introduction to design studies - final paper

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Introduction to design studies – final paper Done by: Sarah lee Shan Yun

Research Question:

How does the design of Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara seduce the

female consumer by indicating feminine ideals?

(Fig. 1) Lancôme 01 Hypnôse Mascara, photograph, accessed 31 Mar 2015.

<http://web.raxbeauty.com/image/data/product/Lancome/100877007002.jpg>

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Introduction

Founded in 1935 by Armand Petitjean in France, Lancôme is an 80-‐year-‐old

cosmetics brand that epitomizes luxe beauty. It was acquired by French beauty

conglomerate L’Oréal in 1964 and is currently housed under its luxury products

division, L’Oréal Luxe.1 Lancôme boasts an impressive collection of mascara

products that have attracted viral attention by the beauty community. In 2011,

Lancôme partnered with popular beauty vlogger Michelle Phan, garnering over

30,000 viewers to their YouTube channel, featuring Lancôme’s Hypnôse Doll Lashes

mascara2. The Hypnôse line consists of three different products: Hypnôse Star,

Hypnôse Doll Lashes and the classic Hypnôse priced between US$27-‐$29 a tube (see

fig. 2). Available worldwide in most major department and drug stores, L’Oréal

prides itself on its global reach and wide product range, which it says caters to the

“great diversity of beauty”3 in the world.

Given the brand’s immense influence on the industry, what are the

ramifications of the product’s implicit messaging on the minds of female

consumers? The mascara as a designed product holds more truth about the

idealized woman than meets the eye. Its shape, form and function contain many

indications that persuade the consumer to make the purchase. In essence, this essay

will outline how the design of Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara seduces the female

consumer by indicating feminine ideals.

1 "Lancôme: Makeup, Perfume, Cosmetics, Beauty Care." L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.loreal.com/brands/loreal-‐luxe/lancome.aspx. 2 “Michelle Phan creates The Romantic look with Lancôme Doll Lashes,” YouTube video, 3:39, posted by "Lancome USA," September 12, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPskOED1cnk 3 “L’Oréal’s model of innovation: strong research" L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.loreal.com/research-‐innovation/our-‐innovation-‐model.aspx

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Formal analysis

Upon first glance, the mascara

tube is streamlined, slightly hourglass

but not voluptuous. The wand of the

mascara separates from the tube and

into a thin brush held by the user by a curved cap. Its bristles are sparse, ideal for

creative “buildable volume” and “custom lash results”4. Its POWERFULL™ brush is a

specially designed feature that contains 1000 sensory bristles that promise “perfect

lash separation without clumping”5. Its smooth black surface hides any stains or

evidence of the mascara liquid, acting as an almost elegant and flattering flask. The

mascara, however, is known for its superior formula -‐ made of a special SoftSculpt™

base which is a fluid texture containing soft, emollient waxes and an exclusive

PC/PA polymer system6. The liquid is described as thin and wet in order to facilitate

layered application. The plastic tube contains 10ml of product, a little less than the

13ml provided by other popular drugstore mascaras. Sealed with a gold-‐rimmed

cap, the product is also stamped with Lancôme’s signature singular rose logo and

capitalized brand name “LANCÔME” with the subtext “PARIS”.

4 “Hypnôse -‐ mascara by Lancôme" L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.lancome-‐usa.com/Hypnose/990516,default,pd.html?dwvar_990516_color=Deep%20Black&cgid=makeup-‐mascara#start=11 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid.

(Fig. 3) Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara, photograph, accessed 31 Mar 2015. <http://www.sephora.com/productimages/sku/s764183-‐main-‐Lhero.jpg>

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The mascara and the female identity

Pierre Bourdieu used the term “key cultural intermediaries” to describe

designers in 19847. They differ from artists in that they have a purpose to create

attractive “artifacts” that sell in the market8. Products have to perform, and that

requires them to carry relevant cultural meaning as an embodiment of the

consumer’s identity. If the preceding statement is so, what can be said of Lancôme’s

Hypnôse mascara and its ideal user? Contrary to the product’s global market reach,

Lancôme as a brand has important origins in France. Its founder, Armand Petitjean,

is described as a “visionary and lover of French elegance and women”9. The

Eurocentric beauty ideal still holds true in the DNA of the brand, in both its product

design and marketing strategies. The mascara’s tube is slim, slender but curvy,

mirroring the popularized body type of the elegant French woman. The subtext

“PARIS” stamped in gold at the bottom of the logo indicates a familiar francophilia

associated with the luxury fashion industry – as opposed to many of the brands in

L’Oréal’s consumer products division, including Maybelline and Garnier10, which

cater to a broader, more diverse market of consumers. The global popularity of

Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara, especially in China11, is an irony in itself, speaking to

deeper issues regarding global currents and cultural shifts in beauty ideals.

