Designer Skin
Offering Quality, Value And Reasonable Prices
by Wendy Craft
In the past, salons that retailed Designer Skin products were forced to carry alternative lines to meet tanners’ needs for a $20 price-point, says Beth Felker, vice president. Heeding the request of tanning salon owners, Designer Skin developed Splash! Tanning Tonics, which began shipping in February 2005.
“With this new brand, salons now can offer fantastic, quality lotions for every customer, at every stage of tanning and at every price-point,” she says. “As a value brand, it is a wonderful base formula with quality skincare ingredients such as aloe vera, vitamins A, C and E, and safflower oil. Value brand to value brand, we believe that it is the best-quality lotion on the marketplace at that price-point.”
Currently there are six products under the Splash! Tanning Tonics brand: Faker Cooling Bronzer with Hemp, Shameless Sizzling Bronzer, Choc-O-Holic Dual Action Bronzer, Floozy Radiant Bronzer with Hemp, Daddy-O Ultra Dark Tanning Accelerator and Try Me Daily Moisturizer.
Standing Apart
The ability to manufacture formulas in-house sets Designer Skin apart from its competition. This arrangement allows the company to reinvest more capital back into its products.
“There are very few lotion companies that can make that claim,” Felker says. “I truly believe our formulas are the reason for our rapid success. People love the results.”
At its inception, Designer Skin made a concerted effort to be different and more creative in packaging than what was currently available in the marketplace, Felker says. “We were the first lotion company to utilize the shrink-wrap technology, which is now so prevalent,” she says.
The company is applying its unique marketing principles to the Splash! Tanning Tonics brand as well. Adding to the appeal of the value brand is tremendous shelf presence from retro-chic packaging. “We remain committed to always thinking outside of the box and reach higher each year in terms of creativity and uniqueness,” she says.
Marketing Approach
The company is not looking to replace Designer Skin sales with the introduction of the Splash! Tanning Tonics brand, but rather provide a starting point for tanners.
“We are hoping Splash! will be more like lotion ‘training wheels’ for individuals who would typically not buy a lotion at all,” Felker says. “We believe and advocate premier lotion blends because of the added skincare ingredients and benefits. Once they see the results from Splash!, you can then upgrade them to our premier lotions. They will see a difference in the tanning and skincare results.”
Designer Skin’s approach to manufacturing, packaging and marketing the value brand so far is paying off. The company believes the momentum the value brand has stirred among tanning salon owners will continue throughout 2005.
“The response has been really fantastic,” Felker says. “The salons love the formulas. It is simply a matter of educating the consumer about the differences in skincare ingredients.”
Looking forward, Designer Skin will continue to grow the excitement that its new Splash! Tanning Tonics brand has created, and give salon owners a wider variety of products to retail at an affordable price-point.
