In Brief

  • BrandPartner’s latest research found out that, “54.9% of online skincare buyers do not feel the product benefits as the brand promised.”
  • The most common marketing claims, what they actually convey, and what you should know about choosing the right items for you.
  • The significant growth of beauty brands in Indonesia reveals a painful truth. This includes the use of illegal products in order to meet Indonesia’s beauty standards.

The beauty industry in Indonesia, especially in the skincare field, has been growing significantly. But, it turns out that it is not always sunshine and rainbows. While many people are racing to become top-of-mind in the skincare warzone in Indonesia, we found out that there is still an ugly truth behind it.

Unfortunately, according to BrandPartner’s latest research, “54.9% of online skincare buyers do not feel the product benefits as the brand promised.” The rest, they mentioned that they had other problems with their skin.

Most Beauty Product Claims are False, Even Experts Say The Same Thing!

At least, 25.48% of them had skin irritation and 52.94% of them had breakouts, many of them also mentioned itching, dullness, and dry skin as additional issues. Our findings confirm that only 11.76% of respondents indicated their use of skincare products had not caused any issues. We’ve all seen beauty claims on social media promising “better skin in just two weeks” or “dramatically reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.” Sadly, these were only fake claims, and a lot of women were persuaded.

Our research seems similar to a study from Valdosta State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which analyzed 289 advertisements for seven fashion magazines, including Vogue, Marie Claire, and Glamour, for cosmetics, hair care products, fragrances, and skin care products. The instant beauty promises claims were classified into scientific claims such as “clinically proven” and endorsement claims such as “dermatologists recommend.” Three female judges with varying levels of cosmetics industry knowledge classified these claims as outright lies, omissions, vague, or acceptable.

According to the findings, only 18% of all claims were found to be acceptable. 86 percent of scientific claims were deemed vague (missing important information) or false. As stated in the study, which was published in the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing: Bridging Fashion and Marketing, for the past 30 years, advertisers have held the fundamental belief that women are more emotional, so whatever we write should be sensitive and emotional.

“However, because today’s consumers are more cynical, this type of strategy may not be as effective”, said study author Jie Fowler, assistant professor of marketing at Valdosta University. The researchers discovered that most claims of a product’s superiority, such as “award-winning product,” and claims about performance, such as “your skin feels softer,” were false, whereas most endorsement claims were acceptable. According to the researchers, deception undermines the credibility of advertising as a whole by making consumers defensive and skeptical of such claims. Previous research surveys revealed that only 17% of consumers trusted the cosmetics industry.

5 Common Marketing Claims You Should Not Overuse

The cosmetics and skin care industry is booming. Moisturizers, wrinkle creams, dark spot removers, and other skin enhancement treatments generate billions of dollars annually. The fact that these goods are mostly unregulated in light of their impeccable packaging designs, aggressive marketing strategies, and beautiful magazine advertisements may thus surprise the average consumer.

As stated by Health Line, here we explore the most common marketing claims, what they actually convey, and what you should know about choosing the right items for you.

Instant Results

Any product can raise moisture temporarily or have a fast “firming” effect, but those effects may go away quickly. Long-term outcomes are what you want from products, which isn’t as enticing a claim as “immediate.”

Anti Aging (Without Any Context)

On the labels of skin care products, anti-aging may be the most clever marketing phrase. However, noticeable wrinkles and skin folds cannot be improved by using moisturizer. Over-the-counter anti-aging, age-defying, or rejuvenating products may boost hydration and momentarily lessen the appearance of very fine lines.

Medical Packaging

Products that offer a higher concentration of the active component than the standard strengths are referred to as “maximum strength” products. This does not necessarily mean that you should choose the strongest product offered. For those attempting to increase their effectiveness with high strengths, this promise may be deceptive. One can assume that even that didn’t work after trying the “maximum strength” and getting no answer.

Suitable for All Skin Types

You might want to avoid it. Nothing is truly suitable for all skin types. However, as with any product, trial and error is essential.

How Can Skincare Companies Win Customers?

The cosmetics and skin care industry is booming. Moisturizers, wrinkle creams, dark spot removers, and other skin enhancement treatments generate billions of dollars annually. The fact that these goods are mostly unregulated in light of their impeccable packaging designs, aggressive marketing strategies, and beautiful magazine advertisements may thus surprise the average consumer.

As stated by Health Line, here we explore the most common marketing claims, what they actually convey, and what you should know about choosing the right items for you.

Talk About Ingredients Clearly

As we mentioned above, mostly skin care customers are really aware of the ingredients. Based on our research, most customers will buy skincare products based on its function (score 7.24). The second most crucial consideration factor for customers are the ingredients (score 5.70). It’s safe to say, they are picky consumers as well. They tend to take their time to do their research before making a purchase, especially if they have some skin issues they want to fix. So, if your skincare products have quality ingredients, make sure to stress that in your content.

Science has evolved so much, just like how it has shown which medicine can cure a disease, it has also discovered which ingredients help their skin, be it for protecting, healing and reversing. The reason why they use it is because they have a purpose, if products are beneficial to their skin, they use it or else they toss it away? And nobody wants to slather on a product if it’s a scam and has no purpose,a

What should you do with your ingredients?

