Facing Wintertime
Lacura claims over 35,000 jars of Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream sold in the UK in one day alone. The Lacura skincare system is available exclusively at Aldi for the first time in the U.S.
Private label keeps skin looking beautiful even in harsh winter conditions, and brings relief to contact wearers’ pockets.
Winter has arrived and many residents in four-season climates are rushing to change up their beauty routines to combat the cold. While the weather outside is frightful, having the heat on indoors starts to dry out skin. Luckily, private label products provide some relief without breaking the bank.
Reflecting on Mirra
Kroger Co., Cincinnati, OH, has introduced Mirra, its exclusive health and beauty care brand for “family-focused women seeking effortless beauty.”
The Mirra products are split up into three different categories: Daily for routine personal care, Renew for “a rejuvenating time out,” and Inspire, which provides “quick transformations for a night out.”
Mirra Renew body care products include Bamboo & Honey, Lemongrass & Ginger, Black Tea & Cracked Pepper, and Japanese Yuzu fragrances in foaming bath, body wash, body lotion, and body mist products. Mirra Inspire products are in creation for a later launch date.
Recently the products were being promoted with a “buy any two products and save $5” offer. The Mirra Renew products are packaged with various shades of green, reminiscent of blades of grass, and run phrases like “renew your glow,” “renew your skin,” “renew your spirit,” across the green backdrop. The packages have gold accents on the lids and the rest of the background is white or cream.
The Mirra Renew Conditioning Lotion contains cranberry and acai extracts, as well as Oleosomes, while Mirra Renew Foaming Bath “refreshes skin and rejuvenates circulation” with Sodium PCA. Mirra Renew Deep-Moisture Day Cream, which claims to smooth away wrinkles and firms skin, claims that its “natural ingredients like Beaswax and Pea Protein work to deeply moisturize for 24 hours. “Intense hydration,” according to the package, will increase cell turnover to refresh skin.
Skin’s Cure
Another noteworthy introduction from Aldi, Batavia, IL, is Lacura, a skincare system sold in Europe, available for the first time in the U.S. According to a pamphlet Private Label picked up in a NJ-area Aldi, Lacura has “been picking up awards, out-performing big names and causing a storm across Europe.”
The Lacura Skincare line products are made with ingredients like coenzyme Q10, a special retinol complex, hydrating sea minerals, provitamin B5, aloe vera, vitamins E and C, allantoin and other active extracts.
According to Aldi’s website, the Lacura Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream came out on top in European quality tests alongside major brands such as L’Oreal, Olay and Helena Rubenstein and also beats competitors on price with products retailing as much as 95 percent lower than national brands.
Additional products under the Lacura line include Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream, Q10 Restorative Cream, Hydra Complete Cream, Exfoliating Peeling Gel, Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Hydrating Facial Toner, Hydrating Facial Toner Sensitive Skin, a Hydrating and a Firming Mask, as well as three eye creams and three lip care products. Aldi also offers a range of makeup options under the Lacura Beauty line.
Additional products under the line include Lacura Exfoliating Peeling Gel, Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Hydrating Facial Toner, Hydrating Facial Toner Sensitive Skin, a Hydrating and a Firming Mask, as well as three eye creams and three lip care products. Aldi also offers a range of makeup options under the Lacura Beauty line.
Beauty Secrets
Walgreens, Deerfiled, IL, carries everything shoppers need to have a glowing face. Walgreen’s Studio 35 line offers a variety of products including an array of brushes for applying foundation and mineral makeup to the skin. Studio 35 Beauty Mineral Makeup Brush Set for $9.99 is a four piece set for mineral makeup and powder. One reviewer on www.walgreens.com said of the product, “I think this is better then those brushes that are expensive just because of the company they’re made in.” Another reviewer compared the brushes to MAC writing, “For the price try this before you go out and buy the MAC 187. I know I won’t be going out to purchase it anytime soon.”
For women on-the-go the Studio 35 Beauty Brush and Go Set is a great deal for only $5.99. The kit contains a Powder Brush, Lip Brush, Blush Brush, Lash & Brow Groomer, Shadow Brush and Sponge Applicator.
Duane Reade, New York, NY, carries store brand treatments for feet, body, hair and face. Packages feature photos of key ingredients inside outlines of bodyparts, such as the outline of a face on the hydrating facial mask, which is filled with a photo of oatmeal.
The back of the anti-aging moisturizer reads, “Packed full of anti-aging properties, this moisturizer will help protect your skin from free-radicals and leave your face feeling noticeable smoother and younger looking.” Each packet is priced at $2.49 and was on sale for $1.66 when Private Label acquired them.
CVS Pharmacy, Woonsocket, RI, has a wide variety of vitamins and supplements (for more information on vitamins see the OTC/Healthcare article in this issue), but CVS brand Hair, Skin & Nails With Antioxidants helps shoppers look beautiful from the inside out.
According to the Pink Report, “The Age of Naturals,” women are ready to try nutricosmetics and cosmeceuticals provided the products are natural and proven. They are most eager to try (74%) a consumable beauty product that can be eaten “on the go” and 72% would prefer a beauty supplement in a pill or capsule form.
CVS’s “new” dietary supplement claims on the package: “Our balanced formula provides a combination of nutrients, including Vitamin C and Biotin, that support the structural foundation of your hair, skin & nails.” The product contains the same 60 tablets and 3,000 mcg of Biotin as Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails. However, according to University of Maryland Medical Center, while preliminary evidence suggests that biotin supplements may improve thin, splitting, or brittle toe and fingernails as well as hair, safety has been established only for dosages of 30-600 mcg and adequate daily intakes for biotin from the diet for adults is only 30 mcg.
Eyes That Fly
As airlines continue to charge hefty prices for checked luggage, every bit of saved space counts. Many drugstores are carrying store brand contact solution in smaller sizes now. CVS brand Multi-Purpose Solution for soft contact lenses with the “same quality, new look” is sold in a 4 fl-oz. size for $4.49. Target, Minneapolis, MN, sells a 4 fl-oz. size multipurpose solution no-rub formula for $1.97 in Up & Up brand. While that price seems like a steal, when PL compared the Up & Up two-bottle pack to Bausch & Lomb Renu’s two-bottle pack on the same Target shelf, the Up & Up brand option saved consumers $8.50.
While the smaller bottles of store brand contact solution sold in many stores will save space in shoppers bags, they won’t cut it when it comes to avoiding airline fees altogether by bringing carry-on bags only. The Transportation Security Administration has a “3-1-1” rule for carry-ons. Bottled liquids must be 3.4 ounce (100ml) or less (by volume), packed in a 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in a screening bin. While Bausch & Lomb Renu Multipurpose Contact Lens Solution Travel Kit contains a 2 fl-oz. bottle of solution, fine for carry-on bags, none of the stores Private Label visited had a similar-sized private label option. The closest store brand solution we found was at Rite Aid, Harrisburg, PA. The Rite Aid contact lens travel case, in white or black, comes with a contact lens case, two solution bottles and a mirror for $6.99. The plastic bottles can be filled with any solution and read itogo on the side, as the product is manufactured for Rite Aid by Ikeeps, Inc., Cary, NC.
