THE INNOVATOR ARTICLES
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LAUNCH A NEW BEAUTY PRODUCT?
For any new beauty brand, one of the first challenges they will come up against is trying to plan a firm launch date for their new product range.
So what sort of timings should you plan for when developing a new beauty product launch??
For years brands, suppliers and retailers have been quoted as saying it takes at least two years to develop beauty products. On the other hand, there are fast beauty brand who have launched in just a matter of months.
So, who is right? The answer is both - it depends on what you need and when you need it.
If you are looking at a major launch within a big corporate operation it could take two years or even more. There are often months of consumer research, concept ideation & testing, many stakeholders to engage and numerous boards to present to. This process alone can take a year, and you haven’t even started to develop the products.
Timing will also be dictated by the type of product you want to develop. If you are working on the next breakthrough in clinically proven anti-ageing you can go through months or even years of creating formulas, testing these and not achieving the results you need to. Or, if you want to develop a monograph product (a US registered drug such as SPF) there is a minimum testing requirement that can put development lead times up to 18 months!
The issue with taking two years is that you are missing out on trends and ingredients that are created, realised and done before the year is out. So how do you do it quicker?
The answer could be that the manufacturers have done the leg work for you. They have their own laboratories and scientists whose sole role it is to create the next generation beauty products - they are looking at the same trends as you and fantasising over the possibilities with the newest ingredients. If these ready to go / off-the-shelf products tick the boxes of your brief, then go for it! Don’t feel the need to tinker with something they have spent months crafting and perfecting.
The other way to improve your speed to launch is to work with one of these ready to go products but tweak (with something that is essential to your brand or consumer of course). This might be a shade of lipstick inspired by the catwalk or an ingredient that has to be present in all of your brand’s products. By working with formulations that are already developed and tested you not only reduce your development time but also your risk.
In summary, yes you can develop a product in a few months, or it can take 2 years. It all depends on whether your product simply needs to hit a current trend, and you can source a great ready-to-go product from a manufacturer, or whether you want to develop something truly innovative in the market.
THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH
HOW LOCKDOWN BEAUTY CHANGED OUR BEAUTY HABITS
We’ve seen consumer behaviour change while in lockdown, giving us a new perspective on the brands that really matter to us, and what we think we want vs what we really need.
Brows
With a focus on brows, Eyelure’s Dybrow is selling 1 product every 30 seconds (according to the brands spokesperson) and at a cost of only £7, we think this could be a shift in behaviour that will continue as beauty spend might be reined in for months following the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
Self-haircare culture
40+ days in and our normal routines are well and truly out of the window and whilst there seems to be a great divide in the approach to self-haircare – with some people willing to wait it out and get back into the hairdressers chair to get the roots bleached away (I’m speaking from personal experience on this one), others are definitely willing to give the home box dye a go.
Google have seen the search term ‘how to cut hair’ increased by over 600% and ‘hair dye’ by 250%. Amazon have seen figures climb across the beauty category – in their recent top 50 selling beauty products hairdressing scissors at #1 & #2 with sources sharing that haircare is experiencing an incredible growth rate and Google searches have increased by 250% since March 2020.
Lockdown has also seen an increase in celebs like Ellie Fannin & Lottie Moss dabbling with colour experimentation, with pink hair dye being the outright winner of the lockdown trend. We’ve also seen an increase in strange hair dying practices with food colouring, crayons and tissue paper. Creativity is alive and well!
But there is no question, covering our roots is a huge deal. Advice from trusted influencers on their DIY approach is working for brand like L’Oreal with Eva Longoria sharing her root covering journey (seriously who looks this good doing this themselves at home?)
More recently, the wonderful Nadine Baggott - who has always been a fan of colouring her own hair, took us through the steps necessary to ensure the job is done properly.
Bath & Body
Relaxation for mind, body and soul has never been so desirable, and bathing is seeing a refresh in its approach to product and mindset.
