Whole Foods Market is getting cosmetics right, naturally. Mineral Fusion, an all-natural mineral makeup line, is launching in 152 Whole Body sections of Whole Foods stores Nov. 8. Whole Foods executives collaborated with the maker of Glominerals, Caleel + Hayden, to create a color cosmetics brand that aims to bring both beauty and healthy skin to its users.
The 106-item line is a colorful collection of concealers, loose and pressed powders and deep, bright shades of eye shadows, blush, bronzers and lip color. Prices range from $15 for eye pencils and mascaras to $37 for pressed powders. Michael Rapport, a regional coordinator for Whole Foods, oversaw the Mineral Fusion project and believes the line’s depth of color is its real standout feature. “Mineral colors are saturated by nature, so we were able to get very deep and intense colors, like reds and browns,” he said.
Also noteworthy are ingredients that are absent from Mineral Fusion. In following Whole Foods’ strict quality standards, parabens — antibacterial agents said to be carcinogenic — are a no-show. “Not only did we take out the things that we thought were damaging, but we replaced them with things that are actually beneficial to the skin,” said Rapport, such as white tea, red tea and pomegranate. Each is said to perform a dedicated service for the skin; for example, red tea is said to tighten the skin. Carmines, a colorant extracted from beetles, is also absent. “It seems wrong to crush another animal just to make ourselves look better,” said Rapport.
Mineral Fusion is a convergence of ideas from the Whole Foods team and Caleel + Hayden.
“Our customers were telling us that they weren’t satisfied with [what is currently on the market,] and we knew there was obviously a need,” said Rapport. So Rapport turned to Caleel + Hayden, the firm which created Glominerals, a mineral makeup line sold in spas and derm offices.
Meanwhile, Caleel + Hayden was already working to develop a mineral cosmetics line to be available to the retail market. Robin McGee, vice president of business development for the company, commented, “Having worked with mineral makeup with our Glominerals line over the past four years, we really understood the demand from the consumer. When Whole Foods came to us, we mentioned to them our plans for a retail line. They huddled and almost immediately called us back.” Caleel + Hayden worked within Whole Foods’ quality standards. “Working with them made the products much better,” said McGee. “We had to go back and work to get the intensity and the purity.”
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Mineral Fusion is launching in 152 of 187 Whole Foods locations. “We felt it was important to have the whole line in stores, so only stores that could support that received the product for the launch. We wanted the consumer to see all that was available when they walk in, but depending on its success we may change our minds,” said Rapport. The line will be exclusive to Whole Foods Markets until March 2007, after which, McGee said, Caleel + Hayden executives plan to expand to a wider market, though not into drugstores or organic retailers similar to Whole Foods.
“We are having conversations with Sephora and Nordstrom, but we’re not sure yet where we’re going to go with it,” she said.
Industry sources estimate Mineral Fusion will reach $10 million in first-year sales, including sales from additional vendors.
Future plans for the brand include holiday gift sets and the introduction of new shades every quarter. “Our other lines were stagnant,” said Rapport. “We’re going to keep up with fashion as it changes.”