Skinscience It’s Better INbed

Skinscience It’s Better INbed

by Jenifer Hunt

Consumers and salon employees are inundated with lotion product information such as claims, ingredients and special functions. Therefore, lotion manufacturers’ marketing strategies must be relevant, clear and concise. To eliminate product confusion and to take the guesswork out of purchasing tanning lotions, Skinscience™ has tailored the product development and branding of its INbed™ lotion line with a clear identity that consumers can relate to and that salon employees can easily understand and sell.

“Information overload results in product confusion,” says John Macintosh, president of the Toronto-based tanning lotion manufacturer. “This can cause stress and result in uninformed purchasing, which may lead to consumer dissatisfaction. When employees are confident in their product knowledge they are confident selling, and consequently, consumers are confident purchasing.”

Macintosh notes when tanning lotions lack unique qualities or have functions that are difficult to understand, they don’t sell well, even if they look good, smell good and work well. “That is why our lotions are clearly branded—to make them simple for salon employees to learn, train and sell,” he says.

INbed has been dermatologist designed, tested and approved, according to Macintosh, to help sustain, support and restore skin during and after UV exposure. The products have advanced proprietary delivery systems that channel anti-aging, revitalizing, skin-firming and moisturizing ingredients deep within skin to create the sexiest tan possible.

INbed is the company’s mid-range line, and was specifically developed to trigger the key buying behaviors of young female tanners who have an interest in health and beauty and are comfortable purchasing at a mid-range price point. Skinscience based its three lotion lines on a best quality, better quality, good quality platform to have similar attributes and key selling points, but with varying concentrations of key ingredients. This makes it possible for salon operators to cross-train the lines to increase product understanding and information retention. An additional benefit is that is gives salons the flexibility to sell up between product lines to maximize profitability, or sell down to avoid losing a sale to a customer with “sticker shock”.

“It’s hard to teach employees the key selling attributes of different product lines that contain lotions with different attributes, set at varying price points,” Macintosh says. “There is little memory retention. What we have done is developed our brands to eliminate product confusion for both consumers and salon employees.”

The company’s philosophy is that a business must step out of its industry’s established mold if it is to reinvent the industry and grow. To accomplish this, Skin-science created its products to address tanners key desires and their key concerns.

“When customers walk into salons, their key desire is to become bronzed and beautiful, but because they’ve been inundated with negative publicity about tanning, their key concern is for the health of their skin,” Macintosh says. “We speak to these concerns by offering lotions that make skin healthier while helping it tan beautifully.”

Not only are all Skinscience lotions dermatologist developed, tested and approved; they contain only cosmetic grade ingredients; have proprietary delivery systems and were designed primarily as therapeutic skin treatments. Macintosh uses the analogy of baking a cake: any baker can make a tasty dessert, however, for it to have nutritional value, a dietitian must be involved in the formulation process to advise about what ingredients offer the most benefit, and in what quantities they are most effective. It stands to reason that the same holds true for formulating skincare products.

INbed has a high-end appearance with an attention to clean lines in the model of high-end skincare products. This reinforces product continuity to make it easier for consumers to accept future additions to the product line.

“We have abided by the successful marketing and product development principals used by mainstream cosmetic and skincare companies to speak to consumers in ways in which they are accustomed,” he says. “Our attention to branding INbed with an appealing, relevant identity, truly separates us in every way, shape and form from our competition.”