Lush have taken a fantastic direction to uplift and energise bathing fans with a 1hr 47 min soundtrack Chilled Baths and Bath Art (subscribe to their You Tube channel for more tracks). They also launched Lush Moods, a 15min meditation created to help users achieve their chosen state of mind whilst relaxing in the bath – must admit, just watching the video on You Tube, was incredibly relaxing! Fantastic content that really supports their consumers achieve a zen frame of mind! Bath bombs are seeing a surge of activity else where too with the Three Little Birds Handmade bath bombs in triple digit growth on Amazon.
Our collective lockdowns now appear to be changing shape, with easing of the rules in most countries relaxing a little on a weekly basis so it will be interesting to see how this affects our industry further.
One huge change will be the impact of the physical store, how we’re allowed to shop and how retailers will manage testers. Sephora have recently opened up a store in Paris, with a changed shape and approach and the local community seemed to have taken it all in their stride, but it feels like change in how processes on the shop floor is definitely needed if to provide full reassurance to customers that its safe to browse, test and buy.
THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH
HOW LOCKDOWN BEAUTY REGIMES HAVE CHANGED
Since the first day of lockdown, beauty consumers behaviour across the globe has radically changed. Whether it’s the products we are using, or how much time we are spending on beauty regimes, there is no doubt that lockdown has altered the way we think about our beauty products.
Perhaps the most significant change is the increase in skincare and reduction in make-up usage. Morning routines have instantly simplified - even for an all day Zoom meeting, applying a full make-up look has become a much smaller part of what we do when starting the day. Conversely, more usage of beauty products that we usually have less time for, or have purchased for the first time as a little pick-me-up, have totally changed our usual beauty routines.
So what are the products that are likely to be experiencing a new focus as a result of COVID-19? In this article, we cover the products that consumers are rediscovering, finding more time for, or trying for the first time. For beauty retailers and brands, it may be time to re-look at their role in future NPD plans as a result.
Skincare Masks
Even before lockdown masks were booming, and had been for several years. According to Statista in 2018 the global face masks market was estimated at $32 billion worldwide, and was estimated to grow to $50.9 billion by 2025. Innovative formats, ingredients, and price points from mass through to premium, delivered endless choice to consumers, even if we didn’t all have time to actually use one. However, lockdown has left a lot of us with more time on our hands, so why not add masks into your routine more frequently? There is also a mental health benefit to these products, as popping one on forces us to stop what we are doing for 15 minutes, relax and clear our minds (as well as our pores). Most of us have masks lurking in our bathrooms cabinets that we have rediscovered over the last few weeks, and we think this increase in usage will continue during and post-lockdown.
Eyelash and Brow Growth Serums
Anyone else wearing a lot less mascara at the moment? Consumers are using lockdown as an opportunity to have a lash detox if they are regularly false lash or extension wearers. Instead, focus has shifted over to lash and brow growth serums to improve the health and length of lashes. Although Revitalash and Rapidlash remain the most iconic offers in this sector, there are now plenty of other brands to choose from and price points are increasingly accessible. As consumers regularly apply or trial these for the first time, we think growth serums will be mainstream beauty staples during and post-lockdown (as long as they deliver on their promises).
BB / CC Creams and Tinted Moisturisers
Even before lockdown, BB Creams popularity had continued to grow as a multi-functional, easy to use beauty format. Future Market Insights had forecasted +9% global CAGR growth for BB Creams between 2019-2027. Over the last few weeks lockdown has increased consumer focus in these sorts of products, reflected in the influx of beauty press articles on top rated tints and creams to take the place of your usual foundation. Currently, there is simply less need for full foundation coverage, and those tints or creams that may have usually been reserved for holidays / weekends / the gym have become a more regular part of morning beauty regimes. These products are usually packed with skincare ingredients, so its a good time for brands to be thinking about how to update and focus their future offer with these products.
Hair and Nail Treatments
Like lashes, your hair and nails are likely to be experiencing a full beauty detox as a result of no access your your usual hairdressers and salons. Post-lockdown, there is no doubt that we will all be rushing back to cover up roots and nail growth. However, in the meantime there are lots of options to give hair and nails some well earned TLC to to improve health and vitality. With less straightening and styling, hair oils and balms are likely to experience a boost as consumers tame wild locks pre-video calls. Bare nails and cuticles are benefiting from vitamin packed oils and treatments.
