Private Label Magazine - November/December 2011

Bathing Beauties

By Jamie Grill-Goodman

Store brand beauty care lines are far from generic these days, in fact, with some of the recent high end lines added in the last year it’s hard to tell which products are store brands at all.

CVS, Woonsocket, RI, is one retailer that is promoting its store brand beauty care lines heavily these days. The retailer recently launched Nuance–an exclusive beauty collection co-developed by actress Salma Hayek and CVS–full of more than 100 products within four categories: skincare, cosmetics, hair care and body. The retailer defines the line as “premium, yet approachable” and prices range between $2.99 and $19.99.

“I wanted to create a line of premium beauty products that were both effective and affordable using the ingredients and knowledge passed down to me from my grandmother,” said Hayek in a press release. And she’s done just that.

Quinoa Smooth & Shine Conditioner with wheat protein and olive oil sounds more like a food than a conditioner, but claims the rich nutrients produce a “lustrous, silky shine.”

In one store Private Label visited, the line had a shelf tag advertising that if shoppers buy $20 worth of any Nuance product they would get $10 in extra bucks. Products in the deal included natural sounding choices like wheat protein volumizing foam, medowfoam seed leave-in treatment, and colorful shampoos and conditioners packaged according to use, such as Nuance Color Protect Conditioner packaged in an orange bottle and Volumizing Conditioner in green.

In addition to Nuance, shoppers can find the retailer’s Christophe Professional and Bioluxe lines in the hair care aisle, which were also being heavily promoted in the store. Bioluxe products carried a buy-one-get-one-50%-off shelf tag, while Christophe had a shelf tag offering 2/$15 or $8.49 for the line’s shampoos and conditioners. Christophe Professional shampoo/conditioner options include volumizing, color extend, glossing, and hydrating. Hair care options include products like Argan oil treatment, hairspray, curl balm, spray tonic and more. The Bioluxe line offers polishing, color protect, smoothing, and volumizing shampoo. Hair care options range from curl perfecting spray to volumizing mouse root lifting foam with prices on the higher end, such as $8.49 for Biolux defrizzing treatment with Pro-vitamin B5.

CVS has also been loud about its Essence of Beauty line as of late. In one store the retailer had a special display filled with bathing products from the line, such as moisturizing bars, body mist, body and hand creams, shower gels, antibacterial hand soap, and Eau de toilette. For holiday shoppers, the display included gift bags made from 75% reusable materials for the products and Essence of Beauty gift cards, which are good for any products at CVS.

The mesh body sponges in the line included a free sample of shower gels, which have a red “extra enriched new formula” call out on them. On top of the free sample was a coupon to save $1.00 on any Essence of Beauty skincare product. In another store the samples were seen attached to Essence of Beauty tote bags for $14.99. The products in the line come in interesting scents like Midnight Blossom, Tropical Papaya, Japanese Garden, and Sunblossom.

Skin & Hair Care

Rite Aid, Camp Hill, PA, has been restructuring its entire store brand portfolio by launching six new brands; among these is Renewal, its new beauty care line with a more contemporary design. Renewal covers a wide range of beauty care products, such as detoxifying cleansing towelettes, eye makeup remover, cosmetic applicators, nail polish remover, and tools such as tweezers. Most products are packaged with the line’s signature flower design.

While some bath tools can be found under Rite Aid’s Pure Spring line, there are also some of these products under the Renewal brand, such as a Renewal Pumice Stone or Renewal Body Puff Dual Texture, which is similar to national brand Ecotools, but 50-cents cheaper.

Rite Aid recently ran a buy-one-get-one-50%-off sale on Renewal skin care products. The private label skin care category is doing well according to SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, IL, according to data from Supermarkets, Drugstores, and Mass Merchandise Outlets (excluding Walmart) for the latest 52 Weeks Ending Sept 4, 2011. Private label facial anti-aging is up 24% to over $51 million, but has barley scratched the surface with a 1.5% share. Private label acne treatments are up 15% to over $28 million with an almost 3% share.

Rite Aid Renewal skin care products include makeup remover towelettes, daily moisturizing continuous spray, and deep wrinkle night cream. There are plenty of products for clear skin as well, like Renewal deep action cream cleanser to compare to Clean & Clear brand, and Renewal acne wash daily scrub to compare to Neutrogena. Renewal acne wash cream cleanser sat next to Rite Aid brand clearing scrub in one store, with the Rite Aid scrub in a plain white tube.

Walgreens, Deerfield, IL, offers a range of skin care products as well. Among them shoppers will find the new W brand 3 Step Acne System with rejuvenating mask in a box kit. The kit compares to Proactive and retails for just $14.99.

At a Supervalu, Eden Prairie, MN, Acme, shoppers will now find Equaline skin care products to compare to national brand Olay. Equaline anti-aging Regenerating Night Cream costs $18.99 compared to $23.79 for the Olay brand. In a fancier package, Equaline anti-aging Regenerating Micro-Remolding Cream compares to Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. The product comes in a box with clear panel to see the lustrous red jar with silver top inside.

Shampoo and conditioner at Acme had a “national brand quality for less” shelf tag. The Equaline options compare to Pantene, in options like Equaline Nature’s Blend Moisture Control conditioner to compare to Pantene Nature Fusion Moisture Balance conditioner. This shampoo won a PLMA 2011 Salute to Excellence Award for the Personal Care & Toiletries catagory. The store brands are made to look like Pantene and blend into the shelf, but the savings stand out with Acme’s costing $3.19, while Pantene was on sale for 2/$7 but retails for $3.99 normally. Other options included Equaline choices to compare to Pantene medium-thick, curly dry to moisturized, 2-in1 classic care, fine hair solutions, and flat to volume.

