Prestige issue 278, September 2016
takes us behind the development of
Benefit’s New Brow Collection
Today the beauty world is obsessed with brows, but this is nothing new for Benefit. Benefit Cosmetics has been in the business of brows since 1976, when their co-founders Jean & Jane Ford began brow waxing and shaping at their very first boutique in San Francisco’s Mission District. Flash forward 40 years and Benefit has 1847 Brow Bar locations globally in 45 countries and, making Benefit one of the largest employers of aestheticians and the world’s leading brow authority. We sat down with Julie Bell, the EVP of Global Marketing, for a no-holds-Browed Q & A session on brows and Benefit’s New brow collection!
© Benefit
Why is Benefit launching a Brow Collection? Let’s go back to where it all started… Brow Zings. Benefit launched Brow Zings, our total brow taming & shaping kit in 1995 and has been a top-selling product ever since! Then, 3 years ago when Gimme Brow volumizing fiber gel first hit stores, we really saw the gold rush in brows when it became an overnight cult-favorite. The demand for brow products is exploding! Brows are becoming a part of every gal’s daily beauty routine and soon brows will be one of the biggest categories in the beauty industry. No matter your age or ethnicity, everyone looks and feels better once they have their brows on!
How is Benefit’s approach unique? Given this insane demand for brows, we have pushed brow product innovation above and beyond anything we’ve ever done! For a brow product to be truly innovative, it must meet the following 3 criteria. First, our brow products must be self-explanatory, which means gals will take one look at the words and pictures on the box and instantly recognize their dilemma and how to solve it. Second, they must have a high performing formula & custom applicator to deliver instant results. Third, all brow products must have mistake proof shades so gals can easily find a shade that complements her natural brow color. So, after three years of hard work, I am excited to announce our new collection of 9 easy-to-use, go-to products that give every gal the confidence to be her own brow expert, solve her brow dilemmas and instantly transform her look!
Benefit’s New Brow Collection consists of 9 easy-to-use brow products that solve brow dilemmas and instantly transform your look. © Benefit
What is your own personal experience with brows? Do you have any brow dilemmas of your own? Circle oftrust? When I was in high school, I over-tweezed my right eyebrow and it never grew back. So, I’m constantly searching for the brow product that will make my brows look even, full and defined. I’ve always been a huge Gimme Brow fan but now I’ve stepped up my brow game with precisely, my brow pencil. It draws the most natural-looking, hair-like strokes for filling in the brows I plucked away as a teenager. I’ve even been busted on more than one occasion rummaging through the innovation team’s bins looking for a spare precisely, my brow pencil in my shade!
What was the biggest challenge/obstacle you encountered when developing these brow products? We were vigilant about shade development because we knew if our shades weren’t a natural complement to a woman’s brow she wouldn’t be happy. So, our biggest challenge was studying and testing our shades all over the world, on every ethnicity and generation to make sure we got it right.
When you travel around the globe, what do customers tell you about brows? Interestingly enough, it’s not what customers tell me, it’s what they show me. Customers always point to their eye area and tell me they want eye makeup that will give them more definition, bring out their sex appeal and make them look and feel more confident. What they don’t realize is that brows are the most transformative feature on their face, which is why we put so much energy into creating a brow collection that will solve their brow dilemmas and instantly transform their look.
