Avon is aiming to bring the dermatologist’s office directly to consumers’ doors this spring with the launch of a wrinkle-filling serum and cream, the newest additions to its Anew Clinical skin care line.
Due out mid-March in the U.S. and globally, Anew Clinical Derma-Full X3 Facial Filling Serum and Derma-Full Facial Filling Cream are intended to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and regain facial fullness with a formulation that, according to Avon scientists, contains the same injectable grade hyaluronic acid facial filler used by dermatologists.
“This is a high priority launch for us,” said Avon’s vice president of global skin care marketing, Andre Baradat, who added that the new product targets women who would otherwise receive injections. “It was a big dream and a key breakthrough for us to be the first to introduce this injectable-grade ingredient in a topical serum.” Anew Clinical is the treatment-oriented platform in the nearly 17-year-old Anew franchise, which, according to industry sources, generated $900 million in revenues in 2008.
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Created by Avon’s team of scientists, the two new antiaging treatments use a formula containing hyaluronic acid — a naturally occurring protein in the skin that slowly breaks down with age. According to Avon scientists, its serum contains the purest form available of hyaluronic acid and is designed to stimulate the production of the skin’s facial filling fibers and replenish the skin’s reserve of proteins that begin to diminish with age, to help restore fullness and fill in facial folds. The cream contains three times less hyaluronic acid than the serum.
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“We’ve used cosmetic-grade hyaluronic acid in products for many years as it’s a wonderful moisturizer, but when we learned that lower levels of it could penetrate the skin for topical benefits, we wanted to make sure we were first-to-market using the highest grade of hyaluronic acid available,” said Glen Anderson, Avon’s director of global skin care, research and development.
Clinical testing showed that the serum began to fill in fine wrinkles after two weeks, and Baradat said Avon “is exploring other avenues with this ingredient.”
In the U.S., Anew’s Clinical Derma-Full Facial Filling Cream will be available for $34, while Anew Clinical Derma-Full X3 Facial Filling Serum will be available in 1 oz. for $54 — one of the higher priced skin care items from Avon, which has a mass market customer base.
While some beauty industry analysts question the $54 price tag in the current economic climate, Baradat said the cost is justified. “We want to ensure that the price reflects the quality. Anew is in the mastige area of positioning and, while generally the antiaging moisturizers are anywhere from $30 to $40, some of the key products, like the serum, are higher priced.”
The serum will be leveraged by a television ad campaign breaking next month in the U.S. in early March and rolling out around the world before April. The commercial, which features model Veronica Hugo, was shot in New York City last June by Warwick Saint. The serum will also be featured mid-March on the front cover of Avon’s brochure, which according to company executives reaches roughly 16 million U.S. consumers on a biweekly basis.
During Avon’s most recent quarter ended Dec. 31, the firm tallied net profits of $232.4 million, an 80.3 percent jump from $128.9 million in the fourth quarter a year ago.