To move towards product launch with confidence, marketing teams need reliable consumer intelligence. Here at The Benchmarking Company, we are seeing brands turning back to the basics more and more to get this data—basics such as the time-tested focus group. A chance for bran

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Anyone passing through the lobby of Hotel Vitale on a recent Saturday afternoon would have heard delighted shrieks coming from a conference room.What sounded like a taping of Oprah’s FavoriteThings onWinfrey’s former television show was actually a room full of young women wh ...

There are a lot of dos and don’ts to keep track of when you pitch to investors—properly define the market opportunity, outline the problem/solution, demonstrate key revenue streams, etc.—but one element that often gets overlooked in favor of hard-hitting data is conveying a ...

Scientific innovations have come to the beauty aisle in a big way – particularly in the skincare category.  From topical products to high-tech devices, today’s beauty brands are using scientific innovation to push the boundaries of skin health and well-being for consumers of ...

François Nars had a vision. With a love for the South of France, the prestige makeup marketer wanted his Summer 2016 color cosmetics packages to create a fun, travel-inspired story set along the Côte d’Azur. So he approached fashion illustrator Konstantin Kakanias and commis ...

In the summer, a beauty consumer’s fancy often turns to thoughts of what’s bright, fresh and fun, like sunny nail polishes, fruit-glazed lip glosses and beachy highlights, but they also turn to thoughts of more serious things, i.e.: sun safety. With awareness of UV light ind

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Lip products are enjoying a boom says Urban Decay's Engrand, who predicts the category will continue to be popular in the coming year as brands bring out new innovations in textures and packaging. "Each year there are new things with lacquers, mattes, semi-mattes, powders, g ...

Suncare protection sales rose less than 4% in 2015, according to Information Resources, Inc. There were 86,447,681 aerosol sun care products filled in the U.S. in 2014; aluminum cans were the top choice for marketers at 85,113,803 with products in steel aerosol can numbering ...

The U.S. prestige beauty industry reached $16 billion in 2015, a 7% increase over 2014 sales, according to global information company The NDP Group, Inc. Makeup experienced the healthiest sales growth (13%), while the fragrance category outperformed skin care for the first t ...

There’s no denying that designing packaging for your new beauty or skincare brand is one of the most exciting parts of the PD process. Which colors will you pick? What bottle shape and what weight of paper for the unit carton? Obviously all of these details add incrementally

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Canada may not hold the title of sunniest place in the world (that honor goes to Yuma, Arizona) but it's finally the time of year when customers look to stock up o UV protection. To better understand their behaviors and preferences, consumer research firm The Benchmarking Co ...

TBC's Jenn Stansbury talks consumer claims in "Making the Sale," page 42, BW Confidential, May 2016