… With intros promising dramatic increases

Drug Store News, Oct 9, 1995

Buoyed by the dramatic success of body washes, Chesebrough-Pond's, Lever Brothers, Sarah Michaels, Revlon and Freeman are rolling out their versions of liquid body cleansers. The good news is that many new players are coming to market with enhanced benefits or unique ingredients.

That's a smart move that should expand the category further, said Scott Mesbitt, senior marketing manager for The Andrew Jergens Co. "There is a fair amount of copy catting going on, and only now are [the existing] brands beginning to sharpen their message and focus on benefits. You have to clearly spell out the benefits because the amount of advertising dollars being spent on this category is really high. It's gotten to the point you can't look at the TV for a few hours without seeing a body cleanser."

While the Oil of Olay, Dove and Caress body washes emphasize their moisturization capabilities, the newest crop of products really zero in on this benefit.

The survey says...

Before entering the category in August, Chesebrough-Pond's surveyed 300 people about their showering habits. When asked what they'd like to change about their shower or bath soap, 68 percent said they would enhance the skin care benefits of the product they currently use. Specifically they indicated that this "skin-friendly" product would moisturize skin as it cleanses (36 percent), leave skin softer (21 percent) and be less drying.

With this in mind, Chesebrough-Pond's launched Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturizing Body Wash, which is geared for women and families, with men as a secondary target. The product uses "silicon desposition technology" to deposit vitamins A and E, alpha hyroxy acid. essential fatty acids, glycerine and dimethicone on the surface of the skin during the wash process. Together these ingredients work to gently cleanse the skin and immediately relieve dry skin, according to the company.

Another unique aspect of the product is the suction-cup/bracket device on the back of the bottle designed to enable the consumer to stick it right on the shower wall.

The company, a leader in both the skin and bath categories, is cross-promoting the body washes with its Vaseline Intensive Care lotions. Special packs of lotion will soon contain sample sizes of the body washes.

Sarah Michaels is set to roll out a whole line of body washes with the quality and ingredients associated with its upscale bath products and a price tag competitive with commodity body washes.

The company is leveraging the brand equity of its solage sponge and Sarah Michaels name to launch the Solage Moisturizing Body Wash this month. If one looks at the boxes of the leading moisturizing brands (Oil of Olay, Dove and Caress), none of them tell what moisturizing agents are used, said Mark Kaplan, president of Sarah Michaels.

"They are going after their name," he said. "We are not a `me too.' The P&Gs and the Levers of the world have only hit the tip of the iceberg. There's a larger audience that wants a more upscale, cosmetic formula that offers them a full range of their favorite bathing fragrances."

Sarah Michaels' line emphasizes the botanical ingredient - vitamins E and A, sunflower and safflower oil, chamomile and calendula extracts and aloe vera - right on the package. The new line will launch with a starter kit that includes the successful Solage exfoliating sponge and a 5-ounce tube, which will retail between $3.99-$4.99. The tubes are clear and labeled with pastel-colored illustrations of fruits designed to emphasize the fragrance.

The line includes six fragrances: raspberry, pear, seashore, peach, rose and pink grapefruit. The formulas are pearlized, which catch the light of drug stores, and tubes are color coordinated with matching sponges.

This is the first time the company is going after the tonnage bath business, and consequently it is backing the launch with a $15 million consumer advertising and promotion campaign. The campaign will break next year.

Freeman Cosmetics and Revlon are also taking a skin care approach. This summer, Freeman introduced Honeysuckle and Wild Cherry 2-in-1 Body Wash, and additional flavors will be available next year.

Revlon just started shipping body washes with the Jean Nate and Almay names. The Jean Nate product contains vitamins E and A and aloe. The body wash is available in the original Jean Nate fragrance and Seascape. Almay Clear Moisturizing Body Wash is targeted for those with sensitive skin. It is being launched along with several clear skin care products.

Lever Brothers, which already has captured a large share with two moisturizing body washes (Dove and Caress), is launching a more unisex body wash under the Lever 2000 name this month.

"Lever 2000 [the soap] has broad appeal and a whole family advertising theme approach," said Gary Pardue, senior manager of national drug accounts. The starter kit contains a sturdy body sponge rather than a puff, which is designed to appeal to men, he said.

Although bar soap sales have been flat this year, Lever is not concerned about hurting its bar soap business. "We have a lot of money behind the Lever 2000 program, and we have taken share from competitors in the last couple of years," said Pardue. "The body wash category is expanding faster than we ever imagined it would. Our key thing is to make sure we keep up with the category."