Taking a Lesson From Generic
This past Saturday, I sent the kids to hang out with their dad so I could have a little quiet time. While they were gone, I did a little work and indulged in a nice long shower complete with a wash and style 🙂 Doing my hair is what inspired this post. Generic Value Products is a hair care brand that has capitalized on their right to “reformulate” name brand products that are already a success.
A few years ago, my best friend (who is also my cosmetologist) started using Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum when drying my hair. The product claims to smoothe, soften, condition, seal and reduce drying time. Let me be the first to tell you that it does all of the above. I have thick, long hair that usually takes a half hour to 45 minutes to dry, so this product is a god-send to me. The trouble is, Paul Mitchell products are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. For someone like me that washes their hair once a week, I need more bang for my buck. Enter Generic with their Smoothing Serum labeled “Compare to: Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum” Ding, ding, ding!!!! We’ve got a winner here!
Allow me to explain a bit. Most personal care products are not protected from being reformulated. Of course some carry patents, but cosmetic chemists have plenty of legal tricks to get around a patent and deliver a comparable product. A lot of people are hung up on brands, especially when it comes to beauty products. A quick comparison of ingredients lists will show you that most store brands are exactly the same as the name brands. In some instances, the name brand products are private labeled to smaller companies and chain stores.
My point is:
1. Don’t be afraid to try the store brands. They are often of equal quality and will save you some money.
2. There is a fortune to be made by small businesses in reformulating already successful products. Pick a niche, develop a unique branding strategy and call a chemist (that’s me!) to work on the project.
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