Consumers often buy beauty products in small packages as duplicate versions of the full-sized products they use at home.
As Ashley Monaé explains it in her recent post about the Little MAC collection on madamenoire.com, “I’m sure I’m not the only one that prefers having two sets of a single product. You know, one that’s full-sized and one that’s compact and convenient for days that I’m on the go because there’s nothing more annoying than struggling to stuff your go-to products into a small makeup bag.”
Size and assortment
The newly launched Little MAC collection includes mascaras, the brand’s Lipglass lineup, and loose powder pigments. All of which are “sized to go [and] totally tote-able in an airport-friendly size of 30ml or less,” according to the company site.
Little MAC products are clearly being marketed as a travel collection: “When it comes to travel, small is an absolute virtue. With Little M·A·C, a selection of your favourite products is available in travel-ready sizes.”
But there are other selling points too. “What we love most about this collection is the fact that it’s all priced at $10, which is a steal because MAC can weigh quite heavy on the pockets,” writes Monaé.
The brand is selling Little MAC in its retail shops, through ecommerce, and in stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom too.
Small like indie
Product in almost every category now is available in single use or travel-size containers. For instance, skin care from the indie brand nűgg Beauty comes in that company’s signature portion-size pod packs. “This packaging makes the product eminently portable and facilitates a skin care routine that users can customize as needed,” as Cosmetics Design reported earlier this year.
And of course, makeup from Stowaway Cosmetics only comes in small packages. That company’s products are all half the size of conventional beauty items. “The supersizing of makeup and its impact on women is an untold consumer issue with concerning implications for safety,” Stowaway told the press last year, referring to the fact that many consumers keep and use product well beyond its expiration date basically because it’s so costly and there is often plenty left.
Indie brands like these and now bigger brands are testing the market to see what works best for consumers looking for portable, economic makeup options.