Paula’s Choice Utilizes Savvy Consumers, Looks to Explore Brick-and-Mortar Retail

Consumers are better educated than ever, said Erika Kussmann, chief marketing officer of Paula’s Choice.

Brands can benefit from this growing trend, she went on: “Your most passionate customers can share their knowledge with others around the world.”

The skin-care beauty brand — founded in the Nineties by businesswoman Paula Begoun — has been educating its consumer for decades, Kussmann said.

“Nearly 80 percent of clients report that trust in Paula’s Choice science and research as the number one reason they choose our products,” she said. “It’s fact-based beauty knowledge.”

The brand attributes this to its success.

“An uncompromising dedication to delivering straightforward truth, no gimmicks, no shortcuts, has enabled the brand to survive the fads, the trends and the hype,” she continued. “Paula’s Choice is a testament to how the power of 25 years of research and knowledge can cultivate a community of educated beauty consumers bonded by best-in-class content and clean, safe, effective products.”

Nontoxic skin care has been a rising category in beauty, and the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the trend. Consumers today are focused on health, wellness and purchasing safe products.

“We see a growing base of customers that are savvy, science-obsessed and intimately familiar with the ingredients that they put on their skin,” said Kussmann.

In order to survive the climate and its impact on the years ahead, brands must be transparent and work to empower its consumers, she continued. Paula’s Choice shares its research findings and makes product reviews available and viewable in full on its site.

“Our focus is to help people make the right choices for themselves with best-in-class formulations that deliver results regardless of age, gender, skin color, skin type, geography,” Kussmann said.

Paula’s Choice uses the reviews to improve its brand, a skin-care line that targets a variety of needs, from acne to antiaging. The company has accumulated decades of research and data-building, tracking what consumers are buying, not buying and rebuying.

“The result is a long-standing customer who stays with Paula’s Choice over time,” she said.

Launched direct-to-consumer, Paula’s Choice is global and operating more than half of its business outside of the United States, said Kussmann. To adapt to the health crisis this year, the brand has put more emphasis on digital initiatives, growing its community on Instagram, targeting Gen Z on TikTok and active with its ad campaigns on YouTube.

“We get information about products they’re using, what future needs might be,” said Kussmann. “We also get insights on channels and how to reach our customers.”

Next, the brand plans to explore brick-and-mortar retail experiences. Its customer is seeking it, Kussmann said.

“As we look ahead to 2021, we ask ourselves, ‘How can we provide reassurance? What can we help with what they need right now? How can we best serve our customer when we return to a different normal?'” she added. “2020 has bred a lack of trust in the news and social media, so as we move ahead to 2021, earning customer trust and establishing credibility will be more than critical for tomorrow’s leading brands.”

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