I had something else queued up to post for this week but after reading another newsletter, I felt the need to write this one and share while it was relevant in my head.
Recently I read a newsletter (one I genuinely enjoy) that critiqued a of couple brands I like - and while every opinion is valid, there were certain things called out that felt concerning to me. The article shared negative product experiences, high price points, brand’s spend on marketing, and lack of sustainability efforts but this felt out of context. There is an inherent bias to the way it’s structured. What about the feedback of those who have bought those exact products and had positive experiences? Specifically I want to use today’s newsletter in reference to two women owned make-up brands, namely Westman Atelier and Violette_FR.
I am really really really tired of seeing negative pieces on brands that are women owned. If we are going to call out the price points of brands like Westman Atelier or Violette_FR, then let’s level the playing field. There are a ton of legacy luxury beauty brands that have the same formulation for their drugstore version as they do for their department store version yet I don’t see an outcry on price difference. Women entrepreneurs don’t get the funding from VCs they deserve and anything we as a society do to make it harder is just plain unfair. We as a society seem to have such low tolerance for women who are doing things that men in their c-suite roles have been doing for decades.
What is the worth or value of a product you buy? How do brands decide that $ number? How do you and I as a customer decide to hand that money over for said product? You could argue that money is made up, everything is made up and we are all in a simulation and that would be end of the conversation. Or we can look at supply and demand curve or price elasticity and get super nerdy.
But what about things that might feel subjective yet are critical in assessing the “value” or “price point” of a product?
I am not here to say you can’t find faults with brands. I don’t own or plan to buy every single product either of these makeup brands launch. What I am here to say is that you can’t fault a small brand or call it gimmicky for spending money on marketing/packaging, the price points or if the formula doesn’t work for you specifically. If a small brand doesn’t spend money on marketing and try everything PR stunt they can, they are going to be drowned out by the mega-brands (who btw also are spending insane amount of money that you see on marketing but also money you can’t see on lobbying etc.) Most small brands would rather spend on product development than sink money on marketing, hoping and praying that the ROI (return on investment) pans out positively. For context, legacy luxury and drugstore brands pay millions to celebrities (WHO DON’T EVEN USE THE PRODUCT!) to be in their ads and campaigns.
Throughout my career, it’s been my job to help brands market their product strategically based on consumer insights. And when I help the teams set a price point, it’s not picking a number from the sky. It’s based on many factors, often including multiple risk analysis. I have run countless conjoint studies to help brands figure out the best combination of product features and pricing that consumers are actually willing to pay for. Most brands desperately want consumer to be happy with their purchase so that they come back as repeat customers, especially given the CAC (customer acquisition cost) being as high as it is these days.
For many small brands, the pricing strategy is also critical to ensure that the company can keep its lights on and pay their employees and manufactures. Everything has a cost and for small brands that have low MOQ (minimum order quantity), that cost is higher than for say a CPG mega-house that you find in drugstores, since manufactures can charge a premium when you order smaller quantities, as most small brands often do.
And now for brands with product formula that don’t work for you. You know the solve for this? More small brands with a variety of formulas, one of which might work for you and me. If we want to rewind to the “good old day” before these small, makeup brands existed, you might have found “more affordable” makeup at a drugstore or department store, but what you often didn’t find is formulation that was safe (I recognize ‘safe’ can be defined a multitude of ways) or colors that spanned a spectrum of skin tones.
I've spent hours, days, and weeks sitting with founders and C-suite leaders, pouring over NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), reviews, survey feedback, and various consumer insights and analysis.We review everything a brand or product is doing well, but we also dive deep into the factors that have raised concerns among customers.There's always two sides to a coin.
But what should a brand do when half of its customer base loves a product, yet a third hates it — and is very vocal about it? Do the opinions of those who love it no longer matter? (Hello, Glossier lip balm reformulation! FWIW, I actually preferred the new formula since petroleum-based products trigger my perioral dermatitis.)
