For any person of lighter complexion, finding makeup that suits their skin tone is relatively easy. However, for a person of colour, it’s a much more difficult task. That is because the makeup industry caters heavily towards lighter complexions, ignoring the huge market of people with darker skin tones.

For example, this past August, Yves Saint Laurent introduced its new “All Hours Foundation”, available in 22 shades, the vast majority of which being for lighter complexions. The company, claiming the foundation “suits all skin tones”, received an incredible amount of backlash on social media. The increasing amount of people reaching out on social media to criticize the makeup industry’s lack of diversity is exactly what motivated Rihanna in creating her new makeup line, “Fenty Beauty”.

The YSL “All Hours Foundation” shade range

Although new to the makeup world, Fenty Beauty has already set itself apart from its competition in introducing 40 foundation shades. The brand, calling itself “the new generation of beauty”, has positioned itself as a company that values diversity and people of all skin colours. For a long time, cosmetic companies have hidden behind the excuse that “darker shades won’t sell”. However, upon launching her makeup line, it was reported that darker shades sold out almost instantly. With the launch of Fenty beauty and the overwhelming appraisal for its inclusivity of darker tones, there is no arguing the fact that there is still a huge void to be filled for people of colour.

Fenty Beauty has set the standard of what other cosmetic companies should strive to incorporate into their value propositions. Ignoring the market for more inclusive makeup reflects poorly on a company’s reputation and weakens relationships with consumers. It also means they are limiting their potential target market and therefore growth in sales and profit. Taking action now to be more inclusive should become a priority for brands if they wish to remain competitive. 

Fenty Beauty “Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation” shade range

Fellow student blogger, Sofia Chang, states: “Rihanna’s marketing campaign has been a huge success, focusing on their PoD of diversity”. This really stood out to me because it’s entirely true, but shouldn’t be. To think that we’re still at a point in the beauty industry where catering to darker skin tones is a PoD is ridiculous. However, we are seeing some progress. Leading makeup brand, “Too Faced”, has paired up with beauty influencer and advocate for inclusive makeup, “Jackie Aina”, to create darker shades for their popular “Born this Way” foundation range. Hopefully, as more brands shift to offering more diverse makeup, inclusivity will no longer be a point of difference, but a point of parity among makeup brands.

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In reference to: https://hbr.org/2017/10/how-our-company-connected-our-strategy-to-sustainability-goals

On the Harvard Business Review, Michael W. Lamach, CEO of Ingersoll Rand, discusses in his post his company, Ingersoll Rand, and its success in working towards long-term sustainability.

Ingersoll Rand is a diversified, global company whose products and services are geared towards customers in “global commercial, industrial and residential markets”. It’s efforts in sustainability are mainly focused on climate change.

What I found most interesting about this post was that Lamach didn’t focus on the technical side of sustainability. He focused on the main driving force of a company that would ultimately play the biggest role in sustainability: the employees. The following are main suggestions mentioned throughout Lamach’s post:  

Make your goals personal.

Employee engagement scores for Ingersoll and Rand are top ranking. This can be attributed to the company’s involvement in providing more green services to the public. I believe this is a crucial aspect of business. Knowing you are working towards a greater good is both rewarding and motivating, leading to an overall more productive and sustainable company. This sense of purpose empowers employees and allows companies to reach their goals.

In 2016, the United Nations created 17 goals, aimed at tackling poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring global peace and prosperity, known as the “Sustainable Development Goals”. Ingersoll Rand took action and aligned itself with 11 of these goals, proving its efforts are contributing to large-scale, positive change. In 2016, the company’s Green Teams saw great importance in these goals and succeeded in “diverting 2.4 million pounds of waste from landfills and saving more than 2.2 million gallons of water”.

Michael W. Lamach

“Track, measure, and recognize.”

This applies to both the company level and the global level. For example, Ingersoll measures its environmental impact with greenhouse gas calculators that track product-related emissions. Several teams are responsible for collecting and analyzing the data then sharing the results. I believe that tracking progress is key for a company when sticking to its big goals. Being able to visualize and see changes happening in both your company and its global effects is what will motivate employees to continue their efforts towards achieving sustainability. Lamach also makes it clear that recognizing the employees that work through these processes is equally as important as the processes themselves in terms of a company’s success.

“Be bold.”

Lamach’s final suggestion for incorporating sustainability into your business is to “be bold”.  I think a good idea would be to create a BHAG for your company; to have a clear, main focus that employees can understand and take to heart. BHAGs are great for encouraging progress, and that is exactly what a company needs when beginning its journey to a more sustainable future.

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“Do you think using furs today is still modern? I don’t think it’s still modern and that’s the reason why we decided not to do that. It’s a little bit out-dated,”

Gucci has recently made a big move in banning the use of the fur in all of its future products. Fur fashion has longtime been a staple in consumer’s wardrobes but as we progress into a more ethically conscious society, the fur fad is quickly fading.

Fur coats by Gucci

Millennials, described by Deloitte as “more ethically minded than previous generations” do not support animal exploitation by any means. Though fur fashion is still popular with some of its older clientele, millennials “account for more than half of Gucci’s shoppers, up from 40 percent two years ago”. This number is only going to grow. In order to maintain a sustainable future in the fashion industry, Gucci decided to align its values with what consumers of today want. Their value proposition now promises consumers cruelty-free fashion. This will increase their target market as consumers who may not have bought from Gucci prior to this because of their use of fur will be more likely to start purchasing their products. This will also help the company keep existing customers who may have left. The loss of profits they lose from eliminating fur will be made up through increased customer demand and profits may even increase.

