IPSOS and Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation held a conference together at the Beyond Beauty 2011 event on a major theme in the world of cosmetics: how the rapport towards beauty has evolved in the United States. The United States is a leading market in the luxury and beauty industry. Remy Oudghiri (Director of prospective IPSOS) and Leïla Rochet-Podvin (founder of the agency Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation) held a joint-conference that was based on five fundamental points.

American women and beauty is a story of paradoxes. While North America is the home of a great deal of research, emerging trends and new products in the field of cosmetics and make-up, many American women believe that appearance is not all that important.

It is therefore up to the market and the latest cosmetics to keep pace with those Working

Girls who need a product that is quick and convenient to use but also one that gives them confidence.

Among American women one also sees a desire to distance themselves from artificial beauty and stay natural. The trend of staying young at any cost is over. Today they seem younger because they age well. During the conference, they cited over-thirty icons such as Jennifer Lopez, a mother and voted the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine.

When one speaks of natural beauty, one also speaks of respect for the environment. Leïla Rochet-Podvin and Rémy Oudghiri highlighted the keen environmental awareness of cosmetic consumers in the United States. Biodegradable packaging, products that are not tested on animals … These criteria have become the new prerequisites for creating luxury cosmetics. American women need to feel comfortable with the brands they use. Today, one attracts consumers by contributing a percentage of profits to charities that relate particularly to women (such as the fight against breast cancer).

To conclude the conference, the two speakers defined American Beauty in one word: diversity. Deeply rooted in the history of the United States, diversity is an essential trait of American society. According to a survey conducted by Allure magazine in March 2011, 64% of the respondents think that a woman of mixed ethnicity or a coloured woman represents the epitome of beauty . To cater to this wide public, we have to adapt products to all skin tones, all types of skin and hair.

In a nutshell, cosmetics adapt themselves to the American woman to offer her the perfect response.

Floriane Reynaud

Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation

IPSOS