Customisation: It’s all about colour, bases and fragrances in 2017

So far this year, we’ve seen big household names such as Shiseido get onboard with personalisation preferences after it acquired personalised beauty app MatchCo to pursue its technological developments in the customisable cosmetics sphere.

The trend is also high on the agenda of LG H&H as it prepares to launch its customisable skin care solution brand, ReMede by CNP.

So as global leading brands set their sights on customisation, we asked Belinda Carli why the customisation trend is so popular?

“Consumers increasingly want what suits them and will address their specific needs so they are happier with their purchasing decision,”​ highlighted Belinda Carli, Director, Institute of Personal Care Science.

“[They] want products that work – specifically for them! Also for colour, they want what suits their tone/needs and they want to be able to adapt that based on skin tone and season,”​ added Carli.

Where’s the loyalty?​

Although customisation is tipped to feature highly in product launches and R&D efforts throughout the region, it is not likely to be the deciding factor when it comes brand loyalty as consumers must genuinely love the product first.

“Brand loyalty comes from loving a product, so even if a product wasn’t customised but they love it, they’d buy it,”​ emphasised Carli.

Despite this, the fact that customers have the option to customise their beauty buys may make all the difference between choosing that brand over its competitors’: “The chances of them loving a product because they could customise it to their needs, however, are made higher if they can adapt it to suit their needs/wants on any given day or as their skin tone/needs or season changes their specific needs.”​

A spark of daily innovation​

Customisation can come in a variety of forms and provides the opportunity for brands to up their innovation initiatives and calls for creativity.

Leading companies in APAC are, however, typically customising their product offerings through the use of colour, Carli states: “Packaging or palettes that enable consumers to adjust a colour product eg foundation slightly lighter or darker with a ‘dial up’ type packaging; or eg lipstick with colour concentrates on altering the shade of a base.”​

In addition, the use of moisturisers and serums that provide a “base product with concentrated actives the consumer can add to alter its performance to suit their skin needs at any time” are proving a popular choice among formulators.

Carli predicts that “we’ll see more of this in the coming year; soon see fragrance providing bases with concentrates for adjusting aroma to suit mood”​, to offer consumers a daily perfume that comes without the added price tag and inconvenience of purchasing multiple fragrances.

An opportunity for all​

The customisation trend is not just one for the multinational conglomerates with large marketing spends, as small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to utilise the power of personality to get ahead.

“Clever packaging and ideas are usually the way SMEs can compete with more standardised large company offerings,”​ Carli advises.

As more companies, both large and small, focus on building their online presences, Carli advises that “companies should make sure they make it available via both shopping options”​.

With consumers seeking guidance and information on application and varying styles to replicate,  Carli goes on to say that “any customised product should have a video readily available online to show consumers how to customise the product to make sure they get the results they are hoping to achieve — plus, it is also a great way to promote products”.​

The second part of this interview with Belinda Carli, Director, Institute of Personal Care Science, will be published on 7th February.