U.S. Demand For Clothing With Cosmetic Benefits Unanswered, Brands Say

U.S. consumers used to applying slimming or moisturizing creams underneath their clothes could have greater access to clothing that does the job for them, if such demand exists.

"Cosmeto-textile" products - which run the gamut from anti-aging underwear to skin-firming blue jeans to cosmetic lotions applied to one's laundry - have been available in Europe for nearly a decade.

However, the technology's penetration has been less pronounced in the U.S., where interest in and acceptance of such products remains unclear.

At least two companies - the marketers of Skineez Skincarewear and Lytess shapewear - are betting that more U.S. consumers will adopt the products.

Both brands' offerings incorporate microencapsulated cosmetic ingredients that are embedded in fabric. As the wearer moves about throughout the day, the microcapsules burst, releasing actives into the skin.

Skineez launched at Macy's locations in the U.S. in June 2008.

Skineez's Slimwear line consists of the Anti-Cellulite Waist Slimmer, which "helps to firm, slim and smooth your skin while also reducing the appearance of cellulite," and Anti-Cellulite Thigh Slimmer, which "provides contouring where you want it," according to the brand's Web site.

Both products retail for $68, which includes a bottle of reload spray. The spray is also sold separately for $20.

Skineez is launching a Denimwear line in the fall. The products, designed to "firm your arms and lift your rear," include Dangerous Curvz Denim, Firmeez Teez, Hot Topz, Booty Babe Jeanz and Thigh Slimmer Jeanz.

The brand's "rejuvenating" Vitawear range, including Save Your Skin Sockz, Reversible Tights, Skin Lifting Skineez Scarves and Save Our Skin Gloves, will be available soon.

The active ingredient in Skineez products is Skintex , marketed by Pulcra Chemicals.

Skintex consists of moisturizing and anti-cellulite ingredients enclosed in a shell made of chitosan. The technology was developed by specialty chemicals firm Cognis in 2007, before it sold Pulcra to Fashion Chemicals GmbH for roughly €26.3 million.

A six-week clinical study commissioned by Skineez found an average reduction in waist size of over one inch and a reduction in thigh size by 0.4 inches, the brand says. The 20 study participants wore Skineez for eight hours a day, six days a week.

Skineez says the slimming effects of its products last through eight to 10 washes, after which the garments can be treated with the Skintex reload spray to replenish the cosmetic benefits.

The brand is a unit of Clothes for a Cause, a division of the for-profit Legends & Heroes Corporation that works with non-profits to help raise money for their causes. A portion of every Skineez purchase goes to help fund the work of Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps, a free health-care clinic that provides medical care for the underinsured.

Lytess Expanding Distribution Of Shapewear

Philippe Lahmani, president of CCV Inc., the U.S. distributor of cosmetic clothing brand Lytess, says the brand plans to expand into other retail channels.

Lytess currently is offered in the U.S. through Internet retailers including BlissWorld.com and BeBeautiful.com, as well as the catalog Spiegel. Prices range from $30 to $80.

The brand initially launched on TV in France before moving into catalogues and then rolling out to department stores and pharmacies, according to Lahmani.

The company appears to be taking a similar tack in the U.S. "We will try to enter luxury stores [in the U.S.] but the luxury business is quite tough right now. We would like to try some pharmacies or some upscale drug stores," Lahmani said.

Lytess' leggings, bike shorts, body shapers, anti-cellulite sleeves and other apparel are designed to deliver cosmetic benefits during wear. "It always gives you the exact amount you need," Lahmani told "The Rose Sheet."

The brand's portfolio is divided into four categories - Slimming, Corrective, Massaging and Hydration.

Products in Lytess's slimming range contain microencapsulated caffeine and shea butter. "Caffeine is well-known for mobilizing fat," Lahmani explained. "But it tends to drain water from the body, which is why you need something to moisturize the skin, which is the function of the shea butter."

The company's clinical testing demonstrated that wearing an item from its slimming range for eight hours a day for 21 days can deliver an improvement of up to 2 inches on the waist, according to Lahmani.

Lytess's corrective products contain ingredients similar to those in the slimming range but offer an additional "push-up" effect, while the brand's massaging and hydration items deliver anti-cellulite and moisturizing agents, respectively.

The cosmetic benefit of Lytess products lasts for about 20 washes, the company says.

Lahmani maintains that beyond slimming and anti-cellulite, the potential applications of microcapsule cosmetics technology are numerous. For example, microencapsulated perfume on clothing worn after the gym could serve to cover the odor of sweat.

The exec suggested that micronized chamomile or some other calming scent could be used on bed sheets to lull a person to sleep.

Cosmeto-Textiles: The Future Or Passing Fad?

Technology allowing clothing to impart cosmetic benefits has been available to consumers for about six to eight years in France.

In fact cosmeto-textile products generated a flurry of press in 2007 when multiple brands made appearances at Paris's annual lingerie trade fair. While they succeeded in sparking curiosity, opinion reportedly was divided at the time as to the fate of such technology in terms of global adoption.

At the time it was rumored that Adidas, Nike and L'Oreal were exploring cosmeto-textiles. However, the companies could not be reached for comment on their current interest in the technology.

Cosmeto-textiles continue to be well represented in France, where a range of products and cosmetic endpoints have found a market.

One French firm, AHRT Cosmetics, offers lotions that are applied to a user's clothing, like fabric softener, before the items go in the wash. In the washing machine the microencapsulated formula adheres to the clothing. The company offers anti-aging, anti-sweat and slimming lotions.

Cosmetic Wear, another French firm, has cellulite in its sights for its line of cosmeto-textiles. Currently the brand offers shorts, Capri pants and leggings embedded with micro-encapsulated sweet almond, red wine, and horse chestnut.

Meanwhile French brand Skin'Up sells t-shirts, leggings and underwear that provide compression body shaping and incorporate micro-encapsulated seaweed, which has slimming, moisturizing and anti-cellulite properties, the company says.

Will U.S. Have Its Cosmetics, Wear Them Too?

Carrie Mellage, director of consumer products for market researcher Kline & Company, acknowledged in an interview that clothing infused with cosmetic benefits has had success on the European stage.

But the U.S. market might not be as receptive, she said, pointing specifically to clothing marketed as effective at reducing cellulite.

"The cellulite creams market in Europe is a lot more developed and viable than in the U.S," Mellage told "The Rose Sheet" June 2. "The [cellulite] products there continue to be strong year after year, whereas in the U.S. a product may launch one year and it is successful and then it doesn't get the repeat consumers the year after," she said.

Mellage suggested that the greater incidence of obesity in the U.S. may be a factor in consumers' less enthusiastic response to anti-cellulite products, which have less profound an effect on individuals for whom weight loss is a higher priority.

The shapewear benefit offered by Skineez and Lytess - similar to that represented by popular undergarment brand Spanx - may be critical to the products' reception by American consumers, according to Mellage. "I think they'll have more success than the creams alone because they do provide that extra support," she said.

- Molly Laas ([email protected])