Designer Skin

Designer Skin
Designing A Blueprint For Quality

by Scott Eric Barrett

Tempe, Ariz.-based lotion manufacturer Designer Skin understands that salons are the primary reason the company has experienced such unprecedented growth. The company does everything in its power to reciprocate that support, offering special promotional packages for grand openings, anniversary celebrations and special event days.

"We consider it a privilege to be able to take part in such occasions," says Beth Felker, Designer Skin's vice president of sales and marketing.

As the company concludes its fourth season in the industry, it continues to operate under its initial mission statement: Absolute Commitment and Dedication To Our Customers.

"Every single policy and program we have implemented has been driven by that mantra," she says. "That is why we sell only to professional tanning and beauty salons that offer tanning as an on-premise service."

Designing History

Designer Skin's sister companies, BNG Enterprises and American Supplement Technologies, have been manufacturing vitamins and supplements in the nutrition industry for more than 10 years. Their owner, Brad Grossman, created Designer Skin a few years ago when he was looking for ways to expand his nutrition business.

"The indoor tanning lotion market was the perfect marriage and a natural segue for us because we were able to utilize our many years of nutraceutical experience to provide our customers with superior tanning accelerators that not only provide maximum tanning results but also nourish and improve the condition of the skin," Felker says.

While it was a successful venture, she admits there is always a learning curve inherent to every new business. Designer Skin was no exception, so the company listened closely to the feedback and requests from salons. It was that kind of patience and attention to detail that led to the success of the company's current line of accelerators.

"With superior skincare ingredients at our foundation, our products now run the gamut from exotic bronzer blends, advanced sizzle and non-sizzle formulas to moisturizers and facial accelerators," Felker says. "We also have expanded our price-point range so that we can appeal to a broader base of customers."

Quality Demand

The driving philosophy at Designer Skin is Nutrition for the Skin. Its tanning accelerators are designed to provide the ultimate in skin nutrition through the use of advanced skincare ingredients such as CoQ-10, hemp seed oil and green tea extract to name a few. The company strongly advocates responsible tanning, according to Felker, and that skincare nutrition is absolutely essential to achieving a healthy, luminous tan.

"Advanced skincare ingredients are what separate a quality lotion from the rest," she says. "We always have been known for our exceptional fragrances, which are also key selling points in today's lotion market."

Designer Skin not only talks the talk but it also walks the walk by being very stringent about the quality-control standards of its lotions. Felker says manufacturing its own products enables the company to practice exemplary quality control.

"In terms of creating new lotions and/or formulas, the most difficult part is the quality control and stability testing that we put lotions through before we deem them acceptable for mass production," she says.

The Designer Skin line consists of 14 products, the scope of which appeals to the tanning needs and wants of every type of consumer. Felker believes salons embrace the fact that the company does not have an astronomical amount of SKUs because a smaller line makes it simple for the end consumer in terms of making a buying decision.

Bombshell 100XX Bronzer, an advanced sizzle formula with an exotic bronzer blend for experienced tanners, is Designer Skin's most popular product.

"It utilizes our most advanced skincare ingredients and is the natural successor for all those customers who loved Exotica and Enigma last season, so it has an immediate buying audience," she says. "The entire Tantrum Collection is running a close second. We are extremely excited by the overwhelming reception to all of our 2002 products."

The company also takes pride in its packaging and marketing endeavors. Designer Skin was the first manufacturer to utilize high-performance shrink-wraps, which result in very vibrant, eye-catching packaging. Felker says the positive feedback from the salons has been overwhelming.

Standing Out

The spirited lotion market commands manufacturers to create new and improved formulations every season. Felker says Designer Skin's complimentary sampling to the end consumer helps the company stand out from the competition. Every season, the company has offered a 32-ounce sampling pump for free with the purchase of six bottles of its lead product, 100XX Bronzer.

"That is a $220 retail value for free," she says. "Salons then are able to sample the products to their customers, which ultimately drives sales of full-size bottles. The bottom line is that it helps increase lotion sales for the salons."

Some manufacturers don't understand that effective tanning and skincare begin at home. Designer Skin does, offering its Ritual Daily Moisturizing Lotion, with milk protein complex and soothing organic oils, so salon operators can fulfill their customers' needs outside the salon.

"It is the backbone to a responsible tanning regimen for our customers," Felker says.

In addition, the company also has salon promotional packages, a salon co-op advertising program to further support salons and a generous rebate program in which it awards salons $3 in product credit for every single 8-ounce bottle of Designer Skin they purchase in the January through June timeframe.

"We are committed to being a part of the industry's continued growth and success via participation in industry associations, events and educational seminars," she says. "We are a proud member of the ITA and supporter of training certification, and we participate in as many educational forums as possible because education is the key to the long-term growth of our industry as a whole."

Here To Stay

Designer Skin has accomplished quite a bit in a brief amount of time. Among many other successes, the company is proud that it aggressively combated Internet and flea market diversion, resulting in a 95-percent compliance rate.

"We also implemented a product tracking system so that we can now identify sources of diversion and hold them accountable," Felker says.

With several exciting concepts in the works for next season, the future of Designer Skin looks like a design for continued success. The company will remain committed to remaining on the cutting edge of skincare as well as technology in order to bring the most advanced products to the market.

"Ten years from now we will be doing exactly what we are doing right now: creating the highest-quality products, utilizing innovative technology and raising the bar when it comes to packaging and marketing, all the while having a great time doing it," she says. "We are not a corporate environment, but rather very entrepreneurial and team- oriented in spirit. This type of atmosphere fosters amazing brainstorming and concepts so we expect to keep reaching new heights of success with every given year. We are a team and every single person in Designer Skin is integral to its success."