BeneFit Cosmetics is hoping consumers fall for the company’s upcoming makeup collection, Love Your Look. This spring, the firm will bring its trademark quick-fix, problem-solving style to a new color cosmetics line that includes products for lips, eyes and cheeks.
“We’re famous for our problem solvers, but we realized that we weren’t solving the biggest problem of all — color,” said Jane Ford, who with twin sister Jean Ford founded the brand in 1976. “People want a simple look, and we pared it down in a fun but sensible way.”
Five years ago, BeneFit introduced more than 90 items with its Marvelous Makeup collection. Without BeneFit’s signature flair and uniqueness, the line never caught on with consumers, according to Jane Ford. At the time, the Marvelous Makeup line accounted for only 3 percent of BeneFit’s overall sales. However, with the introduction of Love Your Look, executives are hoping that first-year sales will boost annual retail sales by 10 percent.
“In an industry where color is everything, customers are bombarded with eye shadows and lipsticks and don’t know where to start at counters,” said Jean Ford. “We’ve taken the guesswork out of looking gorgeous by defining makeup to match your lifestyle so you can’t go wrong.”
The Ford twins, cofounders and creators of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand, wanted to simplify the makeup-buying process by providing consumers with a well-edited color assortment. The line offers a wide array of color options based on skin tones, ranging from light to deep neutrals. The Fords had found the process of selecting colors according to seasonal collections to be overwhelming.
“It’s not about the color of your eyes and what you’re wearing,” said Jane Ford. “Most women wear one specific color so long until they can’t wear it any longer. Women are more into a lifestyle than a color to match an event they’re going to. Lifestyle is the one thing everyone can identify with, and it takes care of any nationality or ethnicity.”
Launching in May, the Love Your Look collection will contain an assortment of 39 stockkeeping units. With three looks to match consumers’ lifestyles and personalities, the assortment includes 24 lipsticks, 12 creaseless cream shadow-liners and three sheer cream blushes, with a set of powder shadows set to launch in the fall. Lana is aimed at consumers who prefer a “no-makeup” look, with a collection of softer and warmer neutral shades. Gabbi features a slightly more sophisticated, mauve color palette in medium neutral shades. Finally, Betty offers stronger colors like amber, mauve and berry in deeper neutral shades. The collection’s colors are designed to be layered and work together.
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“It’s all about buildable color,” said Jane Ford. “It’s not your heavy traditional makeup. You can be a Lana during the day and tart it up with Betty so you can get a date at night.”
Love Your Look will be available in BeneFit’s current distribution of 930 doors in 16 countries. Its 470 U.S. stores include Henri Bendel, Sephora, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Belk Inc. Currently there are 13 BeneFit boutiques, with a total of eight in Northern California and Chicago, and five in London and the surrounding areas.
At the end of last year, BeneFit was the sixth-ranked prestige makeup brand in the U.S., according to The NPD Group, and second in the U.K., said Jean-André Rougeot, Benefit’s chief executive officer. NPD said the brand is also one of the fastest growing with a 25 percent increase in overall business last year.
Although executives would not comment, industry sources estimate BeneFit is worth roughly $300 million globally.
Claudia Lucas, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of beauty for Henri Bendel, believes the launch is a necessary step for BeneFit’s continued success.
“BeneFit is great at quick tricks, and the fix-it products are amazing, but the reality is that customers still have to buy basic color products,” said Lucas. “Adding a whole new dimension makes sense, especially since consumers are already buying their fix-its. They’re smart to take it one step at a time, covering the lips, eyes and cheeks — the three areas women buy most. And the way the collections are designed around three color tones makes it easy to navigate and puts the customer at ease.”
To keep the company’s lighthearted spirit, the Ford twins decided to use mannequins as the collection’s models. The mannequins each capture a specific lifestyle with their appearances.
“They’re great to work with since they agree to everything and don’t talk back,” quipped Jane Ford.
The mannequins are featured on the products’ black-and-white packaging. To get a giggle out of consumers at the point of sale, the mannequins’ pictures slide out and contain playful wisecracks on the back, such as “Mending a broken heart? Makeup: it’s cheaper than therapy!” and “Pretty is as pretty does, has done and will do.”
BeneFit isn’t stopping with a new makeup line. With a new ceo, who came on board in September, the company has aggressive global expansion plans that calls for boutique openings in new markets over the next year.
By year’s end, BeneFit will enter Canada, China, Poland and Italy, in addition to expanding its presence in Germany and France. Early next year, the company also will open stores in New York and Colorado, as well as further grow near its home turf in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Pasadena.
“From an international point of view, last year was a milestone for BeneFit,” said Rougeot, who added that international sales accounted for over half of last year’s business for the first time, with the U.S. generating 48 percent.
Rougeot noted that Asian markets have accounted for more than 10 percent of worldwide sales since the company opened in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong over the last three years. He added that since the company opened in Spain at the end of last year, BeneFit has ranked third in cosmetics in El Corte Inglés SA, a Madrid-based retailer.