Beauty and Cosmetics

While the quest for beauty is a timeless one, the definition of beauty has been undergoing its own evolution the past few years. One of the most visible examples of this has been Dove’s global Real Beauty Campaign. At the same time, consumers are more concerned about the products they eat, use and wear, with many becoming more inquisitive about organic and natural products.

Then there’s the U.S. baby-boomer population, still committed to looking its very best. It’s been noted that Americans, particularly focused on personal care, use an average of 10 such products a day. One thing hasn’t changed, though; looking good contributes to a person’s state of emotional well-being.

This $160 billion-a-year global industry, encompassing cosmetics, skin and haircare, fragrances, cosmetic surgery, health clubs and diet pills, presents both opportunities and challenges in the years ahead.

The opportunities include developing new products and redeveloping existing products to be more friendly to both the consumer and the environment. This challenge will impact branding: should a new brand be developed or should the new product be a sub-brand? Progressive companies will look at their entire brand portfolio for ways to optimize their to-market strategies. Europe has come closer to creating a standardized classification system for organic and natural cosmetics. And in the U.S., OASIS (Organic and Sustainability Industry Standards) are being developed. This will impact product labeling.

Beauty and cosmetics are a perfect canvas for Schawk’s capabilities. No industry is more demanding of its brand images, which must adhere to the aesthetic sensibilities of every marketplace they appear in – often worldwide – and must represent the pinnacle of artistry in retouching, image-building and on-press color management, often on difficult and cutting-edge substrates. There is no margin for error in beauty and cosmetics, and Schawk thrives on this, which is why our clients represent the very biggest in the industry.