Kiehl’s worldwide general manager tells Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan about the changing landscape of beauty and how the cult brand is reaping its unique philosophy.
JUST over a decade ago, when social media had not achieved the outreach it has now, beauty brands built their image on billboards and glossies, featuring glamorous faces, made-up and airbrushed to porcelain perfection.
“This is beauty and this is what we all should strive for,” was the common thread of the ads, a top-down conversation and a singular definition of beauty which has no space in today’s inclusive beliefs.
American beauty brand Kiehl’s has never played its part in this. Even after it was acquired by cosmetics giant L’Oreal in 2000, Kiehl’s remains a cult label famous for its Ultra Facial Cream and Calendula Toner. It has always had minimal packaging with ingredients printed on the containers and they don’t come in boxes.
The brand has always prioritised consultation before customers buy its products. Stores are stocked with sample sachets that customers can first try, before buying.
And as the world moves towards more transparency and being ecologically conscious, Kiehl’s is reaping the payoff from its philosophy.
“We have long built small communities where we operate and our store employees have always been trained to give information and opinions to customers,” says its worldwide general manager Cheryl Vitali.
“In this day and age, dialogues with customers are highly important. Customers want to know many aspects of the business from product sourcing and manufacturing to application and if they want to ask, we’re here online and in the stores,” she says.
The brand also engages bloggers and Instagram personalities who give “authentic, personal conversations” to their followers. “We’re a brand you can talk to,” adds Vitali.
MALAYSIAN NATURE
Vitali was in the city to attend the year-end sustainability party recently where the brand celebrated its alliance with
EcoKnights, an environmental organisation that supports programmes to promote sustainable development among industry players and communities.
The brand sponsored the 12th KL International Eco Film Festival and donated 10kg of Kiehl’s empty bottles which were upcycled into the winners’ trophies.
Together with EcoKnights, Kiehl’s also contributed to the rehabilitation of nature in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, which included tree planting, herbs and ulam garden plotting, and making of effective microbial or effective microorganism (EM) mud balls for treatment of river pollution.
Vitali is proud of the brand’s worldwide projects and its constant strife for everything better, from packaging to manufacturing. Minimal packaging is no longer enough, she says. “People expect more, so we need to find ways to be better,”
Its manufacturing plant operates on 100 per cent renewable energy and next year it aims to reduce carbon dioxide emission, water consumption and waste generation by 60 per cent.
By January, 30 per cent if its packaging will use post-recycled materials. It started its recycling efforts in 2009 and has recycled more than 11 million products. Malaysia alone has recycled130,000 bottles.
“We need to increase awareness because not everyone recycles their containers. People need to talk about it and look at how they manage waste. It takes planning and focus.”
WHAT HAS CHANGED
Vitali says over the last decade, so much has changed in the beauty industry. “Digitalisation is one. So much is on social media today and this works to our advantage because Kiehl’s is a brand that develops through word of mouth.
“We never advertise. Social media is the current word-of-mouth. This gives us the platform to reach out to more people and enhance the dialogue,” she says.
Social media also allows more people to come up and market their own brand easily and the emergence of new players will raise the bar for cosmetics and that is something good for customers.
There is also a high expectation of efficacy from customers. “It’s the age of transparency and this keeps everyone honest. Brands need to be clear on what their products can do and customers will hold them to their word.”
She adds, “Consumers are very relevant now. It’s no longer a top-down business model like it used to be.”
KIEHL’S SINCE 1851
FOUNDER: John Kiehl
FIRST STORE: East Village, New York
BRAND DNA: Apothecary label with a blend of cosmetic, pharmaceutical, herbal and medicinal knowledge
BESTSELLERS: Calendula Toner, Ultra Facial Cream
ONLINE STORE: www.kiehlstimes.com.my
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