Cosmetics makers pitch new image of beauty
Why would a woman of a certain age take makeup advice from a youngster in a micro-miniskirt at the mall?
Revlon
asked that question, and in response the cosmetics giant has launched a
whole new brand aimed at boomer women called Vital Radiance. The
company is hoping to add $200 million in new sales to its $2.5 billion
business.
So why separate Vital Radiance from the well-known Revlon brand?
"It's
a different consumer group with specialized needs, that we wanted her
to know this is for her," said Executive Vice President Stephanie
Klein-Peponis. "It's not about turning back the clock. It is about
getting her the formula, the system, the shades and the tools to
optimize what she has today".
Can the 50-plus woman be beautiful?
Absolutely, says Peponis. And the beauty business is banking on it —
from cosmetics to skin care to fashion. Older icons — from Christie
Brinkley to Bob Dylan — are being enlisted to pitch a new standard in
beauty.
"I think one of the great myths that we have is that women
don't age as well as men, said Sallie Foley, author of Sex & Love
For Grownups. "If you look around, women are aging fantastically."
In
fact, market research finds boomers on average see themselves as 12
years younger than they are and plan on living longer than their actual
life expectancy.
"If you have a product or service or company that
can help boomers fulfill that quest for vitality in any aspect, you'll
be successful over the next 30 to 40 years," said Matt Thornhill,
president of The Boomer Project, a market research and consulting firm.
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