I work in the Beauty Industry. I love it, I'm one of those people you meet who glow when they talk about what they do for a living. I wholly embrace the beauty world.
There has been talk of late of "Fake Case Studies" on PR Week HERE.
British Beauty Blogger, Jane has also shed some light on this in her Periscopes and on her blog, (if you don't read or watch, I suggest that you do).
Loving the industry as much as I do, this makes me really sad. Because has a consumer there is no better feeling than find products that genuinely work for you, that are founded on brilliant research, and a humongous amount of effort from the NPD, Marketing and PR teams. It takes strategic planning from all parties to produce a product and then launching onto the consumer market. To think that brands are skimming their way around this by producing fake reports of how AMAZING a product is, shows that a few of brands get lost in attempting to "keep up with the Jones'" by launching products left right and centre and fighting for share of the market.
I get to play with products daily, but if I don't like it, I don't lie. If it doesn't work, I don't pretend that it does. Brands invest a lot of money into NPD (New Product Development) and when big brands are launching continuously, it's hard for smaller, niche brands to keep up. I can understand that it puts pressure on the smaller brands to keep up and this can lead it seems, to lying. We all know that marketing talk can be fluffed up a bit to appeal to the masses, but it appears the lines are becoming ever more blurred between using a clever play on words and actually lying and this can only be confusing the consumers more.
Part of my money saving / clearing out operation was using up all the products I've accumulated over the past however many years of being immersed in this industry. I hate to think that some of the products I've bought, or been given where falsely put on the market, or launched without due care and attention. Even products that I've purchased for friends and family.
This also calls into question the brands that do have solid clinical trials, there needs to be a clear number of how many people qualify as a "clinical trial" (not just 10 people, but a more diverse number). Unless you have an unlimited amount of money to waste yearly on products that are useless, this needs to be wake up call to those involved with developing new products, those promoting the products, (though marketing, or reviews). Consumers need and deserve products that do what they claim. Whilst you're never going to please everyone with one product, we are in search of that one product, or few products that make us feel and look our best. Brands should strive for this achievement, to have honestly obtained cult status, to have pride of place on all our shelves. not just those of the Beauty Editors, Instafamous, or the blogging elite.
We live in a world where products are so far advanced but we have a long way to go. As a consumer, I would love for products to cure every ailment and beauty concern. At the end of the day, there needs to be more transparency and honest outcomes promoting continued and consistent use to achieve the goals we desire, and be honest when it comes to the marketing campaigns. This does put pressure on brands to deliver, but brands need to be realistic with their view on how long it takes a product to take off. You can't earn cult status or look 10 years younger with a quick fix. The best things take time.
X TWC
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