Highlight the best ingredients and their effect on the skin. A great product description doesn’t just promise great results. You need to explain why and how a particular product can help customers cleanse the skin or smooth fine lines. 

Be clear with your main ingredients and additional formulas. In many cases, your customers may be suitable with your retinol (as a main ingredient) but they didn’t work with your glycol or glycerin (as additional formulas). List and explain the skincare ingredients used in the products you sell clearly. Make sure to highlight ingredients that are natural or hypoallergenic, people love to see those!

Don’t miss the crucial parts! “Be the one who can keep customers’ trust!” Every brand can produce retinol, niacinamide, as well as alpha arbutin. You can highlight those ingredients in every piece of your products. What most customers need is the benefits that you claim in your products. 

Inclusive Reviews

Once you’ve cleared the ingredients, move to another game changer: the inclusive reviews from KOL aka influencers. This is aligned with the results of our research, which discovered that the third most important factor influencing the purchase of skincare products is having positive reviews from influencers they trust (score 5.38). 

According to a new study, influencers are transforming the face of the beauty industry by attracting cult-like followings on social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. Influencers are gaining the consumer’s attention with beautiful packages of photographs and videos, as consumers reject more traditional means of marketing such as TV advertisements and magazine ads. Even those featuring cheerful celebrities marketing beauty products are perceived as less believable and trustworthy. According to Forbes, global spending on influencer marketing has soared in recent years, growing from an anticipated $2 billion in 2017 to almost $8 billion in 2019. Based on One forecast, spending will increase to $15 billion by 2022. Indeed, Estée Lauder stated this week that the company is now spending 75 percent of its marketing budget on influencers.

Customers aggressively seek out influencers with similar skin tones and even skin sensitivities because they want to believe that they truly use the products they’re talking about. The smallest mistake could destroy the faith of customers who are also paying careful attention. Many consumers also look for influencers who are willing to rate products negative reviews since it is regarded as a sign of authenticity. They value honest reviews and feedback on everything. Nobody is going to love every product. As a result, an influencer builds a credible reputation when they can say, “I didn’t like this product as much as…,” or “This product didn’t work as well for me because….”

Finally, by collaborating with a big group of influencers, beauty brands can significantly scale. They can then decide who is a perfect match for an ambassador while continuing to develop new connections. Larger beauty companies can create influencer relationships while also expanding to new influencers through influencer marketing management. It’s the most efficient marketing strategy for achieving “cult-favorite” status for your beauty products, which is what every beauty brand desires. Because their finances are often more flexible, larger beauty companies can try and learn more quickly than smaller brands. They should assign resources to test different sorts of influencers and platforms and use the results to strategically build their campaign.

“With the rapid advancement of the internet, information are readily available for people to access anywhere, anytime. Skincare users can just Google ingredients and find billions of information. That’s why the old gimmick doesn’t work anymore: because the customers have become smarter. So, brands should be able to cater to the growing assertiveness of local skincare users as well by providing clear and trustworthy information regarding your products so they can be loyal to you.”

– GRACIELLA STEPHANIE, JUNIOR CONSULTANT

Final Thoughts

Indonesia has joined the global trend in beauty that has witnessed an increase in the number of “beauty influencers”: bloggers or vloggers who have become well-known by reviewing beauty goods on various platforms. Beauty firms pay influencers to promote and review their goods, in addition to signing celebrities to serve as their ambassadors.

Because beauty influencers frequently talk about their slight tweaks after using a certain product and may sound more authentic than an advertisement, enthusiasts frequently find their reviews to be even more convincing. But it’s not as pleasant as it seems. The significant growth of beauty brands in Indonesia reveals a painful truth. Starting with the many inappropriate or false claims, to the use of illegal products in order to meet Indonesia’s beauty standards.

As we mentioned before, 54,9% online skincare buyers do not feel the product benefits as the brand promised

Customers don’t want to go through the hassle of making it themselves since they lack the knowledge to do so. It requires not just one but also Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and the proof that what they are making is safe to use on their skin. Since all of this is not possible, they can simply use skincare products.

“Your customers come to you with the problems they want to overcome, be a solution!” Brands should be upfront and transparent about the products and what potential clients might expect from you as a company is a terrific beginning point. Forget about boasting that you’ve invented the best thing since sliced bread. Customers nowadays are aware of gimmicks and hype. Just be honest. Provide your customers with all of the information they need to make an informed selection, including clear price and even constraints. The more informed a customer is, the more likely they are to return to you. However, trust is the glue that holds a buyer to a brand. Businesses who understand how to create customer trust and develop long-term relationships with customers are likely to reap the benefits.

There are no shortcuts or secrets to building consumer trust. It’s simple: always put your consumers first. Provide them with high-quality products. Provide responsive and personalized client service. Be honest, transparent, and genuine. And communicate effectively – face to face, through all kinds of correspondence, and through your influencers or brand ambassadors. Always fine-tune your offering. That is how you generate consumer trust and, as a result, strong customer loyalty.