HOME BAKED BEAUTY CAKE

The final chapter in an intriguing aspect of New Zealand’s cosmetics history is soon to come to an end, notes Janetta Mackay

When I was at high school it seemed every second girl had a little red compact of foundation stashed in her satchel. In bars, those compacts were opened under fluorescent bathroom lights and more layers of makeup sponged on. Later, we still carried a Shiseido Moisture Mist Beauty Cake because price and portability made it ideal for quick morning makeovers or workplace touch-ups. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, there wasn’t as much makeup as there is now. Those refillable lacquer red compacts stood out when compared with standard bottles of liquid foundation. Japan was then the height of fashion and the dinky plastic compacts brought a touch of modernity to makeup. Beauty Cake became a top-selling staple in New Zealand.

It retains a loyal following, but soon will be no more, with Shiseido last week announcing it is discontinuing manufacturing the Moisture Mist brand. (Products will remain on sale at selected Farmers and pharmacies into the second half of this year, while stocks last.) The company puts the decision down to ingredient availability and production issues. But in this era of globalisation, the miracle is that it has continued to be made — just for us — for so long.

“Moisture Mist saw great success in the New Zealand market, with production continuing long after the line had ceased distribution internationally,” marketing manager Chris Kennedy-Grant said. “For many, Moisture Mist Beauty Cake was

their first foundation brand and continues to be their go-to foundation.”

For three of Beauty Cake’s four decades, a Shiseido factory in Auckland made the foundation, alongside a small range of Moisture Mist skincare. Exports were sent to Australia for a while. In 2008, production shifted to Taiwan, ending any significant cosmetic manufacturing in New Zealand by a major multi-national beauty company. Others had shut up shop. Among them Estee Lauder, which, during the 1970s, used a local distributor to bottle some of its cosmetics. Elizabeth Arden arrived in department stores in the 1920s, but it took World War II interrupting products arriving from overseas to prompt local management to lobby London to allow production here. With this came more reliable and more widespread distribution, including into pharmacies, which saw the company build its substantial local foundation and skincare business. From 1984, Arden supplied products from its large Papatoetoe factory to Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. This continued until 1995, when manufacturing here was stopped due to worldwide restructuring.

Luckily New Zealand retains a number of contract cosmetic manufacturers. Some service this country’s strong representation of natural skincare brands or supply supermarket body care products, so providing a local presence alongside all the shelves of imports. Their continued existence provides a springboard for boutique brands looking to create a new chapter in the New Zealand beauty story.