Consciously or subconsciously, our choices are shaped by the things we see on a regular basis. Skincare brands know that! Take a look around, and you will find that most choices you made throughout your life were a result of great branding efforts.
Skincare branding is all about letting the customer know about the unique selling proposition of a skincare product. The top skincare brands devote a significant amount of time and money to their branding and marketing efforts. And the result: it is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Let us take a closer look at some facts and figures.
The global skincare products market is segmented according to the products bracket. The following are the product segments:
- Product type: facial, body, and lip care
- Category: premium and mass skincare products.
- Distribution channels: supermarkets, retail stores, online retail channels, and so on.
According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the global skincare market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.69 percent during 2021 – 2026. In 2020, the global skincare industry was valued at USD 140.92 billion.
The boom in the global market industry is a direct result of rising awareness among people about the benefits of personal care. And what is behind the rising popularity of the industry, effective branding of course!
The top skincare brands in the world, such as L’Oreal and Dove, use varied branding and marketing strategies that make people around the world believe in them. You instantly recognize their color schemes or the tagline, even in the absence of their brand name. Such is the power of branding.
We will explore skincare branding from the best brands around the world, dive into branding and marketing ideas for your skincare business, plus explore the top global skincare brands in the bonus section: all in this article. So, read on!
What is branding?
The process by which companies communicate the unique selling proposition or differential of a product or a service is known as branding.
Effective branding involves the following:
- Logos
- Jingles
- Taglines
- Ads
- Mascots
Now that you know what branding is, the next obvious question that may have popped into your mind is how do you create a brand? Well, let me answer that by giving an example.
If your skincare company sells face wash, then that is not your brand. But if you sell a high-end, organic, high-priced face wash with secret ingredients available only in elite stores, you have created a brand! Again, if you sell a low-price face wash available in a large retail establishment, you have created a brand. Long story short, you create a brand when you have one or more of the following:
- Quality
- Exclusivity
- Affordability
- Reliability
- Customer Service
- Warranty
Successful skincare branding depends on proper brand management. The process of consistently and effectively communicating the key brand messages to the customers is known as brand management. Proper brand management involves ensuring that price changes don’t affect the goal of the product, that any new item features are aligned with the product’s brand, and that the places where the product or service is sold and advertised are in sync with the brand strategy.
Interesting read: 15 unique and cost-effective branding ideas for your business.
Some great skincare branding examples of top brands for your inspiration
The skincare market is highly competitive, which is why it can be tough for a new brand, or even an existing company for that matter, to convince people about the quality of their products. The following skincare branding examples may inspire you to create a successful strategy that would hook and drive the attention of the customers towards your brand or product.
- L’Oreal
The first name that pops into everybody’s mind when one speaks about skincare brands is L’Oreal. The skincare care brand has become synonymous with beauty and glamor. Created in 1909, L’Oreal sits proudly on the top of the list of skincare brands. After decades of creating effective branding strategies, the beauty brand managed to build its empire.
The brand has influenced customers from different walks of life by being diverse with its branding. From Katherine Longford to Helen Mirren to hiring influencer marketers, L’Oreal has featured global celebrities to promote their products.
The skincare brand recently created branding history by launching an online digital make-up line. Launched on Instagram, Snapchat, and Google Duo, the one-of-a-kind make-up line allowed customers to try out products virtually.
- Dove
Founded in 1957, Dove is among the top skincare brands known for promoting “Real Beauty”: one of its long-running campaigns. The “Real Beauty” campaign connected young girls and women back in the day, and it never fails to mesmerize teenagers to this date. The campaign began running in 2004 and has encouraged women to share their experiences.
The “Dove Real Beauty Pledge” invites customers from every age group to talk about their experiences with various beauty products. The program encourages consumers to talk about their experiences and promises to build their self-confidence. The program is known for “featuring real women, never models.”
- Chanel
Coco Chanel established the iconic fashion house in 1910. Initially started as an haute couture brand, it spread its arms in the skincare and cosmetics industries as well. Chanel is among the top beauty brands known for its branding. From its iconic logo to its packaging designs, Chanel has one of the best brandings in place.
The fashion brand heavily relies on social media to promote its skincare products. You can easily find various tutorial videos on using various skincare products. From Lily-Rose Depp to Virginia Vercelli, Chanel features popular actors and in-demand social media influencers to promote its skincare range.
- Dior
A subsidiary of the LVMH fashion group, Dior is well-known for creating premium-quality skincare and cosmetic products. From the fashion giant’s exclusive range of skincare products to its well-designed website, Dior oozes luxury and glamor. Apart from exclusive product lines, the beauty brand is known for well-organized branding campaigns.
Dior heavily focuses on highlighting the glamorous aspect of its company through its branding campaigns.
For its Mother’s Day campaign, the beauty giant featured international celebrities such as Marsai Martin and Gisele Bundchen to promote various skincare products.
Dior is also known for creating aspirational films to strengthen its brand image. Not only do these films promote the beauty brand’s exclusivity image, but it also fosters online purchasing.
