A good product name can make or break a brand in the beauty industry, but a truly legendary name will secure its place in the history books.
Just look at Chanel No.5, Nars Cosmetics’ Orgasm Blush, Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick and Lancômee’s Juicy Tubes – the latter of which has made a triumphant return last year amid a nostalgia boom in beauty.
These names have stuck in the collective consciousness of beauty shoppers for good reason – cohesive theming from the brand they originated from, a sense of playfulness and a touch of absurdity to make them stand out.
But it begs the question, even if they were utterly flawless in scent or formulation, would these products be as popular and well remembered if they did not have such striking names?
So, in what feels like a true rarity in beauty, Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road Beauty opted to go down a different path – releasing a completely nameless product in January.
Called ‘Working Name: Gel Tint’, the latest launch from the US MUA is a tint-bronzer-blush hybrid gel formula which claims to tint skin with a luminous and soft finish – in shades Dusty Rose and Sunkissed.
This decision is the result of disagreements between make-up artists, copywriters, product team and marketing team on the name, which Brown openly spoke about in an Instagram post revealing the product.
The brand’s unapologetic honesty around the situation was met with positive reception, but, in the long-term, is launching a product in this manner marketing genius or a recipe for disaster further down the line?
It is all in the name
The Gel Tints initially launched exclusively as part of two Jones Road Beauty product kits
Jones Road Beauty’s nameless product launch feels like anti-marketing, a tonic to the advertising bombardment experienced by beauty shoppers, but it is actually a highly strategic move, Molly Goffin, Digital PR Manager at marketing agency MediaVision, tells Cosmetics Business.
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