Private Labelling - So Sue Me Contour/Highlight Palette

Lilly_lou89

Hi all,
just wondering what eveyone else thinks on this matter...
So the blogger So Sue Me (Suzanne Jackson) has just launched a brand new Highlighter palette and as per the women of Ireland 25 and under are going wild for it.
Suzanne has put a post up on Instagram with a picture of her product and quotes "I developed it from scratch like all my products"
Now, anyone who read the article in The Irish Times in April or a previous post on this site would know that she admitted to a reporter that her Contor Palette was in fact "produced" (i use that word lightly!) as a result of private labelling. Ie the product was already there, she bought it en mass outside of Ireland for next to nothing and re brands it and sells it on for a hefty profit.

Is it just me or is anyone else annoyed and the total lack of transparency and the blatant lies she is telling to her followers?
I mean credit where credit is due she is clearly a good business woman but should her (very loyal!) followers not know the truth?

Now this is not a personal dig at Suzanne, Im just using her as an example of how as consumers the wool gets pulled over our eyes on a daily basis - on a greater scale should all companies in Ireland not have to disclose that they use this private Labelling method? How is this not deemed to be false advertising?

SarahMollie

AFAIK what private labling really is is working with a cosmetics manufacturer who doesnt really have any branding of their own. You bring the influence, they provide the product and hey presto!

So to be fair, when she says develops, I take that to mean that she looks through their catalogs and chose the colours, textures etc that they already produce and picks what to include in her palette. If she's a big enough deal, they might actually further develop something based on her requests.

So its not exactly that she sticks a label on something that already exists, rather she pulls together preexisting components and maybe works with a design agency to come up with the packaging.

I'm always really surprised when this is a shock to people though - do they think that she (and Pippa, etc) have chemistry degrees and lab experience to be actually forulating this stuff from scratch?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

So sue me denies she ever gave that confirmation and got extremely defensive about it, claiming you should believe everything you read and that she was seeking legal advice over that article

Lilly_lou89

Thanks a mill for your informative reply - it explains it so much better :-)
Oh I by no means ever believed that it was a case of her and Pippa etc wearing white coats tucked away in a lab developing cosmetics etc but I dis think there was more work gone into it, especially when she talks about a product being 18 months in the making and all the hard work that she has done I assumed it was more than a pre bought product with her picking items from a catlouge and her label on it.

Although im now surprised to hear she is denying she ever admitted to the Private labelling - I actually liked her more for admitting it in the first place!

Scraggs

Lilly_lou89 wrote: »

Thanks a mill for your informative reply - it explains it so much better :-)
Oh I by no means ever believed that it was a case of her and Pippa etc wearing white coats tucked away in a lab developing cosmetics etc but I dis think there was more work gone into it, especially when she talks about a product being 18 months in the making and all the hard work that she has done I assumed it was more than a pre bought product with her picking items from a catlouge and her label on it.

Although im now surprised to hear she is denying she ever admitted to the Private labelling - I actually liked her more for admitting it in the first place!

I imagine it's a case of getting finance in place a business plan, marketing strategy etc taking time as well as actually designing the product. I'm surprised that she's seeking legal advice... to me that's pathetic especially when like her nail polish range is literally picked from a catalogue of 5000 colours from a company in the UK and then you decide packaging etc. (I have a family member that works for them)

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

Lotus Flower

SarahMollie wrote: »

AFAIK what private labling really is is working with a cosmetics manufacturer who doesnt really have any branding of their own. You bring the influence, they provide the product and hey presto!

So to be fair, when she says develops, I take that to mean that she looks through their catalogs and chose the colours, textures etc that they already produce and picks what to include in her palette. If she's a big enough deal, they might actually further develop something based on her requests.

So its not exactly that she sticks a label on something that already exists, rather she pulls together preexisting components and maybe works with a design agency to come up with the packaging.

I'm always really surprised when this is a shock to people though - do they think that she (and Pippa, etc) have chemistry degrees and lab experience to be actually forulating this stuff from scratch?

That's not entirely accurate- it's not a case of influencers working with cosmetics manufacturers, they're working with companies who sell private - label products- these products are generic products made in Asia, for instance, and chosen from a catalogue.

Lilly_lou89

Yes, thats what i felt it meant.
Like the same products seem to be on Alibaba for a fraction of the price. The Irish Times article in April on "Private Labelling" where i read about it first and talks about Suzanne specifically, Credit where credit is due she did admit it at the time but it seems to be the only time she has and she constantly goes on about developing products from scratch etc...
I suppose i dont understand why companies/people dont have to declare this is how the product came about? Should it not be clear and transparent to the consumer?

meeeeh

I am in two minds about that. I would prefer clarity about production but it's hard to demand it from bloggers when I saw the same shorts sold in Next and C&A under their respective brands. Also would the change in law mean that alk shop brands have to disclose producers. I can't imagine Tesco or Aldi being overly enthusiastic about it.

frogstar

Buyer beware

Same with makeup brands Fuschia (not made in Ireland)

I would assume Flormar and Cailyn and Push etc... Are all the same

qxtasybe1nwfh2

frogstar wrote: »

Buyer beware

Same with makeup brands Fuschia (not made in Ireland)

I would assume Flormar and Cailyn and Push etc... Are all the same

Yes I remember about a year ago Fuschia were promoting new rose gold makeup brushes. They were raving about how they designed these etc. They were the exact same as Zoeva rose gold brushes. Even the same pictures, their logo instead of Zoeva. A few people commented this underneath the post pointing this out and the post was removed. They are now selling these again but they have taken their own pictures at least.

