By Silvia Lourenço
An In-cosmetics Latin America exclusive News Story
In the last decade, the world has changed and the digital age has brought versatility and speed of information which were never experienced before, and with that, the consumer has been better informed and can make conscious product choices, which meet their profile’s needs, desire, and purposes better.
Information sources have expanded and according to the report “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2019”, released by Euromonitor International, consumers used to rely only on the brand or specific sources of information to learn about new products, but now, companies need to constantly innovate and improve the aesthetics of their offerings to attract buyers.
In line with this trend of a more demanding and aware digital consumer, LimeLife by Alcone, which arrived in São Paulo in 2018, and throughout Brazil in April 2019, is a company which is part of the L’Occitane group (since 2018), and was founded in the US five years ago by Madison Mallardi and Michele Gay, respectively niece and aunt, a duo that materialized the family’s dream of having a skincare and cosmetic brand for all women.
LimeLife is a day-to-day beauty products company that strives to produce its lines with the same quality and expertise as Madison and Michele family company Alcone, which was founded in the 1950s and is recognized worldwide for providing professional makeup products for Broadway actors and the US film industry. The triad that forms the pillars of the company is composed of high-quality products, empowerment, and social responsibility.
in-cosmetics Latin America spoke exclusively with the brand’s Empowerment Director in Brazil, Vanessa Martins, and she told us about LimeLife’s guidelines and DNA, and how the brand sales work.
“We brought a digital direct sales proposal, based on female empowerment, which might guarantee the financial independence of women. The brand has its sales strength force personified by Beauty Guides. ”- explains.
Beauty Guide is a consultant who provides personalized customer service, demonstrating products, and suggests the best options for that profile. The customer does not buy the products immediately, she accesses the website appointed by the consultant and does the shopping online. The products are delivered straight to the customer.
“We treat our Beauty Guide as a true entrepreneur, and this approach model ensures that she sells throughout Brazil and in all countries where we have operations (Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Australia). She doesn’t have to sell a minimum amount of products to be a Beauty Guide. ”- explains Vanessa.
The director also explains that the brand’s expansion is directly linked to the desire of a cultural change, so that women understand their strength and value, and also aimed at revolutionizing the direct sales market through making the most out of a more digitalized and connected society.
“So LimeLife takes care of all the logistics: delivery, returns, and payments, while the Beauty Guide focuses on providing all the advice and support to her client, suggesting the most appropriate routine for their skin type and the right colours for their skin’s makeup.” – she assures.
Although the brand arrived in Brazil a few months ago, it has already over 100 products available for sale, including facial treatment, makeup, and accessories. The products are made in the United States and are free of parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde. The formulas are made with natural and vegan ingredients.
“Here we innovate not only in the business model but also in our product formula, as we know that, in order to use natural ingredients and their combinations, we need to have a lot of technology in development. The result is a much more effective and much less aggressive formula. ”- explains Vanessa.
The company also bets on the sustainable bias, with natural raw materials provided by small producers, thus ensuring a fair trade cycle, from which everyone benefits. The make-up packaging is reusable and recyclable, and the brand is investing in a lot of research to replace the plastic packaging in the skincare products line.
Vanessa ensures that the founders are very involved in the day-to-day business, assessing whether strategic decisions are aligned with the company’s mission and that they also believe that with LimeLife all women can be themselves.
“When you think about changing your life and the people around you, while being true to yourself, and it starts to actually happen, the problems become small and you keep moving towards your goal” – Michele Gay (founder LimeLife by Alcone).
