Physicians Formula is a mass-market beauty maverick that takes aim at products with solutions – while doing it with style. At the helm is Ingrid Jackel, a fashion standout (her trademark look is a wardrobe filled with bright dresses and flowing skirts, not to mention her signature fashion-forward, jewel-encrusted rings and bangles) whose look books portend the trends for the year and are a must-see for retailers. Born and raised in France, Jackel joined Physicians Formula in 1994, serving many roles, including Vice President of Marketing, before being elevated to Chief Executive Officer in 2006. She is arguably best known for transforming Physicians Formula from a dermatologist brand with a staid reputation into a product innovator launching more than 50 new items per year. Her other coups include launching an exclusive skin care line to Wal-Mart, and regaining distribution of Physicians Formula when certain retailers made cuts as a result of the recession. Physicians Formula, which had 2011 sales of $80.9 million, up 3.1 percent from the prior year, is now the fastest-growing masstige brand in color cosmetics, according to ACNielsen, and is among the top-five masstige brands in food, drug and mass. Jackel talked with Beauty Insider about her hopes for Physicians Formula’s growth and the general health of the mass beauty business.
BI: What makes you excited about beauty?
IJ: For 2013 we have a new platform, new introductions and new segments. I see a lot of room for growth in face and eye and expansion into eye shimmer. Bronzer is still strong and our bronzers are one of our best sellers. Creating new products is in my blood and it is critical for me to still create. We have a lot of new innovation to come.
BI: What’s driving Physicians’ sales growth?
IJ: Net sales growth was driven by better-than-expected demand of our color cosmetics products, as well as the planned distribution expansion of our skin care platform. Through the successful execution of our product and brand investment strategies, we have expanded our market share of the masstige category and maintained our retail sales momentum.
BI: What’s trending for 2013?
IJ: Consumers are entering 2013 as a blank canvas. They want to clean the slate and reinstitute purity. I also think color therapy will emerge in the post recession times we’re in. There will also be an explosion of sensuality. For makeup we will seek the perfect glow and there will be palates of nudes. Women will be in pursuit of flawlessness. Other themes are and do-it-yourself dermatology and neuro cosmetics. We will be talking a lot about happy boosters.
BI: What keeps you up at night?
IJ: Companies that just do the same thing causing too many entries and bringing price points down too low and eventually killing a category is a problem. We see that in nail right now. At Physicians we do different, we don’t want to do what everyone else does.