Animals exploited for their fur often live in terrible conditions

Many companies have already made the transition to cruelty-free fashion including Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, Hugo Boss, Armani and Ralph Lauren. However, several companies in competition with Gucci continue to use real fur in their products, including Michael Kors, Burberry, and Balenciaga. High-end, cruelty-free brands are still somewhat of a “blue ocean”. Entering this niche is therefore a smart decision on Gucci’s part.

Aside from going cruelty-free, Gucci is taking on more social responsibility.  As the brand’s website explains, “We recognize that the philosophy of “Sustainable Value” is at the heart of our management policies and our corporate conduct, which means that we have implemented a process to integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into our business operations.” Gucci is  donating $1 million to Unicef’s Girl Empowerment initiative to fund teenage education and health drives. Gender diversity is also a core value of the company now, with over 60% of employees being female, including several high positions. Despite being widely successful, it is still important for a brand like Gucci to adjust overtime with what is most valued by its consumers. Maintaining a strong, respected relationship with the public will ensure sustainable success in the future.

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Bodega is a startup tech company based in the U.S. founded by former Google employees, Paul McDonald and Ashwath Rajan. The business provides smartphone-activated vending machines across the country unique to specific locations. Recently, they launched their first 50 machines and received huge backlash from customers and convenience store owners. I have created a brief business model that will further explain the reasons for this negative feedback.

Bodega founders, Paul McDonald and Ashwath Rajan

Value Propositions

Bodega values convenience and instant gratification. These are driving forces behind their company. However, they also have a main goal of completely replacing convenience stores.

• Many convenience stores in New York are family-run and started years ago by immigrants; they are an important part of the community

Customer Segments

The company targets a wide variety of people who are busy and need fast and easy access to food, hygiene products, etc.

• The majority of people are satisfied their local convenience shops and enjoy the community aspect

Channels

Their vision is “100,000 Bodegas spread out, with one always 100 feet away from you.”

• This will disrupt business for many local convenience stores

Customer Relationships

Bodega kiosks are to be designed specific to their location, with the “promise that the products will not just be tailored to their general environments — protein bars in the gym, tampons in a sorority house — but to their specific users”.

Revenue Streams

The company earns revenue with their machines which charge customers on credit through their mobile device.

Key Partners

The company has paired up with three main investors: “First Round”, “Forerunner” and “Homebrew”.

Key Activities

The company’s success will come from supplying the public with products they need through their machines and mobile service.

Key Resources

The several thousand machines Bodega intends to build will call for a large amount of employees in charge of packaging products for each location, transporting them, restocking machines as well as fixing any mechanical issues.

Cost Structures

If the company were to build 100,000 machines, that would be “ten million items that are active at a time, plus reserve products for restocking, plus new products to introduce as the “machine learning”…cycles out low performers”. Purchasing these items, bundling them and delivering them to each location will be very costly.

Financial cost is not the only cost associated with this company. Many family-run stores are being and will continue to be put in jeopardy at the cost of these machines. The company’s overall concept has potential. However, before the company can grow, it needs to change its values and direct its main goal away from reshaping the convenience store industry and taking away from community, to something that will add to the communities.

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We see it on a regular basis. Cosmetic companies promoting their new “clinically” proven age-altering formulas, health corporations promoting new miracle diets, food brands introducing new products with outrageous health benefits. False advertising is a hazard in the world of consumerism. Many companies turn to the use of false claims and promises in order to generate higher profit, deliberately betraying the trust of consumers.

A current example of this is Gwyneth Paltrow’s online company “Goop”, dedicated to creating women’s health and wellness products. Products range from “crystal therapy”, claimed to transform one’s energy “in a manner essential for good health”, to energy stickers, suggested to be worn to “rebalance the energy frequency in our bodies”. The goal is to empower women and enhance women’s autonomy, in encouraging the improvement of their overall health and self-esteem. The problem is, the claims these products make have no medical backing. They will not live up to consumers expectations; it is scientifically impossible. Timothy Caulfield of The Globe and Mail challenges the company’s ethics in stating “This choice-enhancement shtick is a common tactic for those pushing unproven therapies and health products. But how does providing inaccurate and potentially harmful health advice enhance autonomy? On the contrary, misleading people about the facts reduces autonomy and erodes informed choice.”

The 8  Essential Goop Crystals

Agencies such as the FDA and the FTC in the U.S. monitor ad campaigns and help correct misleading information projected by companies. Still, companies continue to misinform their consumers. This is because “the FDA lacks the resources and regulatory authority to effectively monitor false and misleading labeling practices.” Under the circumstances that a company advertises false information, they will receive a Warning Letter. More severe penalties are reserved for other violations.

The power advertisement holds over consumers is very strong and companies such as Goop abuse this power to further their success as a business. Paltrow’s case in particular is especially distasteful. Not only does her company target insecurities of women and self-image, but she is a popular celebrity whose influence is far-reaching. Lying to consumers for one’s own benefit is intolerable and eliminating such issues should be taken more seriously.

Goop encourages both physical and emotional wellbeing

Goop, among other companies that mislead consumers, masks its goal to maximize profit with the idea that it is helping society. Milton Friedman’s article regarding business ethics touches on this tactic, stating that “In the present climate of opinion, with its widespread aversion to “capitalism”, “profits”, the “soulless corporation” and so on, this is one way for a corporation to generate goodwill as a by-product of expenditures that are entirely justified in its own self-interest.” While it may appear that the health of its customers is its number one priority, Goop’s sole aim is profit. Goop shows no morals or ethics in lying to customers and companies such as itself should not be able to thrive at the expense of the public.

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