7 "The Sony Walkman." In Design Studies: A Reader, edited by Hazel Clark, by Paul Du Gay, S. Hall, L. Janes, and H. Mackay, 349. English ed. Oxford: Berg, 2009. 8 Ibid. 9 "Lancôme: Makeup, Perfume, Cosmetics, Beauty Care." L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.loreal.com/brands/loreal-‐luxe/lancome.aspx. 10 "All the L’Oréal brands.” L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.loreal.com/brands/brands-‐homepage.aspx 11 "L'Oréal Company Profile -‐ SWOT Analysis. Lancôme for Global Market Growth in Premium Cosmetics sec." Passport, Euromonitor, 45. December 1, 2012. http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/LOreal-‐Company-‐Profile-‐SWOT-‐Analysis.pdf

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According to Cheryl Buckley, it is important to analyze the role of women as

consumers in the discussion of women and design12. The inherent stereotype that

women are the consumers in a society13 holds true in the beauty industry – most if

not all cosmetic products on a drug store shelf caters to that of female buyers.

Companies exploit women’s obsession with being beautiful, targeting innate

biological yearnings to be attractive to the opposite sex. Long lashes evoke the

power of the gaze and ideas of seduction through eye contact – an association that

marketers often utilize in advertisements and marketing campaigns (see fig. 4 for an

example of a print advertisement for Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara featuring model

Daria Werbowy). The gaze, in this context, is empowering and heightened,

demanding the attention of the onlooker. The irony holds that most viewers of the

advertorial are women themselves, leaving the seductive tension between the

female consumer and the idealized image presented before them. In a 2012 video

campaign for Lancôme’s Hypnôse Star mascara featuring Daria Werbowy, the

famous cartoon character Betty Boop says, “all stars have a secret, just say it with

the eyes”14. In it, Betty convinces Werbowy, who plays a struggling actress, that by

using Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara her eyes will captivate the audience and she will

become a great success. These links between beauty and success are not new. Often

times, advertisers create messages and associations surrounding beauty products

and female empowerment. As the social and economic positions of women have

12 Margolin, Victor, and Cheryl Buckley. "Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist Analysis of Women and Design." In Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism, 255. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989. 13 Ibid. 14 Joann Sfar, “Lancome's Betty Boop Hypnose Star Mascara,” YouTube video, 1:50, posted by "Sephora," July 12, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhtIBTEJfxU.

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changed, more and more women are participating in the consumption of luxury

products with the intention of self-‐prescribing “success indicators” – premium

skincare and beauty products being one of them. Consumers are prey to the idea

that by spending on quality beauty products, more beauty, attention and success

will be achieved by the individual, and thus there is more value in the its proposed

retail price.

The mascara as the perfect marketable commodity

One of the very first marketed mascaras was made of coal dust and Vaseline

(see fig. 5). The young entrepreneur T. L. Williams was inspired by his sister,

Maybel, to create a cake product, packed in a paper box with a tiny applicator brush

used to apply the black powder on to the lashes15. Now known as Maybelline, the

brand’s immense notability for its mascara products still holds true today. It was not

long before the first cream mascaras were developed, packaged in functional plastic

applicator tubes that could be designed and redesigned. The French philosopher

Roland Barthes said, “Plastic is the very idea of its infinite transformation.”16 The

impact of the synthetic polymer on everyday commodities was unsurprisingly

important after its invention in 1907. Goods could be made cheaply and quickly, but

could be pliable and moldable to any configuration the designer seemed fit. As a

result, the mascara became one of the most perfectly marketable beauty products,

15 Baki, Gabriella, and Kenneth S. Alexander. "Chapter 4: Color Cosmetics." In Introduction to Cosmetic Formulation and Technology. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2015. 16 Barthes, Roland, and Annette Lavers. "Plastic." In Mythologies. New York: Hill and Wang, 1972.

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transformable to embody an aesthetic unique to the brand17 – in the case of

Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara, a slender curvaceous embodiment of French elegance.

It is also critical to note the ability of manufacturers to stamp prominent logos on

such commodities, leading to even more brand presence in the minds of consumers.

In the case of Lancôme, its singular golden rose has become ubiquitous in the world

of beauty due to consistent logo placements over the decades spanning the brand’s

inception.

Yet there is an element of contradiction between the mascara’s cheap plastic

material and its premium price. According to marketing studies, women are more

willing to pay higher prices for the favorite mascaras compared to other beauty

products like foundations, lipsticks and blushes18. An investigation into the source

of this added value and perceived quality would therefore be appropriate. The

multitude array of wand shapes and sizes in the market today is evidence that

consumers recognize value in functionality. Often times, more absurdly designed

products can attract the attention of buyers by standing out in the crowd of identical

cylindrical mascaras (see fig. 6 of Givenchy’s Phenomen’Eyes mascara). The design

of Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara, however, is distinctive due to its small, slim nature,

which is an irony in itself given the lack of value with its small volume and

minimalist wand.

The mascara also derives a good part of its value from its trademark

formulation. L’Oreal, as one of most competitive beauty firms, prides itself on its

17 Mazzalovo, Gerald. Brand Aesthetics. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. 18 Bourgeois, Jean-‐Yves. "The Crazy Market of Mascaras." Premium Beauty News. September 30, 2008. Accessed April 21, 2015. http://www.premiumbeautynews.com/en/The-‐crazy-‐market-‐of-‐mascaras,254.

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“Research and Innovation model” (see fig. 7) and its investments in scientific

advancements of its products’ chemistries. An article in the New York Times

revealed that L’Oreal filed 300 new patents in 2002 for its cosmetic and hair

innovations19. The Hypnôse mascara’s SoftSculpt™ Formula is described as

‘exclusive’20 to consumers in its product page boasting a unique polymer formula.

Even without this product knowledge, consumers evidently identify with the idea of

quality through self-‐testing and recurring use, leading to re-‐purchases and added

brand value.

The mascara and the created fantasy: links to fashion and lifestyle

The links between beauty and the fashion industry are no secret. The

relationships between the two, in fact, are so strong that they have become

inseparable industries, sharing commonplace during trade shows and major fashion

events. Lancôme has partnered and collaborated with many famous fashion

designers, including Proenza Schouler and Alber Elbaz of Lanvin. Many supermodels

have emerged by landing major beauty campaigns, earning millions of dollars per

contract21. Along with Daria Werbowy (see fig. 4), Lancôme has also featured

actresses Emma Stone and Kate Winslet in their campaigns, creating a universe of

19 Riordan, Teresa. "Patents; A Reinvention of Mascara Goes for Even Thicker Lashes. Also, There's a New Twist on an Old Cream." The New York Times, January 20, 2003, Business sec. Accessed April 21, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/20/business/patents-‐reinvention-‐mascara-‐goes-‐for-‐even-‐thicker-‐lashes-‐also-‐there-‐s-‐new-‐twist.html. 20 “Hypnôse -‐ mascara by Lancôme" L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.lancome-‐usa.com/Hypnose/990516,default,pd.html?dwvar_990516_color=Deep%20Black&cgid=makeup-‐mascara#start=11 21 Marsh, Julia. "$3 Million Catwalk Catfight: Model-‐poach Suit." New York Post, January 16, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2015. http://nypost.com/2013/01/16/3-‐million-‐catwalk-‐catfight-‐model-‐poach-‐suit/.

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fantasy around the brand. According to Niaomi Klein, “Products are made in the

factory, but brands are made in the mind.”22 These endorsements of high-‐profile

individuals simply re-‐iterate to consumers the associations with the brand and a

luxurious lifestyle, something that the fashion industry is well known for doing.

They represent an unattainable fantasy, what Italian designer Diego Della Valle calls

the “piccolo sogno”23 or the little dream. The Hypnôse campaign not only brings

about associations with brand and luxury, it also emphasizes an unattainable

physical beauty ideal. This is a great irony in itself, as the campaign aims to sell a

beauty product – a good that one purchases to attain physical beauty. It is almost as

if the subject is taunting its audience, daring one to try to achieve the same standard

of perfection. The only obvious answer to the challenge presented is to replicate the

model’s physical appearance by buying the featured beauty product. Consciously,

the viewer knows that buying a mascara is not going to make one a supermodel

overnight, but subconsciously, the consumer is persuaded over and over again that

this sentiment is true. The imagined consumer for Lancôme is therefore, not the

representative model shown in the advertisement or the stereotyped European

beauty that inspires the product’s shape, but the woman who aspires to attain that

ideal – which explains the paradox of the brand’s global popularity especially in

non-‐European markets.

22 "No Logo." In Design Studies: A Reader, edited by Hazel Clark, by Naomi Klein, 201. English ed. Oxford: Berg, 2009. 23 Seabrook, John. "Shoe Dreams." The New Yorker 80, no. 11 (2004): 62-‐69.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the design of Lancôme’s Hypnôse mascara seduces the female

consumer by indicating societal ideals in a number of ways. Firstly, it does so by

embodying a Eurocentric ideal evidenced by the product’s shape, color and brand

history. It exploits the female tendencies to be attractive, prompting women to

participate in consumption to attain that said ideal. It exploits the existing sentiment

around women and success to further seduce the consumer into paying for its

premium price by positioning itself as a luxury product. It convinces the consumer

of its value by containing high quality ingredients and by being functionally well

designed. Lastly, it seduces the consumer by symbolizing an unattainable yet

aspirational lifestyle.

