How can a skincare brand be beginner-friendly?

With more and more rookies marching their way into skincare exploration, how do brands make the ingress turbulence-free?

For most of us, as teenagers, our introduction to beauty products was largely restricted to using a face cleanser, cream, a kohl pencil and a lipstick. Plus, the options were also limited; you had to pick one from the three running hot sellers under every category. Fast-forward to the present day, the quantum of awareness as well as the availability of products (not only under each category, but also under each ingredient) has exploded monumentally. So a teenager’s first independent encounter with beauty is nothing like it used to be a decade ago. A beginner (irrespective of the age) is prone to making injudicious purchase decisions, due to lack of legitimate acumen about skin types, ingredients and their potency, reactions, utility and so on. Haven’t we all made purchases that we regret? 

Previously, trial and error was the only medium to discover one’s best match. However, it isn’t the most sustainable way of approaching beauty-shopping. Not only does that burn a considerable hole in your pocket but also puts your skin through havoc, owing to ingredients—or products—that are not meant for your skin. Perhaps this quandary is what gave rise to the emergence of beginner-friendly products, and subsequently, brands too. International brands like The Ordinary, CeraVe and Supergoop and homegrown ones like Deepika Padukone-co-founded 82°E, Deconstruct, Gunam Beauty, Minimalist and countless others are examples that thrive on simple, no-frills formulations that are safe, effective and uncomplicated, and hence ideal for beginners. We speak to some founders to understand what goes into the making of beginner-friendly beauty brands.

What does it mean to be a beginner-friendly beauty brand?

A beginner-friendly beauty brand is one that offers simplified, gentle-on-the-skin skincare solutions one cannot possibly go wrong with. But it is also one that maintains clean, easy-to-understand and an education-first communication approach with its consumers, who are now more mindful of what they’re putting on their skin.

“Nothing is complicated with Dearist,” says Meher Jadwani, founder of beauty brand Dearist. “Our skincare range comprises the elevated basics—however, you’ll find that each product is powerful and has multiple ways in which one can incorporate it into their routine. Whether it’s using one single product like the Aloe Vera Gel or the Pure Rose Water or trying out the entire range as part of a skin fast routine, we simplify the many ways in which you can use them to improve your skin’s health. Even our courses are broken down in the simplest manner, so that even someone who is just starting their journey with us, isn’t intimidated by confusing jargon or numerous methods. It’s accessible for all,” she shares.

Malini Adupureddy, founder of personal care brand Deconstruct, attributes the beginner-friendliness of her brand to the “highly effective yet gentle” promise of her products. “While our product formulations are highly effective in driving results, the addition of certain ingredients ensures that they are perfectly gentle on the skin as well, and hence great for beginners and skincare enthusiasts alike, as it takes care of your skin barrier.”

Globally-loved skincare brand The Ordinary is known for its versatile offerings. Nicola Kilner, CEO and co-founder, shares, “We offer a virtual regimen-builder online, that can guide consumers through a routine suited to their skin concerns, and the results they are wanting to achieve”, as she talks about how the brand guides a newly-landed user step by step.

What does it take to be a beginner-friendly beauty brand?

While fail-proof product offerings and circumstantial brand communication are the fundamental pillars for a brand to successfully classify as beginner-friendly, that’s not where it ends. “The science-backed skincare space, though new, has gained a lot of momentum in the past couple of years, and in no time has become crowded with a lot of players, including the bigger brands jumping on the bandwagon and launching active-based product lines. We then saw brands and influencers excessively promoting active-based, multi-step skincare regimens, which could sometimes create a negative impact, if not followed properly, or used excessively without direction,” says Adupureddy.

“The availability of so many ingredients and products, also means extreme confusion for the consumer. This is exactly where we are differentiating, by hand-holding the consumer with the immense information that is provided on our website with a motto of ‘information over impulse’. As you land on the ‘shop’ page, the first thing we ask is not to shop; instead go through the simple blogs to make the right decision,” she explains further.

Jadwani feels that well-informed users are conversant with the very many options and information available in the market. However, that can turn out to be confusing, more often than not. “As a beginner-friendly brand, it is important to keep in mind, to not overwhelm them and keep it simple. We provide an oily and dry skin routine, so that it’s easy for a customer to navigate. They can ask us questions via DMs on Instagram, WhatsApp or calls and we guide them how to use our products. Having guides on the website is also very helpful,” says the founder.

If you’re thorough with the skincare ingredient glossary, it’s difficult to fall in trouble with The Ordinary’s products, and the brand has strived to achieve this consciously. “We always want to empower our audience to make informed decisions about the skincare they’re using. We do this by providing education across our website, in-store and across our social media channels. Additionally, with the introduction of our sets, such as The Daily Set and The Balance Set, we’ve created pre-set regimens so those that are trying to navigate specific concerns can do so with ease whilst also educating themselves on the function of the ingredients included in each of our sets,” affirms Kilner.

Adupureddy took a step forward, and came up with incentives like knowledge-driven quizzes, free minis and beginner’s trial kits that allow consumers to play around with the various offerings for their skin type and judge what works best for them. “Since we are a treatment-focused brand and our serums are designed to target specific skin concerns, we even let the consumer choose which mini serum they'd want for free sampling,” she mentions. This initiative resulted in an uptick of 173 per cent in conversions on running this campaign for a month exclusively on the brand’s website, says Adupureddy.

Jadwani also conducts a slew of gut-related and other health-boosting programmes in the light of an inside-out beauty approach. “Our products focus on ingredients like aloe vera, rose water and sea buckthorn, all of which usually do not cause a skin reaction (unless allergic or layered the wrong way).  Every product has a skin-type guide on our website,” says Jadwani, highlighting the lucidness of single-ingredient formulations. “Our website has a regimen builder, where our audience can enter their skin concerns and find the products they need from The Ordinary. Since launching in 2010, it has created over seven million regimens for our consumers. Consumers in India can use the regimen builder and purchase the products recommended via Nykaa,” explains Kilner, who believes in being present where the audience is.

“Beginner-friendly skincare brands essentially cut the fluff, go back to the basics, and uncomplicate routines for those who want to start off this journey. Sometimes less is more, and that’s where these brands step in, to assure the consumer that achieving great skin health isn’t a daunting task,” concludes Jadwani.

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