The Rise of Bespoke Beauty & Wellness Industry Brands need to identify opportunities that create value for customers and also achieve a manageable cost structure
By Irfan Memon
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Everybody loves personalization and technology is driving the next upsurge of mass customization. Crafting a unique product for each customer has been on the horizon and is slowly picking pace. Mass customization has constituted and adapted applications across industries including healthcare, beauty and wellness. The beauty and wellness industry is going bespoke by adopting technological advancements in the world of custom-made products and services while the brands are experimenting with diverse solutions to reach out to customers. They are now realizing the importance of the fact that be it selecting a lipstick case or a foundation stick, customers want their own personal taste.
What is Bespoke Beauty & Wellness?
Customization is governing the cosmetics, skincare, haircare and wellness industry in 2018 incorporating bespoke products in their offerings. Bespoke skincare products are personalized products that give customers a unique experience and far effective outcome. The customers are loving the results and the trend is fast gaining acceptance.
Customization in Cosmetics
Foundation was one of the first products to witness this revolution. It is estimated by experts that close to 94% women are using the wrong shade of foundation and hence customized products in this category exploded in popularity. A few renowned make-up brands have adopted a tool to offer tailor-made foundation. The process involves skimming through the woman's skin to determine the accurate shade, customize the formula and present it to the woman in the store itself.
Meticulous attention is also given to eye makeup. The one size fits all doesn't hold true anymore with brands in the eye make-up arena offering different styles and tailored lashes. The process involves answering questions related to your lashes and eye contour followed by an exploration of formula and brush combinations to give you a subsequent bespoke product.
Mapping the Skin
It was in former times when skin was categorized into oily, dry and combination. With brands and customers yearning to give and experience a personal touch, these broad categories have been broken down. Face Mapping is a technology that examines your skin inch-by-inch to give the professional skin therapists the exact information about your skin condition. Different skin structures require different strategies and an exclusive solution.
Nurturing Haircare
It is not just about facial assessment and skincare analysis, some haircare brands have also jumped on the bespoke products bandwagon. They have introduced procedures that analyze hair texture and colour to provide personalized suggestions and relative services. The technological advancements add information to the hair stylists' arsenal that in turn helps to provide custom-made offers.
Exploring Fragrance
Fragrances were always unique to individuals but bespoke beauty allows you to engrave perfume bottles all year round. You can even make your own private perfume wardrobe as some brands deliver a new perfume scent to you each day based on your fragrance preferences, at a nominal fee while some allow you to create your own non-clone formula.
Tailor-made Service
The service-oriented industry is also keeping pace with a more customized service approach. A customer database is maintained to offer service recommendations to customers based on their previous selections and experiences. Salons offer individual consultation and designed-to-order solutions. Based on the consultations, services such as facial, hair-do and waxing to name a few are tailored to address the wellness concerns.
Given the demand for "individuality' is all aspects of life, the potential for sale of bespoke products is enormous but profitability remains a concern. Brands need to identify opportunities that create value for customers and also achieve a manageable cost structure and cost level for themselves to hit success. How profitable is the bespoke beauty for brands, only time will tell!
