Private labelling

LizT

There's a really interesting article in the Irish times today about 'private labelling'
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/fashion/beauty/aisling-on-beauty-private-labelling-should-be-a-matter-of-public-record-1.2608058

Basically it explains that no make up is made in Ireland and anyone who produces make up here just orders the cosmetics out of a catalogue and sticks their name onto it. So sue me admitted that that's what she did with her palette. Whole make up lines are produced by companies buying these blank cosmetics and branding them and marketing them.

Now I never really thought about it but I was always, probably stupidly, thought that people developed their own products or at least didn't just pick them out of a catalogue. I mean, they're nearly always marketed as the new, must have palette when in reality it's just repackaged catalogue make up. This is not an attack in any way on so sue me, at least she had the balls to admit it.

Maybe I'm just completely naive and everyone knew about this already?

SarahMollie

I figured that thats what all the celebrity make up products were. I remember watching a programme on Nicola Roberts Dainty Doll line for pale skin and I'm pretty sure she went to some factory in China and picked out what she wanted. She may have had a few things altered to her specification also and working with the product development teams in the factory, but there was no suggestion of her setting up her own manufacturing operation.

Sunny Dayz

Seen the article yesterday evening and found it very interesting.
I agree it did surprise me a bit too, I didn't realise that no make up was made in Ireland. However I did notice there has been a recent surge in new Irish make up brands, Fuschia, Blank Canvas, Cailyn and Push make up are new brands (to my ears) in the last couple of months. I've only noticed that the designs for Fuschia and Push are practically the same! I had just assumed that the beauty industry in Ireland was coming on in leaps and bounds, that we could have our own make up brands instead of relying on foreign make up brands, that Irish jobs were being created.


I had a fair idea though when I seen So Su's contouring palette that it was practically the same as crownbrush palettes and I think she used to promote their brushes so I just assumed she was putting her name to one of their palettes. I'm not a fan of hers but at least she admitted to it for the article.


I'm guessing the article could be somewhat linked to kylie Jenner's infamous lip products which are said to be quite the same as a much cheaper brand.

lazygal

I wasn't surprised at all. US bloggers have had clothing, jewellery and makeup lines, all from Alibaba or similar.

murphy01

I saw this article too and I thought it was a real eye opener! The mark up these people are charging for in effect 'me-too' products is ridiculous! However the biggest problem is the buying public getting sucked in by blogger influence. I guess SoSueMe has to be commended for being upfront about using these white label products but again the mark up she is putting on the palette is very high. Of course this article has very much gone under the radar which is a shame as it would be good if more people were aware of what's actually going on.

meeeeh

I would think big cosmetics companies have bigger margins, if people are prepared to pay that much there is no issue.
More important is the misleading advertising and I would be very vary of quality control. I don't mean quality of makeup but actually making sure it is not harmful.

murphy01

meeeeh wrote: »

I would think big cosmetics companies have bigger margins, if people are prepared to pay that much there is no issue.
More important is the misleading advertising and I would be very vary of quality control. I don't mean quality of makeup but actually making sure it is not harmful.

Yea good point however larger cosmetic companies also invest a lot of money in r&d so at least that's comforting plus you're obviously paying for pretty packaging etc.
I just think the lack of transparency is a key point. All this bull about 'o I've worked really hard to develop this product, blah blah' ...when all they've done is pick a few things from a catalogue and picked some nice packaging with their name on it!

meeeeh

I have complete distrust for celebrity endorsed stuff. Notable exception is Ines de la Fressagne for Uniqlo but that is clothing and in conjunction with reputable company. Anyway I wouldn't be that easily persuaded into blogger's cosmetic products but I was caught with Fuchsia primer. Not the price, because they are probably still cheaper than getting small quantities shipped. But because it was a regular brand name I just assumed this is something produced by a bigger cosmetics manufacturer. And I don't like products just being relabled because I like to have the comfort of proper quality control and companies being afraid of brand damage a shoddy batch would cause.

on_my_oe

I admit, I was completely naive - I didn't think these celebs were setting up their own production companies but I did think there was a bit more than design a pretty logo and stick it on a container. I'm not one for buying 'celebrity collaborations' but still!

lazygal

on_my_oe wrote: »

I admit, I was completely naive - I didn't think these celebs were setting up their own production companies but I did think there was a bit more than design a pretty logo and stick it on a container. I'm not one for buying 'celebrity collaborations' but still!

I doubt they even design their logos, TBH. There's probably a selection of designs that can be tweaked slightly, also from a catalogue.

ChampagnePop

So something like the Pippa pallet - how much design work would have gone into that? I know the products come from a factory in China or wherever, I just genuinely thought there was a little more to it.

Are the sosueme varnishes just new labels on a pre-existing nail varnish product?

meeeeh

I would say so yes. BTW I know two people who bought exactly the same pair of shorts, one sold and labeled as Next and the other sold and labeled as C&A. So it's not just small-timers who are re-branding stuff.

Sunny Dayz

ChampagnePop wrote: »

So something like the Pippa pallet - how much design work would have gone into that? I know the products come from a factory in China or wherever, I just genuinely thought there was a little more to it.

I get the impression, after reading the Irish Time article, that Pippa's palette seems to be genuine, ie, put together by her/with her input. I stand corrected but I have not seen a palette anywhere else similar in terms of layout, content etc. I haven't read any reviews of it where they have likened it to another palette or compared the shades to a similar one. I don't own the palette but from looking at pics it doesn't look like it was just picked off the shelf and a Pippa sticker stuck on the front, there does appear to be a bit more work done in terms of product design and packaging. The fact that she has a story behind each item in the palette makes it appear to be a very thought out product. I follow her on snapchat and she uses it herself most days.

meeeeh

It is as genuine as Sosu stuff. From the article linked above:

Companies including Fuschia or Blank Canvas both sell private-label products; they do not make their own cosmetics. At a push they might order something slightly different to a catalogue version. So do many other people or brands.

Pippa's palette made is in conjunction with blank canvas. She might out some work into picking colors and spec and someone pinkified the design a bit but that is about it. I would guess no more work was involved or any better quality than something from make up revolution.

LizT

Sounds like pippa's palette was custom made but custom made with the cosmetics from a catalogue, not actually completed developed and designed by her. As far as I know she's never really claimed otherwise, I just don't think many people are away of the practice of private labelling and so probably just assume it's a product that's completely new to the market that she has developed.

ameliams

Shivletzmakeup had a really good snapchat story on this yesterday. I think it might be gone now but she went through the websites where irish brands get these products, very insightful. I knew about this already but I was gobsmacked by the amount of products I recognized. Far more brands than I realized are doing this. Particularly one brand who actually do very little to their design, they've released several new products over the last year and I could spot the majority of them on the websites she was going through.

murphy01

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

I get the impression, after reading the Irish Time article, that Pippa's palette seems to be genuine, ie, put together by her/with her input. I stand corrected but I have not seen a palette anywhere else similar in terms of layout, content etc. I haven't read any reviews of it where they have likened it to another palette or compared the shades to a similar one. I don't own the palette but from looking at pics it doesn't look like it was just picked off the shelf and a Pippa sticker stuck on the front, there does appear to be a bit more work done in terms of product design and packaging. The fact that she has a story behind each item in the palette makes it appear to be a very thought out product. I follow her on snapchat and she uses it herself most days.

There wouldn't be a similar pallette out there but the thing is with these catalogues from what I am understanding is that you can choose eyeshadows from one catalogue, highlighters from another, bronzers from another and so on and then put them all together into one collection. I am not saying that is what Pippa has done but from the article we know that the SoSueMe pallette has been developed this way. I'm making my own conclusions but for me it was a total eye opener for sure. Social media has made individuals really powerful so individuals now are often more powerful than actual brands. The brands need the 'influencers' to back them or they're left behind. It's a total turn around.

LinF

Wow, ladies, great information and I am so glad I have taken the time to read through all the posts.