Sunny Dayz

Has white labelling make up products become more prevalent in the last say year or two - or had I just not noticed it?
I've noticed there are a lot more make up brands on the market, before it used to be just the well know brands you see in Boots and other chemists. But now there appears to me anyway, a huge influx of make up brands. But none of them are particularly different.

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

meeeeh

I suspect it's popularity of bloggers. Traditional make up brand would need to develop range of products, while bloggers can develop one at a time and sell it as a side business. Similarly farmacies, beauticians and similar smaller businesses can invest into a small range of products and promote it through bloggers. It's a lot cheaper advertising than in traditional media. All this mostly works for low cost products because a lot of blogger followers are younger and their purchasing power is limited but very enthusiastic.

There is also increase of online clothing websites and even independent boutiques that do similar. Smarter ones usually sell mix of Alibaba stuff and recognized mid price brands.

retro:electro

Is it just beauty products that are sometimes subject to the private label world, or would say, a clothing line.. -like jeans perhaps- also be subject to private labelling?

GingerLily

anna080 wrote: »

Is it just beauty products that are sometimes subject to the private label world, or would say, a clothing line.. -like jeans perhaps- also be subject to private labelling?

What exactly are you asking? Lots of food and sundries from diffrent brands are made by the same factory, almost exact same ingredients, but diffrent labels put in at the end.

I'm sure pippa is using a pre existing manufacturer but I'd be very surprised if she hasn't been heavily involved in the design, at 100e a pair of jeans they'd wanna be top quality.

retro:electro

GingerLily wrote: »

What exactly are you asking? Lots of food and sundries from diffrent brands are made by the same factory, almost exact same ingredients, but diffrent labels put in at the end.

I'm sure pippa is using a pre existing manufacturer but I'd be very surprised if she hasn't been heavily involved in the design, at 100e a pair of jeans they'd wanna be top quality.

I'm asking if she too just picked them from a magazine like every other private label product

GingerLily

anna080 wrote: »

I'm asking if she too just picked them from a magazine like every other private label product

Might be worth asking her?

I really wouldn't think so.

With her cosmetics, she did a brand collaboration rather than private labelling so I'd be less inclined to think she'd have started private labelling now.

meeeeh

anna080 wrote: »

Is it just beauty products that are sometimes subject to the private label world, or would say, a clothing line.. -like jeans perhaps- also be subject to private labelling?

My brother bought the same shorts labeled Next in Next as his friend who bought them in C&A labeled as C&A.

I suspect for the most of clothing you see sometimes labeled as Made in Italy the only thing done in Italy is stitching up the label the rest lands in port in Trieste.

GingerLily

It's a tricky one, most major brands seem to be sharing products and rebranding them, when it's a small independent distributor - what exactly constitutes private labelling?

Hopeful2016

GingerLily wrote: »

Might be worth asking her?

I really wouldn't think so.

With her cosmetics, she did a brand collaboration rather than private labelling so I'd be less inclined to think she'd have started private labelling now.

With her cosmetics, not making any comment on her jeans as I know nothing about them, she did collaborate with a brand. However that brand engages in private labelling so it's likely that that is how her palette was put together.

GingerLily

Hopeful2016 wrote: »

With her cosmetics, not making any comment on her jeans as I know nothing about them, she did collaborate with a brand. However that brand engages in private labelling so it's likely that that is how her palette was put together.

Well, it's the opposite really, she didn't label them as her own cosmetics which is what private labelling is and which is my point. I'm aware that blankle canvas do private labelling, but pippa didn't with the pippa palette, it's was clearly marked as a blank canvas product.

With her jeans she's labelled them as her own, so if she's selected them from a magazine then it would be private labelling, but I don't think that happened here. Hopefully she'll give more details soon....

Hopeful2016

GingerLily wrote: »

Well, it's the opposite really, she didn't label them as her own cosmetics which is what private labelling is and which is my point. I'm aware that blankle canvas do private labelling, but pippa didn't with the pippa palette, it's was clearly marked as a blank canvas product.

With her jeans she's labelled them as her own, so if she's selected them from a magazine then it would be private labelling, but I don't think that happened here. Hopefully she'll give more details soon....

Well the palette is labelled Pippa for Blank Canvas so she is putting her own name on it. The palette is very clearly a private labelled product. There were probably financial reasons for her collaboration with BC and her not doing it on her own but at the end of the day it was a private label arrangement with whatever factory Pippa and BC worked with on the palettes. They are private labelled goods, Pippa nor BC came up with this palette in a lab themselves. Just because she worked in collaboration with BC doesn't mean it's not private label.

