You must know a lot about cosmetics and skincare for women. Is it hard to understand from a male point of view?
Good question. I believe that to really understand cosmetics and skincare you need to first understand women’s beauty needs and desires. That’s easier said than done. But having worked in Britain, France and Australia there seems to be a universal willingness of women to share these needs, desires and feedback – even with a guy. And what’s great about Nutrimetics is that we have a network of over 50,000 consultants across Australia and New Zealand who are always willing to share new ideas and give feedback which really helps myself and my team to understand their needs.
What is the philosophy behind the Nutrimetics brand?
To draw upon 40 years of home grown dermatological expertise through the Nutrimetics Beauty Lab to develop the highest quality naturally enriched products to meet the beauty and lifestyle needs of New Zealand and Australian women.
Nutrimetics products are developed to meet strict quality and safety guidelines, are not tested on animals and are free from animal derived ingredients.
What does “naturally-enriched” mean?
When we develop a product we look to nature for inspiration, such as botanical extracts or minerals. For example in the Brighten range, the inspiration of the Lotus flower led us to search for ingredients based on this concept. Once we select an ingredient, we will carry out an efficacy study and from there we work towards incorporating the benefits with other necessary ingredients to obtain optimal efficacy.
What natural skincare ingredients can be found in the Nutrimetics line?
Each product range typically has a primary natural ingredient selected for a specific benefit:
• Apricot Kernel Oil in the Nutri Rich range
• Hibiscus seed extract in the Restore range
• Alpine Glacial Water in the Hydrafinity range
Examples of individual products with specific ingredients:
• Soy bean oil in Skin Clean
• Avocado Oil in Nutri Eye Eye Crème
• Cranberry extract in Hydrafinity Serum
How do the Nutrimetics products address the beauty needs of New Zealand and Australian women?
Our network of over 50,000 Consultants across New Zealand and Australia (combined) gives us a unique firsthand perspective into women’s beauty needs. From this information we derive consumer insights which are the basis for a product concept. For example, capillary damage is common in New Zealand and Australia due to the UVA/UVB issue.
As a result a high incidence of women, particularly in their later years experience red spider veins on the face. Consequently, Nutrimetics recently launched “nc Colour Corrector Mint” as a quick and convenient way to neutralise and mask redness on the face.
Are our needs different to our Northern Hemisphere counterparts?
There are many similarities – for example concern over the signs of skin ageing, whether that be for prevention or correction. I believe the differentiators are in New Zealanders’ and Australians’ attitudes to beauty. In this part of the world women are equally serious about their beauty regime to their northern counterparts but are more relaxed in the way they wear their beauty.
The overall look is more of a relaxed, accessible, wearable beauty that I believe fits with the active/outdoor lifestyle versus an arguably more complex approach to beauty.
What is the Nutrimetics Spa Experience?
It’s an at home party, that groups women in the comfort of the home of a “hostess” and gives them the chance to experience the relaxation benefits of a day spa amongst friends. It’s simple, fun and gives women the opportunity to get together, enjoy some social time and discover the Nutrimetics product range (through an inter-active demonstration that allows guests to try before they buy) as well as the earning opportunity of becoming a Nutrimetics Consultant.
The Nutrimetics Spa Experience includes a 15 minute guided relaxation (by the Nutrimetics Consultant) that responds to the insight that women today are time-poor, stressed and need some time out.
This experience leaves them feeling relaxed and renewed and they get to enjoy the personalised one-on-one service from the Nutrimetics Consultants in choosing the best-fit skincare regime of cosmetics for themselves.
What are the current trends for skincare and cosmetics?
Right now, we’re seeing the ripple effect of the recession on the cosmetic market. Consumers are still spending, however they are increasingly looking for the best value and turning to the brands they trust and are most familiar with. They are less willing to take risks on higher ticket items, which is consistent with the lipstick effect that we are currently experiencing at Nutrimetics with colour makeup being our highest growth category year to date.
For skincare, the growth area continues to be anti-ageing. Specifically what we are seeing is that, as treatments such as Botox become more affordable, the role of skincare in treating the signs of ageing is evolving. There’s a shift towards correcting unwanted pigmentation as well as the more established anti-wrinkle skincare treatments. This trend has evolved out of the ancient oriental tradition of skin whitening into a broader, western “skin brightening” approach.
What do you think the future holds for both skincare and cosmetics?
I believe the future is bright. Women have been concerned with beauty for millennia and that isn’t going to change. In the short term we’ll see the return to thrift affecting the number of new launches, which will significantly benefit the brands that choose to innovate and launch products with affordable price points.
In the medium to longer term as the economy recovers I believe we’ll see environmental agenda re-emerge even more aggressively that will shape the formulations and packaging of across cosmetics and skincare.
