all about the brand
my first attempt at understanding the complexities of today’s beauty industry
i tend to be very loyal to the brands i buy from. at the end of the day, i’m not only buying something to own the product, but also a piece of the brand’s ethos.
in my opinion, innovation in the beauty industry has slowed. brands are just copying what works for another. how many more jelly blushes do we need?! but due to this, marketing matters more than ever. it’s how they build that customer loyalty, so that their consumer chooses their jelly blush over another’s.
as a consumer, i tend to be drawn to educational marketing. you best bet i’m watching every ingredient breakdown or cost analysis all the way through. this is a fine line though. along with this comes the spread of severe misinformation. people whose medical knowledge spans to high school biology talking about chemical reactions, “holistic” wellness influencers touting magical ayurvedic solutions for every issue in your life, etc etc. you know what i’m talking about. you’ve fallen for it. i have. i will never forget my greens powder phase in sophomore year of college - i was convinced it would clear all my breakouts. at the end of the day, marketing is about selling for these brands. what is the shock value they can deliver so that their consumer runs to sephora the very next day? and so, without any medical professionals truly involved in the conversation, they throw around bold claims and cite “innovative technology” all to get us to believe they’ve built the next healthy! life changing! never before seen! lip gloss. eye cream. cleanser. you name it.
and it’s frustrating as a consumer. over the last few months, i’ve become hyper aware of all the INGREDIENTS i have been lathering on my face. even 4 skincare products is equivalent to having 40 unique ingredients on my face at a time. what is the reaction between all of these? what are the long term effects? are these ingredients truly safe?
until i find that answer, i rely on the brands that try their best to inform their consumers. cocokind is a great example, a brand rooted in community. the back of their packaging always has breakdown of their ingredients based on what they do. head to their instagram and you’ll find so many product development videos showing what’s happening behind closed doors to make the products on the shelf, etc. that matters to me. that makes me want to give them more of my dollars.
anyways, scattered brain dump but it begs the question - is their any more product innovation left in beauty, or is it all about the brand now?