Live from New York: Active Naturals Introduced to NY Press

On January 14, Aveeno held a press breakfast at New York’s Skyline Studios to present its latest launch—Nourish+ hair care collection. Aveeno’s first entry into the hair care category blends nature and science to, according to the company, repair the most damaged areas of the hair follicle.

According to Susan Sweet, vice president, marketing for Aveeno, the line utilizes the technology and skin care expertise evident in Aveeno’s skin care products to address the health and vitality of the hair and scalp. She cited the impact of R&D, and introduced principal scientist Saurabh Desai to discuss the technology behind the collection, and Jessica Wu, clinical professor dermatology, University of Southern California, spoke about the importance of answering the consumer’s need to create and maintain healthy hair. “Five out of ten of my patients express some concerns about their hair,” said Wu. “Hair is an accessory organ of the skin, and even though hair is dead, it comes from living tissue in the scalp; the right hair care products contribute to a healthy scalp, which leads to healthy hair.”

CEW’s Newsmaker Forum

Pericles P. Stamatiades, company group chairman, beauty care global business unit, Johnson & Johnson Beauty Care, was invited to present at CEW’s Newsmaker Forum on Jan. 15, 2009. Stamatiades began his career with Johnson & Johnson more than 24 years ago, and in his current role, is responsible for overseeing 18 global beauty brands—including Neutrogena, Neutrogena Cosmetics, Aveeno, ROC, Lubriderm, Clean & Clear, Ambi Skincare, Piz Buin, Le Petit Marseillais and Dabao. Stamatiades emphasized the importance of the beauty and consumer care sector, which he said is driving growth. He noted the company’s acquisitions of regional brands throughout the world and its continual search for innovation. “We are strong in science and are learning that science is not enough. It must also have innovation. We also are strongly connected with dermatologists and pharmaceuticals. We are interested in improving the condition of the skin with the products that meet the needs of the consumer, with the best price. We are always looking for properties and always have our antennas up.”

He noted that the company is looking at door-to-door sales in China. “I am a big believer in direct to consumer [sales],” he said. “We’re not locked in to where a brand ‘should be;’ for example, Aveeno in Europe is [sold] in pharmacies. We’re taking different products to different channels, with Skin ID for example, which is on QVC.” In answer to a question about business in difficult economic times, he said, “You have to be flexible. If you’re true to what you are doing, a tough time is good for tough people. You have to be very lean and make sure the unnecessary costs are out. For example, I would never cut down on my R&D. You try not to reduce the quality of your products, and keeping in front of the consumer is important in tough times.”

Though he noted that current trends remain strong, personalizing and adapting to a changing consumer with different needs will impact future trends.

Bond No. 9’s Dual Launch

One New York neighborhood to re-invent itself in recent years is Brooklyn. And the legendary New York borough is the latest inspiration for the new Bond No. 9 fragrance, Brooklyn. With its share of artists, graffiti aficionados and writers, the borough resonates with community and complexity that has been translated into a unisex fragrance. The scent is a woody, spicy, Oriental that blends top notes of grapefruit and cardamom with a heart of Cypress wood, geranium leaves and juniper berries, all built on a base of cedar wood, leather, and guaiac wood. Created by IFF perfumer Laurent LeGuernec, the scent is meant to be romantic and edgy, with a long-lasting fragrance trail.

The bottle design, in the classic shape of the Bond No. 9 superstar flacon, was created by Bond No. 9 in-house creative guru Shawn Lovejoy, and features a completely transparent glass bottle decorated with the words Brooklyn and Bond No. 9, handwritten in street art style.

Its March 2009 launch coincides with Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Want It” campaign—an event in which merchant and fashion teams identify the season’s most notable trends and work to feature those trends in store. Also new from Bond, Astor Place is named for a landmark area in lower Manhattan between Broadway and Third Avenue. The area is a juxtaposition of the scholarly, artistic and architectural—inspiring the spring fresh floral scent.

Also created by IFF’s LeGuernec, the scent has top notes of violet leaf and mandarin zest; heart notes of freesia, red poppy buds and orris root; and base notes of teakwood, musk and amber. The surface design of the flacon echoes the angles of the neighborhood’s multi-ton gravity-defying black metal cube sculpture, created by artist Tony Rosenthal.

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