Amazon launches skin care range: can data insights create ideal beauty products?

29-Mar-2019 - Last updated on 29-Mar-2019 at 10:32 GMT

Belei is the new - and first-ever - skin care brand from global internet retailer Amazon. Based on consumer data insights, is this the future of brand development in beauty and personal care? We take a look in this Editor’s Spotlight.

The Belei brand is a line of 12 products that are designed to meet the most common consumer demands searched for and mentioned in reviews by shoppers on the website, meaning Amazon has been able to tap into the data behind consumer habits and create products that perhaps can meet these perfectly.

“Our goal is to help customers spend less time and money searching for the right skincare solutions,” Kara Trousdale, head of beauty for private brands on Amazon.com, has said.

“We took a simple, no-nonsense approach when creating Belei, developing products with ingredients that are both proven to deliver results and also offer customers great value for the quality.”

Major beauty multinationals seem to be taking note of this move by Amazon, which could pose them a significant threat: hot on the heels of the Belei launch, Unilever has announced that it has poached Amazon’s FMCG boss to lead its beauty division.

It looks like Unilever is keen to keep up with the power of data insights in beauty.

Belei: the range

The new Belei range covers moisturisers, cleaners and skin treatments, and is now being sold alongside big-name players like L’Oreal and Maybelline.

“The idea behind the skincare line, which combines the words "beauty" and "believe" to create the name Belei, is a collection of versatile skincare products that are high-quality, affordable and easy to shop,” reports Glamour UK.

From charcoal to retinol, hyaluronic acid to vitamin C, Belei has not shied away from some of the big, in-demand and trending ingredients in its range of serums, moisturisers, cleansers, masks and spot treatments. Also tapping into consumer demand for these claims, the formulas are free of parabens, sulfates and fragrances.

Indeed, it has also taken into account consumer interest in ‘sustainability’ claims: the brand packaging is made from recycled materials.

"Our goal is to help customers spend less time and money searching for the right skincare solutions,” Kara Trousdale, Head of Beauty for Amazon’s Private Brands, said in a statement.

“We took a simple, no-nonsense approach when creating Belei, developing products with ingredients that are both proven to deliver results and also offer customers great value for the quality."

Unilever swipes Amazon’s FMCG boss

Separately, Sunny Jain, who will be leaving his current role at Amazon for the job, has been appointed lead of Unilever’s beauty and personal care business.

Jain joined Amazon in 2013 following a 16-year career Procter & Gamble, with this impressive resumé suggesting he could be a very savvy appointment for Unilever.

Indeed, Unilever is seeing rising sales coming from the e-commerce retail channel: online consumers are now responsible for 5% of the overall business, and this is growing at a rate of 50%. Its beauty division makes up 40% of Unilever’s turnover, and the company has strong growth ambitions for the business unit.

As The Drum reports, Jain has run the Core Consumables unit for the past six years at Amazon, where he was responsible for brands selling their wares within the health and personal care, beauty and grooming, luxury beauty, grocery/food, baby and private label categories as well as its pharmacy subsidiary. Jain’s appointment takes effect in June.