For a few years, cosmetics’ brands’ scientific communications had become a real issue.
And the message itself had become the subject of all kinds of attention. From labs to marketing departments, public relations to consumers, the initial message was formed, transformed and deformed, sometimes to the detriment to the product. It was surprising to see the degree of emptiness of the vocabulary, the dilution of the message, even the disappearance of the innovative aspects of the product.
What will consumers remember from all of that? What vocabulary will make them want to use the product?
What can Mr and Mrs So-and-So understand about a technological product? Stem cells, genomics, protéomics, glamour, glycation: which is the odd one out! Customers simply expect increasingly effective formulas that are safe and pleasant to use, and they find themselves faced with a confusing plethora of products that often come with an obtuse sales pitch. “Here we are in play-physics land,” says an R&D manager humorously. With his 10 years of higher education, he sometimes finds that the consumer press pushes its scientific explanations a bit too far, to where the glamour aspect becomes blurred. Vulgarize, of course; report scientific advances, for sure; but do so while remaining accessible and concentrated exclusively on the field of cosmetics. Everyone knows the cosmetics industry likes to make itself look important, and to tread on the toes of the medical industry. Is there a doctor in the perfume store?

Sabine Chabbert – Beyond Beauty MAG 29