MOST WANTED
CULT BEAUTY PRODUCTS ARE MUST-HAVES FOR A REASON, WRITES JULIETTE WINTER.
Learn the fascinating stories behind a range of products from cult beauty brands.
WHEN IT COMES to legendary beauty brands, an inspiring behind-thescenes story can make the products themselves all the more alluring.
Take La Mer’s Crème de la Mer moisturiser ($455 for 60ml), which has a devoted following and an intriguing history. In the 1950s, Dr Max Huber, an aerospace physicist, suffered burns to his face after an explosion in the lab. After 12 years of rigorous experimentation, Huber produced a ‘miracle broth’ made from fermented kelp which, legend has it, erased all evidence of the accident. Such was Huber’s belief in the rejuvenating powers of his broth, he reportedly ate it by the spoonful as well applying it to his skin. After Huber’s death in 1991, Estée Lauder snapped up the formula and made La Mer a billion-dollar brand.
Price can play a role in building a cult brand. Look at La Mer’s competitor, the recently ‘remastered’ La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream. At $690 for 50ml, it’s an investment. But products with budget price tags aren’t excluded from the cult-product club. Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream Night ($48.99 for 50g) sells like hotcakes — 17 jars every minute — precisely because it feels incredibly luxe yet is very affordable. Same goes for Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream Skin Protectant ($28 for 50ml). For more than 75 years, the multipurpose balm has been a bestseller, with one tube still flying off shelves every minute.
According to Mark Curry, co-founder of the much-hyped skincare newbie The Inkey List, price is not the defining factor. “To achieve cult status, brands and products must excel in every aspect, not just price,” says Mark. The Inkey List’s Caffeine Under-eye Serum ($18 for 15ml) is sold every 80 seconds, a staggering figure given the brand is just six months old. “There has to be an ingredient, texture or formulation that keeps people coming back for more,” adds Mark.
Ground-breaking technology also draws customers in droves. Bioderma Sensibio H2O micelle solution ($29.99 for 250ml), the first no-rinse cleanser, is sold every two seconds somewhere in the world. The ceramic technology in GHD’S Gold Professional Hair Styler ($280) revolutionised home hair straightening, while the Beauty Blender cosmetic sponge ($30) helps you apply foundation flawlessly without any tricky brush techniques. Then there’s the award-winning Oribe Texturising Spray ($66 for 300ml). Still in a hair category unto itself, it has the volumising grit of dry shampoo and the glossy finish of a shine enhancer.
As far as brand stories go, it’s hard to resist the fairytale charm of the top-selling Avène Eau Thermale spray ($25.95 for 300ml). It originates from a postcard-perfect village in the south of France. The story began in 1736, when the local water was attributed to healing a nobleman’s horse suffering from a skin condition. The product has since made skincare history, with one of these facial spritzes selling every second. Legions of make-up artists use it both to prep skin and set a look.
Look through any make-up pro’s kit and you’re likely to find a few more cult favourites. Among them are MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo ($36), a velvety cherry red loved for its matt finish; Clinique’s Almost Lipstick SPF 15 in Black Honey ($39), a gloss/lipstick hybrid with a plum-like hue that looks flattering on any skin tone; and Lancôme’s Grandiose mascara ($54), an enduring favourite for its signature swan neck that makes applying the ultra-glossy long-wear formula a cinch.
Dermalogica Microfoliant ($80 for 75g), Revlon Colorstay foundation ($34.95 for 30ml), and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick luminiser ($78 for 10g) can be regularly found in bathrooms around the country. And, if the stats are anything to go by, most handbags have at some point harboured a Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm ($6.99) — one is sold every second across the globe.
While all of these cult products have taken years, even decades, to build a devoted following, The Inkey List has proven that it’s now possible to create a zealously dedicated global fanbase in the space of a few months. “To reach cult status, you have to be amazingly good at the obvious and be curiously intriguing at the unobvious,” says Mark, who hints that social media and direct customer engagement play a key role. “It also doesn’t hurt if it looks terrific in a photo.”
“There has to be an ingredient, texture or formulation that keeps people coming back for more.”