Another output of this trend is consumers taking on the role of their usual beauty therapists, giving manicures a go with at home LED gel nail kits or home hair dyes. At the beginning of April, Forbes reported on a +23% increased in home hairdye and a +166% increase in hair clippers from the previous year in the USA. If consumers achieve successful results from their beauty DIY trials, its likely that DIY beauty behaviour and supporting NPD will be a key trend post-lockdown (more to follow on this later from the Be For Innovation team!).
Hygiene and Hand Care
Hygiene products are a global No1 priority to combat COVID-19, and post lockdown this isn’t going to change. With no sign of a vaccine for COVID-19, even when lockdown restrictions are lifted consumers will need to be incredibly mindful of preventing the spread of germs to prevent reoccurring outbreaks. Hand soap will continue to boom (and bar soap in general as a key format), as well as daily use of hand sanitiser gels. One to watch is what other formats could evolve from this, and what existing formats will need to incorporate hygiene claims to stay safe and relevant for consumers. More to follow on this…..
As a result of improved hygiene, creams and moisturisers to care for hands adjusting to all the extra cleaning will be present in everyday beauty regimes for the foreseeable future. Again, as a retailer or brand now is the time to think what your offer should be to support consumers in this vital future clean beauty trend.
Wellbeing Beauty & Self-Care Products
We are all having to find ways to cope with this extraordinary moment in history. Anxiety and stress levels are a key issue, whether we are worrying about loved ones, key workers, loneliness or financial issues. Although beauty can seem trivial at a moment like this, finding ways to take care of yourself and your health has never mattered more. With that in mind, wellbeing focused beauty products are a helpful support tool. As mentioned with masks above, products that enable you switch off and de-stress are important to consider in current and future beauty regimes. Bath oils, sleep aids such as pillow sprays, and body treatments are examples of self-care beauty products that encourage behaviour to relieve tension - taking a moment to calm, relax and regroup when you need to. We think is this current climate, self-care isn’t selfish - its an achievable way to find an oasis of calm in a crisis. This category will experience increased interest during lockdown, and offers a way to treat others post-lockdown with a thoughtful gift.
THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LAUNCH A NEW BEAUTY PRODUCT?
For years brands, suppliers and retailers have been quoted as saying it takes at least two years to develop beauty products. On the other hand, there are fast beauty brand who have launched in just a matter of months.
So, who is right? The answer is both - it depends on what you need and when you need it.
If you are looking at a major launch within a big corporate operation it could take two years or even more. There are often months of consumer research, concept ideation & testing, many stakeholders to engage and numerous boards to present to. This process alone can take a year, and you haven’t even started to develop the products.
Timing will also be dictated by the type of product you want to develop. If you are working on the next breakthrough in clinically proven anti-ageing you can go through months or even years of creating formulas, testing these and not achieving the results you need to. Or, if you want to develop a monograph product (a US registered drug such as SPF) there is a minimum testing requirement that can put development lead times up to 18 months!
The issue with taking two years is that you are missing out on trends and ingredients that are created, realised and done before the year is out. So how do you do it quicker?
The answer could be that the manufacturers have done the leg work for you. They have their own laboratories and scientists whose sole role it is to create the next generation beauty products - they are looking at the same trends as you and fantasising over the possibilities with the newest ingredients.
If these ready to go products tick the boxes of your brief, then go for it! Don’t feel the need to tinker with something they have spent months finessing.
The other way to improve your speed to launch is to work with one of these ready to go products but tweak (with something that is essential to your brand or consumer of course). This might be a shade of lipstick inspired by the catwalk or an ingredient that has to be present in all of your brand’s products. By working with formulations that are already developed and tested you not only reduce your development time but also your risk.
In summary, yes you can develop a product in a few months, or it can take 2 years. It all depends on your needs.
THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH