CL&D Digital, a sample packaging printer, worked closely with the Zach Group—which works to build new brands and maintain the relevance of existing brands in evolving marketplaces—to showcase the RCPharma-distributed Skin Benefits line at the 2009 HBA Global Expo. The skin care solution line already was a successful international brand of value-priced products that had been revamped, both product and packaging, before being launched in the U.S.
Skin Benefits International is a newly formed global company and collaborative partnership between three companies:
RC Pharma, LLC in the U.S., The Core Business plc in the U.K., and Najd Trading Company in Saudi Arabia. The companies recognized that by combining their intellectual capital, 100-plus years of experience, and network of contacts and established distribution channels, they could quickly and effectively drive revenue growth in the international marketplace.
RC Pharma, LLC, a privately held company founded in 2008 by Ronald Czerniec, offers private-label OTC medications, supplements and branded beauty products. As part of its natural evolution, RCPharma seized opportunities to expand its business in order to become the exclusive distributor of the Skin Benefits line of face care and beauty products in the U.S. and Latin America.
The Original and Its Natural Successor
The Skin Benefits line, made with natural plant extracts and botanicals, includes revitalizing green tea eye pads, cooling cucumber eye pads, anti-wrinkle neck gel patches that utilize a hydro-gel delivery system aimed toward delivering ingredients more efficiently, anti-wrinkle under-eye gel patches, deep cleansing nose pore strips, and deep cleansing chin or forehead pore strips—all priced under $10.
On the original product that enjoyed success in the U.K., Canada and Australia, among other markets, Czerniec explains, “We reformulated the products by adding herbs and making them paraben-free.” On the move to launch in the U.S., he says, “We’ve found a tremendous opportunity for our value-priced brand of natural skin and beauty products and have selected the best-sellers that are most appropriate for the U.S. marketplace.” With a tagline and positioning of “All about your natural beauty,” the packaging, naturally, had to follow suit. “We gave it a complete overhaul for a more attractive, contemporary look that more effectively reflects Skin Benefits’ natural formulations and healthy benefits while capturing the fresh, wholesome essence of the skin care line,” says Steven Wright, vice president of the Zach Group. Skin Benefits’ products are packaged in at least 80% recycled paper and contain images of the products’ natural ingredients, such as willow bark, to reinforce the brand’s natural formulations and brand positioning.
“The original packaging had a cellophane window, which was eliminated, but we maintained the two little die cuts on the bottom front and back of the package,” says Karen Hennekens, customer service with CL&D. “These ‘feet’ allowed for the packaging to stand up on its own and be displayed freely on a glass counter, giving the retailer flexibility in how to display.”
Among the challenges, CL&D also produced display cases, and this required a different print method and substrate than the carton packaging. “Working with different substrates can make for a more difficult color match,” Hennekens explains.
Currently available in the U.S. through Amazon.com, Walgreens and Garden Botanica, the freshly reformulated and repackaged line will begin appearing on shelves as retailers restock. The initial six products launched in the Americas are expected to be joined by three additional SKUs in the fourth quarter of 2010.
As the brand tests the performance of the line, another 40 products-worth of line extensions are in the wings, providing a natural and long growth cycle for the coming years to be possible.
Bob Scherer is the vice president partner of CL&D Digital and a 25-year veteran in the printing and packaging industry as well as a conference speaker and writer. His message is designed to increase awareness of what digital printing technology can do and how it can help manufacturers get their products to market faster and cheaper. www.bobscherer.me