With the launch of these smaller women-owned brands, you and I actually have choices! Because a mega-brand doesn’t need to cater to me, they have all the money in the world yet they don’t consider some of our skin tones worthy of being accurately shade matched. But when I find a shade within Westman Atelier that matches my skin tone PERFECTLY, is silicone free, doesn’t make my eczema worse, you can bet that I will be forking over whatever premium price they set. Because the price I pay is the value I set for being seen as worthy to have a shade that actually matches my skin. It’s not about the product itself - I don’t need foundation to survive, I want foundation to help me feel better when I’m having a rough skin day. I have been chipping my way through the Vital Stick foundation for almost a year and I still have some more to go, and it will likely expire before I hit pan. Again to me, this is worth it after decades of trying to mix and match powders with creams in my bathroom to make a shade remotely matches my skin tone and always falling short.
And lastly, sustainability. I have spent over a decade of my career trying to help brands be more ‘sustainable’. Here is the hard truth - the minute you make/manufacture something, you are not sustainable. The more I research on sustainability, the more I realize that ‘sustainable brands’ as a term is a fallacy. There is nothing sustainable about putting more products out in the market, no matter your production process, ethos, etc. And so many brands that have tried so hard to be a champion of this space have faltered and failed, not just because of their own doing but also because we as consumers say we care about sustainability but don’t often put money where our mouth is. I have run a plethora of focus groups and surveys and pulled insights that always say the same thing - consumers want sustainable brands and products, consumer often don’t spend more for sustainable brands and products. Just within the makeup space, there have been a ton of brands that have tried to be plastic free in their packaging but they aren’t seen as premium and often are taken off shelf at retailers and end up closing doors. And for what it’s worth, Westman Atelier has the option for you send back their packaging to be recycled through their partnership with PACT Collective.
Not every brand will work for everyone. Not even every product from the same brand will work for you and me. We are not a monolith and a single brands can’t try to cater to all of us. Sometime we have to try a few different products to find ones that work for us and when it doesn’t, it is truly a shame and hopefully the brand/retailer has a reasonable return policy so we aren’t wasting our money. But what works for you (no matter the price point) isn’t guaranteed to work for me what so ever. More over, what works for me today might not work for me in 6 months, when the weather changes, my skin decides to throw a hissy fit or if the brand changes formulation. When things stop working for me, you can be sure that I will move on and try a different brand but that doesn’t mean I need to publicly call the brand out, as I know I am not privy to all their inner workings or reasonings for formulation changes. When it comes to skincare, body care and makeup, the name of the game is trial and error. Because of our individual body chemistry, there is no one size fits all.
I am all for de-influencing ourselves and I truly believe you and I are entitled to our opinions, but what doesn't seem fair is a public callout that is one sided. We are smart consumers and we have the power to choose where we spend our money. If we love a product, we can shout it from the rooftop but we can also move on when we don’t like something (and maybe ask for a refund). If not for independent brands like these and many more, the formation on the market would have stagnated. Many of the new age small makeup and beauty brands have shown that formulation without questionable ingredients can work and that in turn has caused even bigger brands to reconsider their inky list.
And lastly here is all my WA and V_FR makeup I love and use. I have tried some other products from both brands but they didn’t work for me. I paid for all of these with my own wallet and I have no affiliation with either brand.
It’s interesting how we can read the same article and have differing perspectives! I read it as a light community discussion of bits that worked and didn’t - I felt the writer made it very clear that these were just opinions reflected back? Especially in the beauty industry (where I too have worked) you begin to realise that all product is really marketing and we don’t need any of it. I too love Westman Atelier and spend far too much of my beauty budget on it - but I absolutely broke out at the Vital Skin product and resented being presented with two shades to have to wear and blend for the perfect base. I use three of her products daily but Vital Skin literally gave me acne (because of the coconut oil I suspect!)
I think it’s also interesting that you focus on these two brands alone given that Violette clearly comes from wealth and a Creative Director role prior (I will guess she has angel investment?) while Gucci Westman and her husband have big pockets and lots of investments. They are rumoured to be bought out this year too. Neither are ‘indie’ beauty brands with tight marketing spend in my eyes. I’m all for championing smaller brands, especially sustainable ones but they seem so far and few between in beauty sadly.
I love reading about your perspective on this topic - more of this please! xC
I really love that you shared this perspective — thank you. I contributed to the conversations in that thread, and love the community of it all, but tend to steer clear of criticism and instead tout brands I love.