Pantone Picks The Beauty Colour for 2011
Every year the US-based Pantone Color Institute, the leading global authority on fashion and beauty colour choices, announces its most awaited decision: the official colour of the year that will dominate clothes and cosmetics for the next 12 months.
In 2010 the chosen hue was turquoise and in 2009 mimosa, or yellow as it is more commonly known, got the nod.
This isn't the usual wishful-thinking approach to trend-forecasting. Pantone's nomination of the colour of the year is the reason why the same colour suddenly erupts en masse at all fashion levels from Target to designer labels.
Neon brights have had their time in the sun, though, and Honeysuckle has been proclaimed the on-trend tone for 2011. Forget about fragrance for a moment, though. Pantone is talking about the reddish-pink colour which is the real reason why hummingbirds are attracted to the blossom, not the scent as most of us presume. There's a bit of a feel-good philosophy in the choice, too. According to Pantone, "In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum".
Be prepared for a flow-on to scent, however, says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, as she tips a wave of nostalgia from consumers of all ages.
Coty Expansion Strategy - The Big Picture
Over the past month Coty has acquired OPI, Philosophy and Dr Scheller, a German skincare brand. This week the shopping spree continued with the buy-out of TJoy Holdings, a major player in the Chinese market. The price? A cool US$400 million to gain access to TJoy's distribution network in China and increase Coty's R&D expenditure in the lucrative Chinese marketplace.
None of these purchases is opportunistic. New acquisitions are crucial to Coty as the company seeks to reduce its dependence on fragrance sales in a very uncertain global market. The OPI deal smooths the way into the professional nail care market and is a strong addition to the Rimmel London, Sally Hansen, Astor and Esprit nail businesses. Philosophy pulls in US$200 million in sales a year and is a key factor in building a strong skincare portfolio which already includes Lancaster, Pure Plant Extracts and Dr Scheller.
Coty is clearly preparing to pin future growth on developing markets which already account for 53 percent of global skincare and cosmetics sales. It's a next-stage development that could not be achieved if the company continued to depend heavily on fragrance sales.
Swift Move For COVERGIRL
January will be a busy month for Taylor Swift. Not only is the country crossover singer the star performer on the inaugural voyage of Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, she's also bowing as the new face of COVERGIRL NatureLuxe range in the US.
The new lineup marks the 50th anniversary of the P&G brand and, as the name suggests, the main strategy is to match a luxury feeling with simplicity rather than extravagance. It's a profitable message that will allow COVERGIRL to charge higher prices than normal, for products such as Silk Foundation and Gloss Balm with mango and shea butters.
L'Oreal Debuts New Concept in France
Although most of the communiques from L'Oreal's Paris HQ these days centre on expansion in developing countries, the world number two is not neglecting its bread-and-butter markets. The multinational recently teamed with Carrefour, the French supermarket chain that ranks as the world's second largest retailer after Wal-Mart, to become a major player in the new Carrefour Planet concept. The aim? To reclaim at least the illusion of exclusivity for the widely distributed L'Oréal Paris brand.
The L'Oreal Makeup Bars will be rolled out to selected Carrefour locations throughout France. In addition to showcasing the full L'Oréal Paris and Maybelline New York ranges, they will be used to host demonstrations and hair and beauty makeovers and will be manned by beauty consultants. There will be lots of new media "toys" from virtual mirrors to touch screens that allow consumers to digitally apply makeup. According to Sabine Depardon, L'Oreal's general sales manager in France, L'Oreal's French website will now restrict itself to product information only. Translation - how-tos and videos on the site have failed to woo French customers and the company needs to target them in person again.
Chandler Burr Accepts Landmark Appointment
Chandler Burr made history when The New York Times appointed the scent sage as its first-ever fragrance critic. In an even more prestigious career move, he's just become America's first Curator of Olfactory Art at New York's Museum of Arts and Design which enjoys the delightful acronym of MAD. There's nothing crazy about the institution's decision to become the first art museum to dedicate an entire department to fragrance - The Center for Olfactory Art - for regular exhibitions, programs, lectures, though.
The first major exhibition will be The Art of Scent 1889 to 2011, scheduled for the third quarter of 2011. Ten seminal fragrances from three centuries by such leading perfumers as Ernest Beaux ( maker of Chanel No 5) and Jean-Claude Ellena ( in-house "nose" for Hermes) will anchor the ground-breaking exhibition. Throughout next year anyone visiting the Big Apple can visit MAD for lectures and talks on new ingredients, trends and any other subject that examines the interplay of scent, lifestyle, design and popular culture.