Once upon a time, we wanted our makeup to simply hide our imperfections. Now? It needs to do double-duty, treating blemishes while masking them. "The message used to be all about perfect color," says Bennett. "What you see now is a promise for perfect skin."
We have similar expectations of our cleanser, toner, and moisturizer as well. Thanks to all the new technology that's infused in skin care, why wouldn't we expect our morning serum to shrink our pores? As a result of this new demand for multi-tasking products, companies make all kinds of claims about a product's anti-acne, wrinkle-reducing, complexion-evening powers. And not so surprisingly, those promises prove alluring enough to give the products a shot.
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They make products look like a prescription
Just like we're suckers for a doc's name on our products, stuff that comes in apothecary-like containers and with very clinical-looking type on the box makes us think the product works.
"Consumers actually want products to feel like a prescription," says Bennett. "It conveys efficacy."
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They put products at eye level
We really are such simple creatures, us human beings. What marketing pros know is that the products they put at eye level on store shelves sell. As a result, "companies put their new products and best-sellers in this prime retail spot," says Bennett.
Translation: Cosmetics companies make it easy for us to buy what they want us to buy. So make sure you check out what's on the lower shelves for less expensive products and go-to staples.
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They put a whole lot of text on the front of a package
Bullet points. Numbers. Run-on sentences. You'll find all of this front and center on your favorite beauty products. Is it put there so that we'll read it? Nope. All that text is there to get us to believe that the product really works.
"A lot of text on the front of a product gives the impression that it's a very serious formula from a credible company," says Bennett. "It makes us feel like there's a lot of research behind the product -- and that makes us think that it will work."
The bottom line: Go ahead and read the fine print. See if it makes any sense. But know that you'll have to do a bit more sleuthing if you really want to know if the product will work the miracles promised on the front.
Ever wonder why you walk into Sephora on a mission -- say, to find a new signature scent -- and walk out $127 poorer because you couldn't resist also picking up a skin-clearing face serum and lash-boosting mascara? You probably chalk your unexpected purchases up to the fact that you're a bona fide beauty junkie. That's what we do.
At least, that's what we did until we met Ben Bennett, founder and creative director of Hatch Beauty, a Los Angeles-based branding, packaging, and product development company. Bennett has spent years in the beauty biz as the creative mastermind behind top cosmetics, skin care, and fragrance companies, so he knows a thing or two about the tactics manufacturers use to lure us in to buy beauty products we don't really need.
"Companies spend a lot of time and money researching the right words and colors that will subconsciously attract consumers to buy their products," says Bennett. And those tactics work, says Lars Perner, PhD, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California. "Our subconscious mind is quite powerful. Well thought-out word choices, fonts, package colors, and where products are placed on a shelf make a bigger difference than you might think in how drawn to a product you are," says Perner.
Because we're not ones to get duped -- especially when it comes to our beauty stash -- we asked Bennett to tag along on our next trip to Sephora. We pointed out the products that called to us like long-lost lovers and let Bennett fill us in on exactly what tricks those companies used to hook us hard enough to head to the cash register.
Turns out they've got some nifty tricks up their sleeves. Will it stop us from our monthly (OK, weekly) beauty counter buys? Probably not. But hey, knowledge is power, right?
Here, the 9 insider secrets beauty companies use to get us to buy their products.
