PARIS — Lancome’s latest skin care product, Absolue, is meant to tap into the 55-plus set and become the keystone to a new product line for that age group.
With Absolue, Lancome “wants to speak specifically to women 55 and older, whose needs are more focused on firmness, elasticity and radiance,” explained Odile Roujol, marketing director for the company.
“The creme is the first step in the Absolue franchise, in which this creme will be a pillar,” continued Fabrice Boe-Dreyfus, managing director at Lancome.
Absolue is expected to expand the reach of the company’s skin care lineup, explained Roujol, who noted that so far Lancome has targeted women under 35 with products like Vinefit and those 45 to 55 with products such as Renergie Lift Contour.
Absolue is said to combat changes to the skin due to natural aging, hormonal deficiencies and exposure to light. This is due to its extracts of wild yam, which purportedly nourish the skin; soy that stimulates the production of collagen, and elastin and brown sea plants that reactivate the synthesis of molecules in the dermis to improve firmness.
Significant product testing was done with the creme on 40 women aged 55 to 70, according to Lancome.
Results indicated that skin was 90 percent more moist after one month of treatment and 107 percent improved after two months of treatment.
Priced at $94.20 in France (dollars converted at current exchange rates) for a 50-ml. tub, the creme is Lancome’s most expensive skin care product to date. It is priced about 35 percent higher than Renergie, which at $61.40 for 50-ml. tub is a distant second.
But Roujol said she does not fear consumers will balk at the high cost, since consumer testing has proven women today are more tolerant of such high price points.
The advertising campaign will break at launch time, which will be in March for Europe, September for the U.S. and yearend for Asia. It consists of single- and double-page advertising that features a rose: One side of the flower is colored gray-and-white, while the other side is pink and in full bloom.