In an exclusive interaction with Lori Leib, Creative Director of US-based Bodyography Professional Cosmetics, Wellness India discovered
What kind of opportunities do you see in the Indian market which made you tap the space?
Bodyography is a boutique professional makeup line – conceptualized for the modern age women. Bodyography’s goal is to make women feel comfortable with makeup, both on and off their skin. The brand is driven by the passion about the belief that every woman is beautiful and has features to enhance in order to feel more confident. From natural to spectacular, Bodyography Professional Cosmetics can cover any makeup look for both amateurs and professionals. And therefore, launching in India was the next step!
Today in India, there are very few professional make-up lines that can cater to the wide range of salons and professional makeup artists across the country. With Bodyography cosmetics, the professional make-up artist is empowered to create a variety of looks using high quality and performance based products which their client can also use at home!
Bodyography is also vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free as well as cruelty-free. Therefore, the brand caters to all types of people and does not limit itself but also caters to people who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance or even those who prefer a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Environment consciousness is a growing trend in India & the time was ripe to launch a brand whose products were very consciously conceived.
In which year your brand entered in Indian beauty and wellness market?
Bodyography Professional Cosmetics was launched in India in January 2015
What is your marketing strategy to tap Indian beauty and wellness space, already being captured by thousands of brands?
The Strategy revolves around the most likely target audience & their needs today. The gap in the market for a vegan, gluten free, paraben free & cruelty free product is met with Bodyography. Thus, the focus is on promoting this aspect among the more aware & conscious target group.
With Bodyography, we aim to create a paradigm shift by empowering salons and professionals to be able to retail products from their outlets thereby moving colour cosmetics majorly away from retail into the professional industry. Professionals therefore have access to use and apply high quality products from Bodyography and are able to recommend products based on one’s skin type and tone.
Beauty or ‘Look Good’ is another aspect that we focus on, after all its beauty that draws attention & eyeballs.
Celebrities like film & theatre personalities have been using chemical based products for so long that their skin is actually “tired”. We focus on professionals who are working in this area so that they can in turn use a better quality of product on these personalities.
What are the price points on which you are selling your products? What are your target consumers?
Our starting price is Rs 675 for primer to Rs 1.875 for foundations and primers. We offer wide range of products at an affordable price for every woman. The full line of professional cosmetics has been developed to suit any person, professional or consumer, and any occasion. Ranging from full service salons to on-set makeup artists and the modern day woman, we strive to make Bodyography the only solution to all makeup needs, wants and desires.
Bodyography serves women beyond age, demographics and economy as it a brand meant for the new age modern woman who is confident and loves innovation. It is preferred amongst those conscious women looking for products that are healthy and safe to apply to the skin. Bodyography is the choice of a woman with aspirational value, a woman who believes in going an extra mile for herself.
Have you made it to Indian market through Ecommerce (how and with whom?) or some other route you’ve taken? What’s your take over making way towards Indian beauty & wellness consumers through ecommerce? How easy or complicated it is?
Bodyography is imported and marketed in India by Headstart International. The brand is available across leading salons and retailers through Self Service Floor Displays, Counter Top Displays and Master Displays. Bodyography is also available through independent retail outlets and online through www.nykaa.com.
We have consciously not focused majorly on ecommerce since Bodyography is a professional makeup brand. It shows best results when recommended by a professional make-up artist who understands the needs of your skin as well. As a result we have not penetrated the ecommerce sector.
It is extremely easy to put brands and products through the ecommerce route however since we have a specific brand strategy in place with all our professional brands, we tend to stay away from retail as a quick fix solution. With Bodyography we offer exclusivity to makeup artists and salons that cater to makeup and help empower artists to not only use good quality products but to retail based on consultations.
What challenges did you phased or are phasing to create a niche for your brand into Indian Beauty & wellness space? What is your strategy to combat the eminent challenges existing into the space?
One of the major challenges was to stay away from the retail space. We did an experiment by placing the brand in a couple of retail outlets. However since Bodyography is a professional brand, we got the best response both in terms of professional and retail sales when we placed it in the hands of veteran makeup artists.
Although there are other professional makeup brands which have existed for a while now, the strategy with Bodyography was unique which allowed us to penetrate the professional industry in a short time. One of the major aspects of the brand is its attractive display unit which consists of only tester products. The makeup artists were thus able to beautifully display all the products and use it at the same time on their clients. This provides an impetus for retail sales which we help the make-up artists with. Therefore their clients not only get beautiful results at the studio but also can buy the products on the spot and use it at home.
One of the eminent challenges is brand awareness since the brand is relatively new in the professional makeup space. However with the right marketing and communications strategy we seen an overwhelming response and believe that the brand will enjoy a large market share in the professional makeup space in the coming years.
How much percentage of profit margins you are keeping on products’ sale in India? Does selling in India is easier or tough in comparison with other countries you have entered in?
Our profit margins on the brand are minimal compared to most other brands simply because we do not spend millions of dollars on brand ambassadors. Our products are designed for the everyday woman, to serve her needs. Therefore our communications and marketing strategies cover the bare necessities to create brand awareness.
Every country and region has its own challenges and problems as well as its positives which help a brand grow. Because India is so dynamic, it can become challenging in terms of logistics and spread of distribution. Each market has its own potentials and problems and therefore catering to these problems is what makes India more challenging than other countries. However at the same time, because India is many countries into one country, our vast variety and range of shades and colours work very well! For example, certain shades of foundation that do not do so well in North India are our top selling products in South India. The climate, the weather and cultural differences in each zone in a way ensure that the wide range of products is justified.
What about expansion in India? Please elaborate. Any plans to establish presence in brick & mortar (If currently present on ecommerce) or other way round?
Since our launch in January, we have seen a quick spurt of growth in several unexpected towns and cities across India. This leads us to believe that the scope for expansion is huge as India is evolving and accepting healthier and safer brands for themselves and their clients. Our expansion plans will continue with our current strategy of working with makeup artists and beauty salons across the country with special focus on boutique and niche salons that understand and appreciate good quality products.
Brick and Mortar is an easy route out to double the volume of sales which is great for many brands! But for Bodyography, we take immense pleasure in servicing professionals and their needs and empowering our clients to use and recommend amazing quality products from a full make-up line.
