Dermocosmetics: the race for attractiveness?

In the collective imagination, when we think of a dermocosmetic product, we instantly imagine a white, cold, medical-looking bottle. And that’s okay. As Lucille Gauthier-Braud, creative beauty director at Peclers Paris, explains to us, these products were initially considered in a “very clinical” dimension, even “dehumanized” in terms of aesthetics. But dermocosmetology is a sector in perpetual renewal. And it has experienced many upheavals in recent years following the emergence of clean beauty, market expertise, but also and above all, thanks to social networks.

A start based on expert advice

When dermocosmetology appeared on the market, it especially wanted to differentiate itself from other cosmetic products already in place. His warhorse ? His expert opinion thanks to a highlighting of the various specialists in the medical profession, creators of these products. Pierre Fabre was the first to venture into this field in 1965 with its iconic chamomile shampoo signed Klorane. It thus marks the beginning of a concept that seeks to take care of everyone, whether it is about their health or their beauty.

To best convey this idea of medical expertise, the first brands of dermocosmetology therefore offer products visually similar to what we encounter daily in drugstores: white boxes with black writing and very scientific names. A technique which then makes it possible to build customer confidence and to emphasize this “very clinical” aspect, as Lucille Gauthier-Braud explains. A great strategy to impose itself, but which must be modernized today. The various dermocosmetology brands have grasped this need

Modernization on all fronts

According to our expert, the challenge of dermocosmetology remains how to make brands more glamorous and lively, while maintaining the value of expertise. And above all, by responding to the ever more demanding demands of customers who, over the years, have seen their expectations increase.

The need for transparency

In its early days, the dermocosmetics sector was based on a communication strategy similar to those encountered at that time: photos far from being a reflection of reality (remember the pretty liquid blue unveiled on television to sell the effectiveness of sanitary napkins…). And quite naturally, the medical cosmetics sector reproduced the same pattern. It was therefore normal to see a professional dermatologist who was barely 20 years old as a representative of a product. Just like taking adult models to prove the effectiveness of an anti-wrinkle cream.
But people are not – at least no longer – fooled. Today, and especially with the emergence of the “true beauty” trend, consumers need to be confronted with a reality. to their reality. This is why, for more than five years, the dermocosmetics market has been striving to promote unretouched photos of the results obtained in order to obtain realistic before/after.

An important ecological dimension

But in addition to “true beauty”, dermocosmetics brands have confronted another movement: that of clean beauty. In other words, cleaner and responsible cosmetic products. In addition to a reworked formulation, this ecological dimension has had a real impact on product packaging. Less plastic, more refillable products, etc. A need that has been enhanced by many important innovations. “Particularly around the cardboard tube,” as Lucille Gauthier-Braud explains. A new parameter to take into consideration which, like many other things, takes a long time to set up in the short term.

A new sensoriality

Lucille Gauthier-Braud also highlights the importance and the need for a new sensoriality in the customer experience. This is why, like the prodigious oil of Nuxe – in which floral and solar notes mingle with a silky texture – dermocosmetics aims to offer a real experience through these products. In addition to packaging, it is therefore essential for the sector to take an interest in texture. An advance that we already notice on social networks. « When you consult the Instagram pages of the brands, you immediately see this sensoriality of the material that has been reworked », explains the expert. And it works! In our mind, a color is instantly associated with a smell, a flower, a fruit. At a glance, we come to think of the texture of this cream on our skin, to feel it. This is what we speak of as an entire experience. A new version of dermocosmetic products, more dynamic and in tune with the times, which really inspires us.