- Estee Lauder
Founded in 1946, Estee Lauder is a name synonymous with beauty and glamor. From Liya Kebede to Joan Smalls to Kendall Jenner, the skincare brand features some of the biggest faces in the beauty industry to promote its products.
The company is known for rewarding customers from its early days. The skincare brand ran various ad campaigns where customers were encouraged to buy their products with the promise of a reward.
People who associated with Estee Lauder always stood a chance of winning something.
The legacy has continued with the launch of its New Dimension Skincare line in 2015. Customers who bought the new product line were given the Advanced Night Repair.
In its efforts to remain relevant in the future, the skincare brand has collaborated with NASA and is sending serums to space.
- Clinique
A subsidiary of Estee Lauder, Clinique is known for creating affordable skincare items. The brand relies heavily on social media marketing to promote its products. The well-thought-out branding and marketing strategies have helped the skincare brand increase its reach.
The hashtag ‘start better’ campaign, which got more than 10 million views on Twitter and YouTube, became a craze with the internet generation. The campaign helped increase the sales of the beauty brand, plus 33 percent of the customers wanted to try out new products by Clinique.
Clinique is not only known for creating superior skincare products but also for bringing positive changes in society.
- The Ordinary
Launched by Deciem, The Ordinary has quickly become a name to reckon with. One of the reasons for the phenomenal success of the skincare company is its packaging. The beauty brand lists its ingredients and their benefits on the front of the packaging. While you may be under the impression that the skincare brand creates amazing ad campaigns to attract customers, it is not entirely true! The Ordinary is among those few brands that rely solely on word-of-mouth promotions for marketing their brand.
The Ordinary has created a positive brand image by bringing authenticity in branding. Apart from inclusive marketing, the beauty brand believes in transparency.
In simple words, The Ordinary follows a very simple branding and marketing strategy—be honest with your customers.
- The Body Shop
With a market value of $725 billion as of 2021, The Body Shop is one of the fastest-growing brands in the world today. Founded in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick, the skincare company has managed to build a loyal customer base by highlighting itself as an environmentally and socially responsible brand.
The company appears very appealing to millennials and Gen Z because the beauty brand markets itself as a cruelty-free company that stands firmly against animal testing. The brand stands apart from the crowd because it pledges to use methods that would prevent waste.
The skincare brand has collaborated with international celebrities in its efforts against animal testing.
- Neutrogena
Neutrogena is among the best beauty brands in the world today. Effective branding campaigns have allowed the skincare company to create a loyal customer following. The skincare brand boasts of having effective packaging designs, great marketing strategies, and an attractive website. Unlike most brands that depend on international celebrities to promote their brands and products, Neutrogena focuses on highlighting real people.
The skincare brand features its customers from different age groups who talk about their experiences with various Neutrogena products.
In the ‘People with Skin’ campaign, the beauty brand highlighted the benefits of proper skincare. The campaign also promoted accessible skincare for the masses.
- BioDerma
Founded by Jean-Noel Thorel in 1977, BioDerma is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in dermatology. While most brands are known for creating expensive branding campaigns, BioDerma is known for its simplicity. The company appears serious and focuses on highlighting the benefits of using its products.
BioDerma creates engaging campaigns on social media platforms and blogging sites. Like most skincare brands, BioDerma heavily relies on social networking sites to promote its brand and products. The skincare company has worked together with dermatologists, skin experts, and social media influencers to promote its products.
While BioDerma has collaborated with various industry experts to promote its products, the skincare brand has always remained simple in its approach.
Branding and marketing your skincare business in 2022
Now that you have explored some of the best skincare brandings, it’s time you take your inspiration to create effective branding and marketing strategies for your skincare business in 2022.
The past couple of years have taken a serious toll on major economies of the world, but let that not bog you down. While 2022 has begun much like 2021, the year promises great things if you don’t give up.
Let me begin by sharing the good news. The beauty industry has seen unprecedented growth even amid the pandemic. Whether a start-up or an established business, you can be a part of this booming industry if you create proper branding and marketing strategies.
Here are a few ways for skincare branding in 2022.
Define your skincare brand
Understanding your brand is the first step towards creating effective branding strategies. In simple words, you need to define your skincare brand.
So, what is your brand? Is it the logo? Is it the business name? Is it the products? Well, it is all those and much more! It is the logo, the packaging, the website, and the value proposition.
The value proposition is your superpower. It is not the products but the benefits of associating with your brand.
Creating your value proposition will help you define your skincare brand better!
Understand the skincare market
If understanding your brand is the first step, then the second logical step is to understand the skincare market. In fact, the two are of equal importance, which is why defining your brand and understanding the market can be done simultaneously.
Your customers and your competitors create the market. If you want to understand the skincare market at a deeper level, you will need to define your customers and explore what your competitors are doing.
Related: Small business branding tips that actually work
Asking the following questions can help you understand your customers better:
- What is the age, gender, and income level of the customers?
- What are their hobbies and interests?
- What do they want from skincare items?