GingerLily

Hopeful2016 wrote: »

Well the palette is labelled Pippa for Blank Canvas so she is putting her own name on it. The palette is very clearly a private labelled product. There were probably financial reasons for her collaboration with BC and her not doing it on her own but at the end of the day it was a private label arrangement with whatever factory Pippa and BC worked with on the palettes. They are private labelled goods, Pippa nor BC came up with this palette in a lab themselves. Just because she worked in collaboration with BC doesn't mean it's not private label.

You're saying blank canvas are private label themselves?

Hopeful2016

http://www.pippa.ie/introducing-the-pippa-palette/

GingerLily wrote: »

You're saying blank canvas are private label themselves?

Are you just trolling now? I'm sure you know full well that BC don't actually produce their own formulas or make up.

I'm saying Pippa and BC, together entered in to a private label arrangement with a 3rd party. Pippa has often spoken about her input, therefore it leads me to believe she was party to putting the palette together and that wasn't solely down to BC.

Are you up suggesting they manufactured the eyeshadows themselves?

Pippa clearly states that she was involved in the development of this palette on her website and that she wanted to develop her own brand, how is this palette not private labelled?!

It's distinctly different to the J Hill Morphe palette where J explicitly states that these are not her eyeshadows, she had nothing to do with developing them, she just picked her favourite shades from Morphie's existing offering. This is not what Pippa is saying about her palette.

GingerLily

Hopeful2016 wrote: »

http://www.pippa.ie/introducing-the-pippa-palette/

Are you just trolling now? I'm sure you know full well that BC don't actually produce their own formulas or make up.

I'm saying Pippa and BC, together entered in to a private label arrangement with a 3rd party. Pippa has often spoken about her input, therefore it leads me to believe she was party to putting the palette together and that wasn't solely down to BC.

Are you up suggesting they manufactured the eyeshadows themselves?

Pippa clearly states that she was involved in the development of this palette on her website and that she wanted to develop her own brand, how is this palette not private labelled?!

It's distinctly different to the J Hill Morphe palette where J explicitly states that these are not her eyeshadows, she had nothing to do with developing them, she just picked her favourite shades from Morphie's existing offering. This is not what Pippa is saying about her palette.

No, I didn't, hence why I asked. Out sourcing manufacturing does not equal private labelling.

I really think you were unnecessarily nasty in your response.

Hopeful2016

GingerLily wrote: »

No, I didn't, hence why I asked. Out sourcing manufacturing does not equal private labelling.

I really think you were unnecessarily nasty in your response.

Apologies, I assumed you knew that BC engaged in private labelling because in the quote below you said you did. No nastiness intended.

GingerLily wrote: »

Well, it's the opposite really, she didn't label them as her own cosmetics which is what private labelling is and which is my point. I'm aware that blankle canvas do private labelling, but pippa didn't with the pippa palette, it's was clearly marked as a blank canvas...

dudara

Posters - a reminder to please stay polite to each other.

Here's the Wikipedia definition of private label.

Private-label products or services, also known as "phantom brands", are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand.

Airyfairy12

Youre better off buying from large companies that have allot of money to invest in products and technology, companies like Loreal who sell both high end and high street products often repackage their higher end products as lower end ones.. if they release a high end serum or cream eventually the technology and the ingredients used in it trickle down to lower end products so after a couple of months of a high end expensive product being released you'll eventually get it repackaged for a fraction of its original price..
Also bigger companies are always parented by other bigger companies which means theyre made in the same factories and often with very similar ingredients.. like Bourjois owned Chanel, bourjois healthy mix foundation is a dead ringer for Chanels vitalumiere, their blushes are very similar too.

Products sold by companies like Fuchsia or beauty gurus like sosume or celebrities like the Kardashians are mass produced, packaged for buyers, bought by buyers for buttons and sold to the public for triple and quadruple the cost.

The contour pallets sold by Fuchsia or sosume can be bought in bulk through companies, theyre the exact same product, same goes for brushes.. ebay sells them for nothing .. example http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-15-Colors-Contour-Face-Cream-Makeup-Concealer-Palette-Brush-Sponge-set-/252176383283 .. you'll notice the brushes are very similar to some of Fuchsias collections.

Companies like MAC, Rimmel ect have the money and labs to invest in their own products, even their cheaper products are better quality than most of what these smaller brands are selling.

Its not just under 25 year olds interested in sosume, ive friends in their early 30's/late 20's obsessed with her and will buy whatever shes selling. Any of us could do what she does if we had the investment. Companies send beauty bloggers like her products and clothes to advertise, shes little more than a walking talking advertisement and makes money from her image, you cant expect her to be honest about where her makeup products come from....unless she has millions to invest in technology and creating brand new products or she's managed to team up with loreal or estee lauder or some other large company her products wont be new or original.