SinfulColors built a strong mass-market nail lacquer business with bold hues and keen prices. Now the brand wants to bring the same energy to a stagnant mass-makeup market with the launch of SinfulColors Cosmetics. The company is putting star wattage behind the launch with actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens as its global color collaborator.
“Vanessa is the perfect global color collaborator for SinfulColors — she’s not afraid to express herself or take risks. She has a love of beauty and is amazingly creative,” said Siobhan McCarthy, global marketing, senior director for SinfulColors. “She is taking color and self-expression to a whole new level.”
The expansion into makeup was motivated by requests from fans of the nail color, according to the company.
The first 18 items go on sale today on Amazon.com and are priced under $7. In early 2018, more than 100 stockkeeping units with retail prices starting at $3.99 will roll out to select chains.
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Industry sources predict that when the full rollout hits next year, the brand could easily eclipse the $15 million mark. SinfulColors did not comment on sales.
Hudgens, who is currently working on two films — “Dog Days,” directed by Ken Marino and “Second Act,” with Jennifer Lopez — said she’s been obsessed with makeup since she was only six years old.
“I’ve been a fan of SinfulColors for many years,” she told WWD. With her foray into cosmetics, she follows one of her heroes, Drew Barrymore, who is also a beauty entrepreneur with her Flower line sold at Wal-Mart.
Hudgens will be more than a face of the brand, with the directive to help develop shades and palettes. “I like SinfulColors because it is a collection where I can express myself through makeup with no boundaries,” she said. “I am working to develop shades for my fans to play with colors the way I would.”
McCarthy added that SinfulColors is known for being irreverent and taking risks — factors she feels will help the line stand out on retail shelves. “Our bold colors and unexpected products set us apart. We are for everyone, and do not see this as competing with any other brand in the market today.” Keeping with the reputation of SinfulColors nail, McCarthy said speed to market will be a trademark of the color launches, too.
SinfulColors has been a pioneer in displays at the point of sale. When it rolls out to stores, SinfulColors Cosmetics will be housed at the cosmetics wall and also in a series of semipermanent locations. “SinfulColors has always been a disruptor in store with the merchandising of our nail collections — expect this and a whole lot more from our cosmetics line,” McCarthy said.
SinfulColors has been teasing the color expansion on social media over the past few days. The company is well aware of the power of social platforms. Last year its nail colors got a shot in the arm from two major influencers — Kylie Jenner and Kandee Johnson — who hand-picked shades for limited-edition nail polish collections.
Teaming with celebrities or social media personalities has been a hot ticket for beauty brands. Beyond SinfulColors’ past collaborations, recent examples include MAC’s just-revealed yearlong deal with Patrick Starrr and Gigi Hadid’s Coast to Coast collections, which blew out of stores.
The staged rollout of SinfulColors Cosmetics kicks off on Thursday with a preview on Amazon.com. The online power was identified for the debut to make it easy for consumers to discover the new collection on social and “be just a few clicks away from purchasing,” said McCarthy.
That preview collection includes Face Forward (an all-over highlighter face stick), Stop & Stare Gel Eyeliner, Diva Lash Color Mascara, Shady Babe Duo Cream Shadow and Bold Brow Intense Effects. The gel eyeliner and mascara retail for $5.99 while the rest are priced at $6.99.
Hudgens will appear in digital ads to support the launch of the initial 18 products, which stretch across face and eye in an extensive range of shades and finishes. She said one of her favorites in the first installment is the Diva Lash Color Mascara that underscores the bold statement of the line. The mascara comes in vibrant colors including Lashing Out — a burgundy shade — and Lash Splash, an electric blue.
The preview will be followed on Dec. 14 with a bundle including Diva Lash Color Mascara, Stop & Stare Gel Eyeliner, Bold Brow Intense Brow Effects and Shady Babe Duo Cream Eye Shadow. Also sold on Amazon.com, it will feature Hudgens’ image.
In January, the complete Vanessa Hudgens x SinfulColors collection will appear on select retail store shelves including Wal-Mart, Rite Aid and CVS, as well as online.
Retailers said they hoped the on-trend initiative could provide them with ammunition to keep up with the rapid-fire independent launches at specialty stores like Ulta Beauty or emerging competitive beauty stores like Forever 21’s new Riley Rose.
While admitting there is a bevy of new color launches in the mass market, retailers interviewed by WWD are intrigued with SinfulColors’ entry, especially because it offers them products to curry the tastes of Millennials and Gen Z shoppers.
“Although [the Revlon and SinfulColors owner] are working on Revlon and Almay with new plans, Sinful will appeal to younger customers versus the older audience of Almay and Revlon,” said one buyer. Another retailer said the pricing and social media push is in line with what they think resonates with shoppers today. “The niche lines, like this, are where we are seeing growth come from,” she added.
The mass beauty market has seen sales have been siphoned off by online competitors and specialty stores offering both elevated shopping experiences and emerging brands. According to Nielsen data for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 26, in all outlets tracked, in-store dollar sales for the beauty department declined 1.7 percent from $16.6 billion to $16.3 billion. Revlon, according to the Nielsen information, saw a 2.5 percent drop in sales.