Target, Minneapolis, MN, has an affordable line of Up & Up brand shampoos and conditioners out. Bright-topped bottles come in color protect, curl enhancing, smoothing, and volumizing. The paraben free options use natural ingredients like sunflower extract found in the color protect version.

Walmart & Loblaws

Walmart’s, Bentonville, AR, Geogirl beauty brand targeted towards generation Z was recently found in one store advertised on its display as “new” products. The display read: “Natural ingredients put the Up in Makeup.” Products have text speak names like VBS [very big smile] lip-gloss, QTP [cutiepie] mineral blush. Other options included mascara, eyeliner pencil, cream shadow, moisture tint with spf 15, mineral powder, body mist, and more.

Geogirl features planet-friendly packaging. In addition to using materials such as easily recyclable plastics, renewable corn and recycled paperboard, the outer package is designed to have a second life. Each card is a keepable and collectable booklet filled with how-to beauty and environmental tips.

The website, geogirl.com, is up and running and describes the line as “fun, good-for-skin makeup for lips, cheeks, face & eyes & great skin care made with healthy, natural ingredients like White Willow Bark, Chamomile, Lavender & Calendula & Ginseng, 2 name a few.”

The 69-SKU collection with retail prices ranging from $4.29 to $6.39 will now be available online to drugstore.com shoppers, according to drugstorenews.com, but is only available in Walmart retail stores.

There have also been several reports that reality star Bethenny Frankel will be offering her new Skinnygirl Face & Body Solutions and Skinnygirl Mommy at select Walmart stores in November. According to reports, her foray into the beauty segment will include such products as facemasks, lip-glosses and fragrances. The fragrances reportedly will smell of her Skinnygirl Margarita and Sangria cocktails. All 30 items in the collection will be priced under $15 each.
Walmart also popped up in ShopSmart magazine's test of 14 name and store brand body lotions (in the October issue, from the publisher of Consumer Reports). The test found Walmart's Equate Moisturizing Lotion, a copycat of its top pick, Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, was the only store brand that stood out in its tests.

"Store brands typically do well in many of our other product tests," said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. "However, their performance in our test of body lotions was mostly underwhelming."

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, $10.50 for 16 ounces, was tops in its tests, and Walmart's copycat Equate Moisturizing Lotion is priced at $6.50 for 16 ounces.

Apparel brand Joe Fresh from Canadian retailer Loblaw Companies, Toronto, ON, is set to enter the U.S. with several stores this fall. In 2009 private brand Joe Fresh branched into bath and cosmetics products, according to an article on nationalpost.com. Mr. Mimran, creative director of Joe Fresh, said in the article, the brand receives frequent requests from fans in the U.S. who have heard about Joe Fresh clothing and cosmetics from friends and family in Canada “and they keep asking for us to open stores south of the border.”

Beauty products on the Joe Fresh website include cosmetics for eyes, lips, face and nails, as well as accessories like brushes and blotting papers. The Joe Fresh Bath line includes $5.00 body butter, wash, balm, mist or polish; colorful glycerin soaps; hand soaps in scents like nectarine for $4.00, with one-litter refills available for $6.00; and Wash & Go travel packs. The packaging of the line focuses on shockingly bright colors that would liven up any bathroom. Product descriptions are written in a white font in both English and French.

Spa Style

Trader Joes, Monrovia, CA, offers several beauty care products in upscale packaging under its Trader Joe’s SPA line. Products offered include natural facial cleansing pads, gentle facial cleanser, antioxidant moisturizing face lotion, and face wash. Products have bright labels with illustrated designs and state they are produced without animal testing or by-products. The line’s 100% Pure Jojoba oil won a PLMA 2011 Salute to Excellence Award for Spa Treatments. The multitasking oil is used for cleansing, softening skin, moisturizing, and removing make-up.

Private label bath/body scrubbers/massagers are up 78% to over $35 million, with a 40% share in the category.

Kmart, of Sears Holdings, Hoffman Estates, IL, offers spa-style beauty products under its Image Essentials line, including an exfoliating bath sponge, cotton moisturizing gloves, and a massaging back brush. Rite Aid offers its Pure Spring line, which includes a large selection of spa products, such as loofahs, bath gloves, and a 3-in-1 aromatherapy relaxation kit with a mask, ear plugs and lavender aroma insert.

Kroger Co., Cincinnati, OH, continues to offer its Mirra health and beauty care brand to meet different needs: Daily - routine personal care; Renew - a rejuvenating time out; and Inspire - quick transformations for a night out. The retailer’s Mirra Retreatments Face Exfoliation Kit comes with nine loofahs and one sea foam sponge to rejuvinate and refreshen skin. What’s interesting is on the package a five-dot system shows shoppers the level of exfoliation of each product (the loofahs gets three shaded in dots out of five, while the sea sponge gets only one). The back package reads: “Mirra Retreatments takes you to a place where you’re pampered from head to toe.”

H-E-B, San Antonio, TX, lists Hill Country Essentials body washes and Hill Country Fare gentle and soothing hand soaps under new products on the retailer’s website. The retailer says, “From Deep Moisture to Sensitive Skin, our body washes are good for you and your budget.” Hill Country Essentials offers a complete line of personal care products for men and women.