The custom foundation is sold exclusively at select upscale Nordstrom department stores, where a 0.7oz bottle retails for $80. And the company is proud of its move to extend the reach of Le Teint Particulier: “We’re thrilled to expand this personalized makeup innovation to additional markets across the country,” Suriya Parksuwan, president of Lancôme USA, tells the press
New places
Lancôme is now selling Le Teint Particulier Custom Made Makeup in nine additional markets comprising California, Florida, Chicago, and Washington state as well as the Virginia / Washington, DC area, according to a company press release.
And two flagship stores, in Torrance, California, and in Seattle, Washington, in addition to stores in McLean, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; and Tampa, Florida; are among the eleven Nordstrom locations where consumers can engage with the brand in, what may well be, the ultimate experiential beauty retail moment.
Destination beauty
By bringing technology, formulation, and production to the beauty counter, Lancôme is both impressively up to date and subtly evoking the artisanal services of days gone by. The Le Teint Particulier service is high tech and high touch all at once.
Lancôme is of course not alone in this game. GeneU made headlines in early 2015 with personalized skin care, developed according to each consumer’s genetic testing results. And Kiehl’s, at its New York City flagship store, recently began offering consumers custom-made facial concentrates, as part of what the L’Oréal brand calls apothecary preparations.
Sephora has been making waves with its recently revamped digital experiential retail model, too. And more and more shops—from Shen Beauty in Brooklyn to chain stores like Ulta—are bringing bigger and better beauty services in-store to keep foot traffic high.
More faces
The more foundation shades a brand can create these days, the more consumers and influencers will create good buzz about it. It's a secret to modern-day consumer loyalty that Lancôme seems to be in on.
“Over the past few years, Lancôme has had great success in offering extensive shade selections to women of all skin tones,” says Parksuwan. “With the new customized foundation – developed with extensive research in skin tone emulation – Lancôme is offering custom matching for all clients.” And, he believes that “the result is the epitome of luxury and personal service: made-to-measure makeup.”
Of course the product itself is more than just new tech and a full spectrum of shades (each with their own unique Complexion ID printed on the bottle). “The custom made machine is equipped with eight peristaltic heart pumps for an airtight blending and dispensing process. The technology is so innovative that it even allows for customized coverage: full, medium or sheer,” according to a press release from Lancôme.
The foundation attributes also include its being fragrance free, a 24-hour moisturizer, and having a “weightless feel.” Lancôme also describes Le Teint Particulier as a “long-wearing, breathable formula is oil-free...safe for sensitive complexions and won’t clog pores, leaving skin with a translucent radiance and a smooth, truly flawless natural glow.”