Sweet tarte: Girlie with an Edge

This indy brand, based on sound knowledge of what appeals to its audience, uses packaging to communicate a sense of fashion, fun and functionality.

By Janet Herlihy, Editor

Knowing what your consumer wants is essential in the beauty business and even more critical for a small, independent brand.

Consumer insight was a key advantage for Maureen Kelly, founder and chief executive of tarte Inc., when she set out to build her color cosmetics brand. Kelly had earned a Masters degree in psychology and was working on her PhD when she decided to create a fun, fashionable line of products. As a young, sophisticated, well-educated female, she was already a member of tarte’s target audience, while her education gave her even deeper insight.
Kelly had experienced the frustration of not being able to re-create the look achieved by a makeup artist, even after buying all the products used in the demonstration. “There were too many products and the lines catered to makeup artists rather than real women,” Kelly noted. “I decided to create my own line that would be easy to use, portable and great looking. I was always interested in fashion and accessories, which translates easily to packaging. If you are spending $16 on an eye shadow, you want to pull something chic out of your bag,” Kelly explained.

The tarte products are versatile and the packaging is functional as well as fashionable, while always reflecting the brand’s image. Kelly stressed, “The packaging for tarte communicates ‘girly, sexy, and sophisticated.’”

Established in September 2000 with a launch at Henri Bendel in New York City, tarte is now available in 20 states, Washington D.C. and Canada. The line of 230 cosmetic and accessory items is offered at upscale department stores including Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel, and in specialty stores such as Sephora. It is also available online at www.tartecosmetics.com.

The Birth of a Brand

Knowing what you want and knowing how to manufacture it are two different things. “We went to a few suppliers and told them our ideas. People were willing to help and excited about doing something different,” Kelly said.

She approached Qualipac with a number of example compacts, explaining that she liked various elements of each and would like to combine the features into one package. She approached Camilla A. Taft, and Leonie Lau at Qualipac (both are no longer with the company) with fabric swatches in hand and a mock up of something she made herself. She explained to them that she wanted to combine the features of a variety of compacts into one. The compacts needed to be portable, have a full size mirror and be versatile enough to change with each fashion season.

Packaging for tarte is unique. Kelly said, “We use some custom molds and some stock molds. Then we came up with the idea of using fabric and other embellishments. At that time, only Stila had a paper compact. We wanted to take it further. We use medallions and all kinds of texture and materials. I go into the garment district to explore for new materials.”

Tarte strives for consistency. All products should fit the brand—for tarte that means being unique, travel friendly, fun and dual-use if possible.

Keeping tarte New

Kelly strives to develop products that are edgy and fun as well as portable and functional. Introduced in March 2005, the limited-edition “hookup handbag” contained all the elements for the single girl’s night on the town, including a Jake & Samantha double-ended lip gloss, the “French tickler” (a feather brush used for applying glistening powder), and a signed copy of The Hookup Handbook, by authorsAndrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler, all enclosed in a chic leatherette clutch with a removable brooch.

New this spring, powder bronzer is packaged in a square compact covered in bronze-toned “croc” textured leatherette. A fine, double strand of bronze-toned chain—inspired by body jewelry—embellishes the top. Hidden magnets are used to hold the compact closed.
Tarte pays attention to the details. The carton, in the brand’s signature shades of violet, features a stylized sun, the center of which is a die-cut window revealing the bronze “croc” fabric and chains.

“We are always looking for ways to do things differently,” Kelly added. “Right now, vintage is hot. We put our lip balm in an oblong tin, which was a winner in this year’s CEW Beauty Awards’ Lip Product under $12.50 category.”

The tarte operation is small with a 15-member, all-female staff that strives to do it all. Almost all design is handled in-house with the staff even making their own mockups, according to Kelly. “Women use cosmetics every day,” she said. “They should be fun and have a feeling of custom-made.” Packaging is now sourced directly from a factory in China by Leonie Lau, who is now tarte’s vice president of operations and speaks both Mandarin & Cantonese.
For the future, tarte will continue to think outside traditional ideas to serve its customers. “We’ll continue to make tarte fun and chic with lots of little extra embellishments that translate fashion from the runway to the line,” Kelly stressed. “For longevity, you must fill a need and make it easy. To create a winning product, ask ‘what would make the routine easier?’ We modernized cheek stains by developing a gel and putting it in a push-up package. We are practical. We do the bag test. Carry whatever it is and see what happens. A suede package didn’t work very well. Sometimes, we work backwards—find a great package and then find a way to use it.”

“Inspiration comes from everywhere,” Kelly concluded. In order to maintain the brand’s fashion leader position, she stays current with Pop culture through television shows and movies (several products pay homage to 1980s cult classic TV shows and movies), websites (i.e. vanitytreasures.com) and trade shows (Premier Vision in Paris).