New "masstige" beauty at Target

I received the September 2008 issue of Lucky, with the beautiful blue-eyed Milla Jovovich on the cover. It is the thickest issue of Lucky ever (I know, I'm a charter subscriber), chock full of ads. One ad that surprised me was the introduction of a line of cosmetics by UK makeup artist Jemma Kidd at Target.


JK Jemma Kidd for Target via Nylon

The URL on Target's web site for JK Jemma Kidd given in the ad isn't operational. A quick search on "JK Jemma Kidd" revealed that JK Jemma Kidd is only one of three cosmetics lines that will debut at Target at the end of the month. The other two are from Australian makeup Napoleon Perdis (his cosmetics line is being discontinued at Sephora) and Petra Strand of Pixi. The three Strand sisters - Petra, Sara, and Sofia - are also the brains behind Pop Beauty.

The Fashion Spot article quotes retail and beauty industry consultant Allan Mottus, who is skeptical about Target's new beauty venture. On recent visits to Target, he saw that the only brands that were well-stocked were those that are exclusive to Target such as Sonia Kashuk and its European bath and body collections.

I don't know what Mottus is talking about. My experience has been that these lines aren't well-stocked. Since the debut of Sonia Kashuk's line, there have been complaints about the erratic stock of her products. It is hard to come by her blending sponge, and there have been placeholders for kits for face and eyes, but no kits.

The amount of shelf space devoted to its European bath and body products has diminished considerably. This suggests that these products have sold poorly. There is intense competition for placement and the amount of shelf space among mass-market brands. Real-time reporting of sales gauge how well a product sells, which is why stores cut back on stocking Revlon's Vital Radiance brand for mature women, leading to the brand's collapse within a year.

I'm anticipating the launch of JK Jemma Kidd, Napoleon Perdis, and Pixi at Target, and I'll be sure to report on it. The prices of JK Jemma Kidd are comparable to those for brands carried at department stores and Sephora - I wonder if Target's customers will buy products at these prices.