DSM tailors skin product positioning for Asian consumers

Introducing the product at the in-cosmetics Asia show in Bangkok, six months after its launch at the European show, Elodie Grand tells CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com the importance of using different language an promoting certain benefits to appeal to consumers from different parts of the world.

“It is vital to position products correctly in the market to appeal to consumers, as this will help our customers,”​ says the regional marketing manager for skin care and vitamins, Asia.

“By offering consumer insights it can make products relevant and position them in the market. And by creating stories it helps our customers communicate with consumers.”​

For DSM this means conducting consumer testing before every launch to get feedback on not only the product but also the stories around the product to see if they work, says Grand.

Targeting Asia​

Regu-Scence was launched in Europe as an active carefully isolated and purified from Asparagus which helps to delay signs of cellular ageing by rejuvenating skin and also protecting against UV exposure and oxidative damage.

When it comes to launching in Asia, DSM positions the product in-line with the anti-pollution trend which is very popular right now in Asia, particularly Korea and China.

Grand says that they can also push the same rejuvenating properties here too, but there is also the added bonus of being able to promote the skin whitening properties of the ingredient, which is another attractive aspect to an Asian market.

“In Asia we can use language such as ‘whitening’ as this generates big interest. In the US or EU, we are more likely to use words like ‘glow’, ‘radiance’, or ‘luminosity’,”​ she explains.

“This way we target the anti-ageing market in specific ways. In the West the active can be seen to target dark spots, whereas in the East it can be marketed as a product to whiten skin.”​