Customized fragrance the next launch at reflect.com

Drug Store News, Sept 13, 2000 by Liz Parks

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reflect.com, an interactive, personalized online beauty service that counts Procter & Gamble as one of its investors, is about to launch a customized fragrance department that will soon be followed by customized eye cosmetic and nail color departments.

Unique in the online world, reflect.com, which was formed in September 1999 with venture capital supplied by P&G, Institutional Venture Partners and Redpoint Ventures, specializes in selling women beauty care products, including toiletries and color cosmetics made exclusively for each individual.

When reflect.com went live last December, its product mix included personalized products for hair (shampoos and conditioners); skin (body lotions, day and night moisturizers and eye gels), and cosmetics (lipsticks, foundations and powders).

"Given the simple human truth that every woman is unique," said Ginger Kent, reflect.com chief executive. "why isn't it possible for every woman to find beauty products individually tailored for her? We realized there was no one out there making this kind of personalization widely available, so we created reflect.com to give women everywhere a resource to create the perfect beauty products for their needs," she said.

The customized fragrances were expected to be available by mid-fall and the eye cosmetics in the winter. Nail color will happen next year.

Although Kent described P&G as "one of our lead investors," reflect.com is a separate company. However it does have an agreement to use P&G product technology, said Kent. That means it can take advantage of the thousands of product formulations developed by P&G's research scientists as one potential source of supply for its customers.

"P&G wants to reach a mass market with the products they market," Kent noted. "We customize our products to meet the needs of one woman at a time."

In addition to appealing to women who like the cachet of having shampoos, lipsticks, face makeups, moisturizers and fragrances created just for them, Kent said reflect. com also meets the needs of women with special needs who are sometimes overlooked by mass marketers.

"Asian women have hair that is three times thicker than Caucasian women and their hair is round rather than elliptical," she said. "So often, they can't find a shampoo in the U.S. that meets their needs. Because we have access to product formulations from all over the world, we can cater to special needs like theirs."

Visitors to the reflect.com Web site start the patent-pending customization process by completing an interactive questionnaire which attempts "to clearly define the unique components of each woman's ideal product whether it's a shampoo, moisturizer, lipstick or fragrance," Kent explained. Then the company creates the product and packages it for her by putting it in a carton, bottle or tube with her name on it.

The products are shipped from reflect.com's facility in Cincinnati for delivery by U.S. priority mail within 10 days of the order.

Price points for the customized products are on the low-to-mid end of department store prices: $12 for lipsticks, shampoos and conditioners; $19.50 for moisturizers; $16.50 for foundation makeups and powders; $24 for a facial mask; $28 for eye gel; $29.50 for night cream, and $40 for a customized fragrance.

Kent said that product formulations are refined until each customer gets exactly what she needs. "If a person doesn't like the product, we will re-customize it for her, at no extra charge, until we get it right."

Because a fragrance is such a subjective experience, a woman is sent three sample variations of a customized scent when she first orders one. The samples allow her to experience the product and to decide which one is right.

When a woman chooses and purchases a fragrance, she can name it. The name she chooses will be engraved on the package. Delivery is guaranteed within 10 days. The $5 sampling cost is credited against the first purchase.

Reflect.com is being supported by print ads in leading fashion books, as well as by online advertising through marketing affiliation with portals such as iVillage. In one current promotion, consumers who make an online purchase from bluemountainart.com will receive a $10 gift certificate from reflect.com.