In Brief: FDA Cosmetics Twitter; Eyebrow Makeup Sales; Olay ProX Study
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors starts tweeting, NPD says prestige eyebrow makeup sales are an opportunity for growth. More news in brief.
FDA Cosmetics Office Joins Twitter
FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors has started a page on social media site Twitter “as part of an agency-wide effort to enhance our outreach efforts through social media,” according to an agency spokesman. The site, twitter.com/FDACosmetics, was initiated in June and is maintained by OCAC staff. “Through Twitter, we hope to share safety and regulatory news about cosmetics and to learn from both industry and consumers about cosmetic-related trends and concerns,” the spokesman said in an email to “The Rose Sheet.” In addition, the agency hopes the page will increase awareness of cosmetics adverse event reporting and offer instruction on how to file an adverse event report. “Our aim is to maximize our public health and regulatory messaging across the board, reaching out both to consumers and to the cosmetics industry,” FDA says.
Prestige Eyebrow Makeup Sales Jump
Sales of prestige eyebrow makeup rose 28% to $122 million from March 2013 to March 2014, according to a July 2 release from market research firm the NPD Group. Eyebrow makeup was the bright spot in overall prestige eye makeup sales, which rose 3% overall during the 12-month period ending March 2014. “The trend toward defined eyes continues to fuel prestige eye makeup sales nationwide,” says Karen Grant, NPD vice president and global beauty industry analyst. NPD identifies the eyebrow category as an opportunity for firms, as eyebrow makeup comprises 11% of the overall eye market but is available for sale in less than 80% of prestige retailers. In particular, the South is underpenetrated with only 70% of prestige retailers selling eyebrow makeup. Grant cites MAC, Clinique, Benefit and Anastasia Cosmetics among the top-selling prestige brands in the eyebrow category.
Olay ProX Campaign
Olay has launched social media and print marketing campaign illustrating the power of its ProX anti-aging products, via results of a study on 21 sets of identical female twins ages 20 to 53, the Procter & Gamble Co. brand announces July 8. In the eight-week study, one sister in each twin pair used three ProX by Olay products daily, either from the line’s Intensive Wrinkle Protocol or Tone Correcting Protocol, while the other twin followed her normal skin care routine. At the end of the trial period, tone image analysis showed that women using the Tone Correcting Protocol had a reduction in visibility of dark spots and uneven skin tone versus her control twin, and wrinkle image analysis revealed that seven of 10 women from the Intensive Wrinkle Protocol treatment group had a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles versus her sister. Post-study questionnaires also revealed that 100% of twins using ProX said they saw improvement in skin tone and felt they looked younger, and 100% of siblings agreed, Olay says. The centerpiece of the campaign – olaytwinsstudy.com – features behind-the-study video, before-and-after photos, twin pair testimonials, product regimen and other information about the study. Launched in 2008, ProX products retail for between $29.99 and $44.99 each (Also see "Olay Professional Pro-X Performs On Par With Top Rx Brand, At Half The Price?" - HBW Insight, 9 Mar, 2009.).
Class-Action Complaint Against Nu Skin
Investors in Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. allege in a complaint seeking class-action status that the skin care and nutritional product direct-seller misled shareholders by violating China’s prohibition on pyramid schemes. According to the lawsuit filed June 30 in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah for plaintiff State-Boston Retirement System, a pension plan that owns Nu Skin shares, former Nu Skin distributors reported that other distributors who supplied their goods could receive 5% of their revenues as commission, or that representatives could receive a portion of their sales teams’ revenues if the team met sales quotas. In a Securities & Exchange Commission filing made as Chinese authorities investigated the firm in January, Nu Skin stated it pays salaries and commissions to sales employees in China, contractual sales promoters, direct sellers and independent marketers (Also see "China Probe Finds Issues With Nu Skin Compliance, Not Business Model" - HBW Insight, 31 Mar, 2014.). The complaint, filed by New York law firm Labaton Sucharow LLP and Salt Lake City firm Christensen & Jensen P.C., requests class status for owners of Nu Skin securities shares between May 4, 2011 and Jan.17, 2014, and seeks damages for alleged violations of U.S. securities laws. Two other class-action petitions against Nu Skin have been withdrawn and in May a judge granted a request to consolidate the four remaining lawsuits and appointed Labaton Sucharow as lead counsel.
EWG’s Skin Deep Turns 10
The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database of safety profiles of cosmetics and ingredients has grown from 7,500 products to nearly 70,000 since its debut in 2004, the NGO says. In an announcement celebrating Skin Deep’s 10th anniversary, EWG says that while many more cosmetics have been assessed for safety since the site’s launch, “it’s still not enough” and renews its call for federal cosmetics regulatory reform.