Jane & Company wants to bring more mineral makeup to the masses.
Buoyed by the success of Bare Escentuals via direct selling and specialty stores, as well as the performance of three mass brands — Physicians Formula, Neutrogena’s Mineral Sheers and Bare Naturale by L’Oréal Paris — Jane thinks the time is right to go full throttle into minerals.
The line, called Jane Be Pure, will be on shelves in January. The original collection includes 11 stockkeeping units of mineral makeup and mineral powders. Those items will be followed up by Be Pure Mineral Eyeshadows, Blushes and Finished Veils, which are slated for an on-counter debut in April 2007.
Although Physicians Formula, Neutrogena and L’Oréal Paris have mineral products, Jane is expected to be the first full-scale collection at mass market prices. The other two brands are primarily face with some eye, as in the Neutrogena lineup. The difference with Jane will also be in its pricing.
“Jane is extending its product line to women who have never before used face makeup because of sensitive skin or a concern for heavy-looking foundation appearance,” said Lisa Yarnell, president and chief executive officer of Jane. With the addition of mineral items, Yarnell expects to attract new shoppers to mass stores without cannibalizing Jane’s existing base. “This opens up Jane to people not buying mass or who can’t afford the other mineral products out there,” said Yarnell.
Be Pure products reflect Jane’s midtier pricing strategy with all items priced under $7. Most mineral makeup products in the mass market are priced over $10, while the company setting the trend on fire, Bare Escentuals, retails for $20 and up. So popular is the brand that its initial public offering price has gone through the roof.
Like most mineral entries, the Jane items are talc free, oil free, wax free, fragrance free and pure mineral makeup. The products contain minerals that provide skin with essential nutrients for a soft-looking, healthy glow and anti-inflammatory properties to prevent skin breakouts. The makeup has a soft puff for no mess application. The collection has shades for most complexions.
When the shadows and blushes following the spring introductions, Jane Be Pure will be a full 50-sku line. Yarnell hopes to nab at least another foot of selling space for Jane.
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The timing could be fortuitous for Jane and other minerals entries. Retailers have some shelf space to spare as they rework planograms following the elimination of Vital Radiance and the compression of other nonperforming items. The mass market could use the boost that a variety of mineral lines could deliver.
Jane has been making steady increases under the watch of Yarnell who, along with investors, acquired the line in 2004. The brand is the fastest growing in the drug trade with 43 percent increases in dollars per sku over the past 24 weeks, according to ACNielsen for the period ending Aug. 12, 2006.
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Even independents can make a big difference when it comes to fund-raising. Ridgewood, N.J.’s mecca of drugstore beauty, Town & Country, held its fourth annual fund-raiser for Gilda’s Club last Saturday. More than $2,000 was raised during what Diana Dolling Ross, vice president and merchandise manager at Town & Country, dubbed a “makeupathon.” Paula Dorf was in attendance and she has created a lipstick called Gilda with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the club.
Ramy Gafni, a cancer survivor, was also at the event to help raise money for the club where he teaches makeup techniques. He wrote a book called “Ramy Gafni’s Beauty Therapy” to help women undergoing chemotherapy and radiation look their best. He is perhaps best known for his artistry with eyebrows. Howard Kaminsky, president of B. Kamins, also attended and has made generous donations via Town & Country to Gilda’s Club.