BASF develops targeted anti-ageing face care concept

Chemicals company BASF has developed its latest anti-ageing face care concept on the back of a consumer study looking at personal characteristics and needs of six consumer archetypes.

As people get older, the texture and structure of their skin begins to change, and this is the area that the Germany-based company’s ‘Beautiful Faces’ concept is targeted at.

“Our new formulation concept and the solutions we propose cater for a substantial anti-ageing effect”, says Stéphane Lacoutière, Marketing Manager Personal Care Europe.

“What is more, ‘Beautiful Faces’ provides manufacturers with great inspiration for targeting specific consumer needs, based on consumer research and a validated typology system.”

Research

The new formulation concept was developed based on a consumer study in France carried out by BASF and market intelligence firm TNS Infratest.

The study involved interviews with 1,223 women aged 25 to 75 in France, all of which were regular users of anti-ageing face care products, applying them at least once a week, and were also decision-makers or co-decision-makers when it came to brand purchases.

The two companies also used a validated typology system to help define the personality characteristics and needs of six consumer archetypes and translate these needs into innovative anti-ageing face care products.

The women were put into one of these six groups based on their personality, emotional needs and purchase motivations, as opposed to external factors.

The groups’ are ‘Energetic’, ‘Perfect’, ‘Professional’, ‘Protected’, ‘Authentic’, and ‘Creative’, which BASF says reflects the predominant needs of the women in each group.

Tailored solutions

From using this information BASF can then try to develop customised anti-ageing solutions, and two groups in particular caught the eye.

The first is the ‘Authentic’ consumer who is concerned with products that employ natural ingredients and are environmentally friendly.

This information then allows the supplier to create a solution, which it has called its ‘Authentic Boost’ formulation, tailored to meet the specific needs of this consumer: a dry yet nourishing anti-ageing oil which contains natural-based ingredients.

The second archetype highlighted is the ‘Professional’, who is concerned with science and technically advanced products, and BASF has developed the ‘Beauty Manager’ formulation here which is a night cream two active ingredients - Neurobiox,  and X-Pressin C - to help accelerate the skin’s natural regeneration by means of biological and enzymatic exfoliation during sleep.