Exploring your competitors’ ads, websites, and social media posts will help you understand them better.
List the outcome of your product
It really comes down to what your product can actually do. You may spend a fortune in creating ads and attractive packaging designs, but if your skin care product does not deliver what it promises, then your brand is bound to fail. Listing the outcome of your product is the best way of establishing your brand in the market. Sharing videos of how customers can benefit from the product on social media and featuring customers who have benefited from using your product as a marketing campaign can take your brand a long way.
Fact: People buy the outcome, not the product.
List your ingredients
The best way to establish your brand is by being honest in your branding efforts. Customers are more likely to remember you and connect with you if you appear honest to them, especially if you are in the beauty and wellness sector.
Today, the customers are more aware of their surroundings and the products they use. Some like to use organic items only, whereas some may favor artificial colors and flavors.
Gone are the days when skincare companies could get away by providing only a partial list of the ingredients. Consumers are aware and want to know what they are eating or putting on their bodies.
As a skincare brand, you must list your ingredients. Doing so will make you look transparent and will help you build a loyal customer base.
Provide reviews of your skincare products
Nothing can be better than a satisfied customer talking about your products. Satisfied customers are the best brand ambassadors you can have.
Apart from featuring satisfied customers, you can get your product tested by a dermatologist. You can add a graphic badge to the product package to highlight it was clinically tested and approved.
You can also show how your product can benefit people of various ethnicities. Estee Lauder, for example, used the following copy to indicate how different women benefited from the product.
Following the above guidelines will help you with skincare branding, and establish your skincare brand efficiently. Plus, it will make your skincare company look credible.
Marketing tips for skincare branding
The skincare market segment is the fastest-growing segment when compared to other sectors within the beauty industry. According to market gurus and business analysts, the skincare industry is here to stay. The benefits associated with the skincare industry attract many entrepreneurs to launch their brands. However, many brands give up midway because of the difficulties within the industry. Being unique with your product and marketing is your best bet to staying alive in the skincare industry.
The following marketing tips will allow you to attract eyeballs in a sea of skincare brands:
Social media marketing
One of the best ways to market your skincare brand is by using the power of social media. Social media marketing is free to use unless you want to try your luck with paid advertising. Social media marketing is your go-to solution if you are serious about building your brand awareness, generating sales, and building customers.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has been the talk of the town for the past few years. Gone are the days when brands had to depend on hiring international film stars or football heroes to promote their products. Today, brands can hire influencers—social media users with tens of thousands of followers—to get the job done. A social media influencer is paid depending on the number of followers she has on a particular social networking site.
Content marketing
Creating content related to your skincare brand can be a solid way of building customers and driving traffic. A large number of companies use content marketing to increase engagement and drive SEO traffic to establish their brand. As a skincare brand, you can share useful blogs related to skincare on a regular basis. Creating and sharing blogs daily will help you establish faith with customers and potential buyers.
SEO marketing
According to an estimate, search engine optimization (SEO) has the potential to drive over one-third of internet traffic looking for specific information. In simple words, when a potential customer is looking for a skincare product, having SEO marketing in place can drive the buyer to your website seamlessly.
Well, there are the usual suspects such as jingles, TV ads, banners, and billboards to promote your skincare brand, but the above marketing solutions can give you an edge over the others. Not only can they promote your skincare brand, but the above marketing tips can help improve your sales.
Top 5 skincare brands in the world
L’Oreal Paris
L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetic company, is known for creating some of the best skin care products in the world today. The Age Perfect Cell Renewal Serum—an anti-aging ointment, is the brand’s bestseller to date. The skincare brand is also known for its iconic slogan, “Because You’re Worth It.”
Estee Lauder
The most talked about brand in the US, Russia, UK, and UAE, Estee Lauder is known for its high-end, premium skincare range. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, an anti-aging serum that helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines, is the brand’s most popular product.
La Roche-Posay
Established in 1976, La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand known for its unique cosmetic products. The brand is also recommended by dermatologists across the world. Effaclar Gel Cleanser, a facial cleanser with zinc, is the bestseller of the beauty brand.
Shiseido
Founded in 1872, Shiseido is among the oldest cosmetics companies in the world. The Japanese skincare company is the fifth-largest in the world. The Ultimate Sun Protection Cream is the brand’s most popular product.
Clarins
Established in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins, Clarins is among the top skincare brands in Europe. The family-run skincare brand specializes in cosmetics, skincare products, and fragrances. The Multi-Active Day Cream is the beauty brand’s most popular product.
Final thoughts on skincare branding
Whether you are a skincare start-up or an established business, your skincare branding and marketing efforts play a decisive role in establishing your skincare brand. The list of best skincare branding examples are designed to inspire you to create your own unique branding strategies.
Skincare branding is all about letting your customers know the benefits of your products. And how you go about sharing the benefits makes you different from the crowd!
Businesses accross the world have consulted DesignBro to build their brand with logo, website, packaging design and much more.
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Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Media and Digital marketing sector, Passionate about innovation and bringing the future into new business solutions.
