

Take the bestselling bareMinerals Get Started Kit, for example. Available in multiple varieties and at multiple price points depending on the outlet (retailer or TV) and number of products contained, it immediately connects with consumers, offering high value (tremendous savings over buying items individually) and“Everything you need for complexion perfection—from foundation to finishing touches—in one compact kit.” It even includes a DVD with tips and tricks. Step-by-step instructions guide consumers in how to select a shade, and a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered—even if the jar is empty. Emphasis is that it’s easy as 1-2-3 to get started.

Jerome Fraillon, now developer of primary and secondary packaging at Smashbox, formerly spent four years at Bare Escentuals in primary packaging development (in charge of innovation and packaging). He says, “The Get Started Kits created an ‘I want to be like Leslie’ community. A great face, a great product—it makes you want to be part of the brand, part of the community—and what a community it is.”

Leslie’s Loyal Community

In fact, Blodgett is so believable and so admired, that in addition to changing the way women use cosmetics, she has also redefined the notion of a customer base. Her loyal customers are referred to as fans, addicts and friends. She has nearly 5,000 friends on Facebook on her personal page, 180,000 on the Bare Escentuals page and more than 3,000 followers on Twitter. Her Angels are loyal users who sign up to receive products so they can test them and spread the word through blogs.

Pence notes that inspiration for the brands’ graphics often arise from these connections. He says cues come from “customer feedback—from Facebook, from Leslie, from all over. We’re a pretty diverse team—non-traditional—so inspiration comes from art, music, fashion—lots of sources.”

Robert Passikoff, Ph.D., founder and president, Brand Keys, Inc., NY, NY, observes that Bare Escentuals offers a connection that other cosmetics companies don’t. “There’s a more obvious and accessible arena for engagement with the brand and almost a social networking like feel to their site. Sharing stories and insights is a good way to create an emotional bond among customers and between customers and the brand. They do fun and educational events and that’s always a good way to initiate consumer brand involvement. They allow access to the [former] CEO, Leslie—again a more organic relationship for consumers.”

The emotional bonding pays off. Passikoff notes: “Loyal customers like these are six times more likely to buy more of the brand’s product, recommend and talk it up, and resist competitive offers. Not a lot of brands in this category can make the same claim.”

The personal connection also extends to the packaging. “Because the packaging goes straight to the consumer,” says Pence, “the company co-creates with consumers.” He adds that because Bare Escentuals is sold in multiple channels, the packaging ties everything together—the feeling of brand comes through the packaging. “We put a ton of energy and obsess over color, words, small details, what Leslie voices. “We really try to surprise ‘addicts’and give a twist. We throw in subtle details that our best customers may pick up such as a certain word or a handwritten note from Leslie.”

The new skin care line, for example, features brief notes signed “Love, Leslie” on the tabs that fold into the tops of the cartons.

Listen, Respond, Sell

Blodgett excels in her communication skills. In addition to her charismatic role as instructor in numerous how-to videos and her short notes in cursive writing wherever possible, she reportedly reads and responds to all comments received, and is said to converse with customers all day long, through social media sites.

Her passion and commitment have helped to troubleshoot any problems that have cropped up along the way.

Using loose powder, with its tendency to scatter, can be challenging for some. And when consumers voiced concern, Blodgett listened and took action, in time, developing innovative packaging—termed Click, Lock, Go—that made the product more usable than before. It’s a feature that’s now highlighted on the outer package.

Fraillon says, during his tenure, they used innovation in packaging to clean up the messiness—and keep the customer coming back for more. Not only did they solve the problem, Fraillon says the company was then able to re-promote the product with the new package and its clever dispensing system.

Click, Lock, Go, says Fraillon, was a very simple solution to a very complex problem. The name is self-explanatory: Click open the sifter component to dispense just the right amount; lock, so powder doesn’t migrate or spill all over your bag; and go, without a worry.

Moving forward, Pence says more products will add the Click, Lock, Go feature. He says it was a major change in componentry, and they went through a number of iterations to determine that the diameters, the clicks and the locks were just so.

Still, one of the greatest challenges facing the brand was that some people found the loose powders difficult to use—which is what perhaps led to a popular tutorial by Leslie and the wide-ranging use of the easy as 1-2-3 instructional term Swirl, Tap, Buff.

Though the company catapulted to fame partially due to the original foundation’s eight-word descriptor—“makeup so pure you can sleep on it”—copy has tightened on subsequent taglines, and many key points and instructions take on a pleasant cadence with three-word phrases (many of which are registered trademarks), including: Click, Lock, Go; Swirl, Tap, Buff; Try, Believe, Love; Try 1, Blend 2, Layer 3; and Twist, Click, Buff.

Blodgett herself is described as: dynamic, bold and creative. Smart, sassy and fun-loving. Loyal, sincere and honest.

Pence explains that the phrases are intentional. “Three-word phrases are ideal for educating customers on use—and for meaningful taglines. If you can communicate in three words, that’s good. Three has a rhythm to it.”

Twist, Click, Buff describes the application for Bare Escentuals’ BareMinerals SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen, an innovative sunscreen-in-a-brush package that received Cosmetic Executive Women’s 2010 CEW Beauty Award for Sun Product Prestige.

Mega-watt, high-intensity and electrifying stand out as three of the adjectives used by fans raving about bareMinerals High Shine Eyecolors, which Pence says is “one of our favorite packages.”

The carton features a polyhedron shape with a cutout to show the shade and, like the foundation and the sunscreen, High Shine’s applicator is also an essential part of the product. Described as “free of preservatives and chemical irritants, the velvety-smooth formula glides on effortlessly for an extra creamy, opaque finish full of glistening, foiled effects. Plus the convenient, cushion-tip wand allows easy, on-the-go application anytime, anywhere.”

Pence says the packaging, with its foiling and spot varnishing, “drove momentum throughout the entire company.” He adds, “It was a bit different—and it solved the spill problem. We always try to do something different.”

A New Focus

In 2011, a renewed focus turns to skin care. Starting in March, there will be a major rebranding of RareMinerals and a launch of a number of skin care products based on RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex, a “breakthrough” formula designed to absorb excess oil and eliminate shine for a matte finish that lasts all day.

While the packaging maintains the identifiable pink the company so loves, they have tied in a pretty sage green with patterns and faintly hidden words for fans to decipher. A limited launch on QVC was reported to have had an amazing response. The range of products, described as simple, super-effective, easy to use, will be sold in all the same channels as the makeup. Launched with the memorable tagline Skin Care Built on a Famous Foundation, and demonstrated personally by Blodgett—there’s no reason to expect anything less than success. After all, the motto on the box reads, in the company’s typical revolutionary, double entendre style: This Changes Everything.