Today’s Beauty Paradox: Is Worthy Good Enough?

This month I thought that I would take a look at the naturals and organics market sector and why “goodness” is shaping the future of the beauty arena. However, as this is essentially a category in its infancy, most brands, or at least brand ranges, are relatively new. Therefore, I am going to discuss why the design of certain niche brands (rather than products) are ensuring market success and why for others there is a very real opportunity for design to build goodness and desire into them.

But first, let’s get back to basics. Why are naturals and organics so popular with today’s consumer? As ethically aware consumers wake up to the harsh realities of the ingredients list, they are seeking genuinely pure, natural products and brands that are “good,” not just “appearing good” through PR or spin. The niche brands, such as MOP, Jason Natural Cosmetics and Ren, that do holistic purity connect with the individual on a personal level and use honest communication to show real integrity and meaning. But, do they “say” desirability? Does the design and packaging sell them to us as major players in an increasingly premium marketplace?

MOP has been particularly revolutionary by introducing organic products into the hair care sector but the communication is perhaps too heavily copy driven and this, coupled with monochrome and standard structure packaging, gives the range a basic and functional positioning and does not promote the premium brand values we would maybe expect.

Similarly, US-based Jason Natural Cosmetics has now successfully infiltrated selective European markets but the brand image, while promoting the natural heritage of the product range, is more reminiscent of a child’s or teenager’s starter range of cosmetics due to its brightly-colored and almost “cartoon-like” images. Ren, however, is truly innovative in helping to establish and cement a true “naturals” marketplace and is selling well alongside the big brands in beauty departments throughout Europe. With no preservatives or chemical additives, the products are vacuum packed to avoid the risk of contamination when exposed to air. Although beauty products, they are almost regarded as luxury food products for the skin.

Ren: A Good Balance

Ren is one of the few new brands managing to balance worthiness and desirability and for many brands herein lies the rub. Brand owners wanting to move into or increase their market presence within the “good” beauty arena are facing a paradox. How does a company cement the positioning of a worthy product as a luxury, seductive and desirable brand? With brand success firmly rooted in the power of consumer desire, how do brands continue to evolve and incorporate a desire that matches and meets today’s need for “goodness?” What brand owners must not forget is that design and desire are remarkably similar words and are very closely connected if the former is done beautifully. In the product and innovation cycle, design is the key interface between brand and consumer and packaging is the tangible medium the brand has with which to communicate its message. There is the opportunity for all brands to move forward into the future and build goodness into their brands through design. Naturally, this is easier with some of the start-ups but does not mean that the established big boys cannot also capitalize on this trend.

This is obviously affecting the mass market sensibilities of the global giants who also want to piggyback on this trend. Some are investing in quick fixes and fads to capitalize on a short-term opportunity, producing more of the same and using naming and copy to market the refreshing, natural, pure and nutritional values of their product. Consider the Yves Saint Laurent Nutri Systeme that claims to deliver nutritional elements to the skin. Yves Saint Laurent has a good pedigree as a luxury cosmetics supplier offering the most advanced technical regimes and this is reflected in the somewhat clinical and sterile packaging for this product. In this instance, the nutritional and implied “good” values are not reflected in the packaging; the packaging and the product offer do not marry and the brand message has become confused and fragmented.

In contrast, the Dr Hauschka brand is going from strength to strength namely because it is a brand based on a unique ethos whereby the organic plant and flower ingredients are picked and processed at the optimum time of day for potency and efficacy—a slow, precise and human process. It is a truly holistic and individual offering with product, ethos and packaging working in perfect harmony to provide a “true” luxury experience based on a ‘pure ethos’ and not premium pricing.

And this is the other side of the coin with regard to this marketplace.

Express vs. Impress

If we look to the consumer to understand tomorrow’s desires, we see a consumer who is now looking to “express” rather than “impress;” a consumer who is valuing the luxury of experience over the luxury of things. Today’s consumer wants brands to provide them with the time and space to relate, connect and belong and to feel a part of the overall brand experience and what it represents. Many marketers of today’s successful niche brands realize that it is as much about taking time out as buying the product and are creating experiences and retail environments that reflect this. Brands which own their own retail space have complete control over their brand message so that the “well-being” and “goodness” benefit is integrated across all points of consumer interaction and their point of purchase materials are a visual representation of a truly integrated brand message.

For example, Jo Malone keeps its packaging simple, uncluttered and beautifully elegant. This is then reflected in the in-store experience where space and time greet you the moment you walk in the door. L’Occitane is reminiscent of the bygone era of the “apothecary” where you as the consumer feel very much a part of the brand and what it represents. Again, when you go in store everything has been carefully considered, the sales staff take the time to explain scents and creams. Stepping into their shops is as much about taking time out, as it is about buying the product. Not only is the product good but the brand is making the consumer feel good by providing a sense of harmony, well-being, happiness, intimacy… and, yes, true luxury and indulgence.

Clearly what all of the above examples do is behave, from start to finish, in the right way. It’s not just about the product, or the packaging but the whole thing—ingredients, people, process, provenance, packaging, POP, retail environment and the all important emotional factor. Indeed, the whole is very much greater than the sum of the parts. This is real integrity and real meaning and not just lip service or short-term solutions.Essentially, I would say that not many brand teams look at the bigger picture, nor consider the social issues and how this needs to be incorporated into the brand value and the brand truth.

A Holistic Approach to Innovation

Collectively, brand teams must take more responsibility for the positioning and promotion of products and ensure what they offer is holistic and not gimmicky. Swedish brand, Sjal Skincare, takes a holistic approach to innovation from new product development right through to packaging and promotion. Although the company does not currently have its own retail space, the brand positioning and promotion underlines the “perfect synergy of spirit, heart, mind and soul.”

As with Sjal, the challenge to designers moving forward will be to consider the totality of the packaging and reflect the natural state of the product in the packaging as well as considering recycling, convenience and environmental issues.Businesses are, in general, becoming more aware of the move toward “good” or “better” materials (biodegradables, post-recycled plastics, etc.), fair trade business principles or the adoption of a “CarbonNeutral” business policy. But, basically, goodness can only become a good and viable business proposition if it is good for the environment, the manufacturer and the consumer and for many brands there is still a long way to go.

So, is your brand really good enough? Above all, “goodness” is more than just skin deep and needs to be about behavior in everything the brand says, does and delivers. To be successful in the future, design needs to be firmly established at the top of the “good” agenda.