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Appendix

(Fig. 2) Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara line, screenshot, accessed 31 Mar 2015. <http://www.lancome-‐usa.com/Hypnose/990516,default,pd.html>

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(Fig. 4) Mert Alas, Marcus Piggott, Lancôme Hypnôse advertisement featuring Daria Werbowy. 2014, print advertisement, accessed 31 Mar 2015. <http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html>

(Fig. 5) First Maybelline pressed cake mascara, 2012, photograph, accessed 21 Apr 2015 <http://ak-‐hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web03/2012/8/10/11/enhanced-‐buzz-‐16979-‐1344611286-‐4.jpg>

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(Fig. 6) Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes mascara ball shaped wand, 2011, photograph, accessed 21 Apr 2015 <http://www.makeupgeek.com/wp-‐content/uploads/givenchy-‐02.jpg>

(Fig. 7) L’Oreal’s Research and Innovation website page, screenshot, accessed 21 Apr 2015 <http://www.loreal.com/research-‐innovation/our-‐innovation-‐model.aspx>

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Bibliography

Books

• Baki, Gabriella, and Kenneth S. Alexander. "Chapter 4: Color Cosmetics." In

Introduction to Cosmetic Formulation and Technology. Hoboken, New Jersey:

John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

• Barthes, Roland, and Annette Lavers. "Plastic." In Mythologies. New York: Hill

and Wang, 1972.

• Margolin, Victor, and Cheryl Buckley. "Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist

Analysis of Women and Design." In Design Discourse: History, Theory,

Criticism, 255. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989.

• Mazzalovo, Gerald. Brand Aesthetics. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave

Macmillan, 2012.

• "No Logo." In Design Studies: A Reader, edited by Hazel Clark, by Naomi Klein,

201. English ed. Oxford: Berg, 2009.

• "The Sony Walkman." In Design Studies: A Reader, edited by Hazel Clark, by

Paul Du Gay, S. Hall, L. Janes, and H. Mackay, 349. English ed. Oxford: Berg,

2009.

Newspaper articles / journals / documents

• "L'Oréal Company Profile -‐ SWOT Analysis. Lancôme for Global Market

Growth in Premium Cosmetics sec." Passport, Euromonitor, 45. December 1,

2012. http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/LOreal-‐Company-‐

Profile-‐SWOT-‐Analysis.pdf

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• Marsh, Julia. "$3 Million Catwalk Catfight: Model-‐poach Suit." New York Post,

January 16, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2015.

http://nypost.com/2013/01/16/3-‐million-‐catwalk-‐catfight-‐model-‐poach-‐

suit/.

• Riordan, Teresa. "Patents; A Reinvention of Mascara Goes for Even Thicker

Lashes. Also, There's a New Twist on an Old Cream." The New York Times,

January 20, 2003, Business sec. Accessed April 21, 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/20/business/patents-‐reinvention-‐

mascara-‐goes-‐for-‐even-‐thicker-‐lashes-‐also-‐there-‐s-‐new-‐twist.html.

• Seabrook, John. "Shoe Dreams." The New Yorker 80, no. 11 (2004): 62-‐69.

Websites

• "All the L’Oréal brands.” L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31,

2015. http://www.loreal.com/brands/brands-‐homepage.aspx

• Bourgeois, Jean-‐Yves. "The Crazy Market of Mascaras." Premium Beauty

News. September 30, 2008. Accessed April 21, 2015.

http://www.premiumbeautynews.com/en/The-‐crazy-‐market-‐of-‐

mascaras,254.

• “Hypnôse -‐ mascara by Lancôme" L'Oréal Group. January 1, 2013. Accessed

March 31, 2015. http://www.lancome-‐

usa.com/Hypnose/990516,default,pd.html?dwvar_990516_color=Deep%20

Black&cgid=makeup-‐mascara#start=11

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• "Lancôme: Makeup, Perfume, Cosmetics, Beauty Care." L'Oréal Group.

January 1, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2015.

http://www.loreal.com/brands/loreal-‐luxe/lancome.aspx.

Videos

• Joann Sfar, “Lancome's Betty Boop Hypnose Star Mascara,” YouTube video,

1:50, posted by "Sephora," July 12, 2012,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhtIBTEJfxU.

• “Michelle Phan creates The Romantic look with Lancôme Doll Lashes,”

YouTube video, 3:39, posted by "Lancome USA," September 12, 2011,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPskOED1cnk

introduction to design studies - final paper

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