LSN : Daily Signals : Need to Know 16 : 03 : 18

1. Italian brand tackles stress of the city

Skin Regimen, Italy

Bologna – Italian company Davines Group has launched new brand Skin Regimen to the European market at Cosmoprof 2018.

Intended to be unisex, with its minimalist black packaging, the line is aimed at city dwellers. It offers several products – from a cleanser to booster serums and a night mask – for a multistep regime that combats the environmental aggressors that come with living in an urban environment, including daily stress and pollution.

A key component across all of the products is the trademarked Longevity Complex, which includes wild indigo, spinach, maqui berry and carnosine – all extracts proven to help the skin fend off inflammation and oxidation. The Skin Regimen team worked with neuroscientist and mind-body expert Dr Claudia Aguirre to research how cortisol, a hormone triggered by stress, can specifically affect the skin.

‘The line is both intended to fight against things like pollution and stress, but also to celebrate city living,’ Barbara Gavazzoli, director of communication at Comfort Zone, Davines Group's skincare division, tells LS:N Global. ‘We want people to thrive while living in the city, and offer them products that combat the side-effects of urban dwelling like dehydration and dull skin.’

For more product launches and beauty trends from Cosmoprof 2018, look out for our daily news updates.

2. Nike and Headspace pioneer mindful running

Nike x Headspace

Global – Nike has joined forces with mindfulness training service Headspace to create a series of audio guides that use meditation techniques to holistically enhance the exercise experience.

The feature, which can be found on either Nike+ Running Club or Nike Training Club apps, consists of a collection of mindful narrations that guide you through your fitness journey. The coaching primarily aids you in controlling your breathing and is tailored to different levels of intensity, including runs aimed at improving distance, speed or recovery.

‘When we are running mindfully, we are actively creating the conditions for that sense of flow, meaning everything is enhanced, from technique and motivation to focus and recovery,’ explains Chris Bennett, global head coach of Nike Running. Sports brands are increasingly looking beyond pure performance as a means of engaging consumers and instead shifting focus to include the preparation and recovery phases as well.

3. Unilever launches snacks that support urban farms

US – Unilever has released a new range of organic, plant-based snacks that give back to the local community.

Available in four flavours: Cocoa Chipotle, Pineapple Coconut Rum, Maple Bourbon and Coconut Curry, the corn and coconut-based nibbles will be sold for £2.85 ($3.99, €3.23) with half of the profits donated to urban farm initiatives.

The launch builds on the brand’s previous philanthropic credentials, which include taking part in New York's Building Healthy Communities initiative and working with Green City Force to build six urban farms in 2015.

As explored in our Educated Eating Market, consumers are increasingly interested in food brands that are pioneering sustainable production practices, which include ensuring that their producers are fairly remunerated.

Growing Roots by Unilever, US

4. Givaudan experiments with food-focused scents

Delight by Givaduan, US

US – Flavour and fragrance expert Givaudan has launched a new collection – Delight – that transforms the pleasure of food into perfume.

The range was the result of a collaborative effort between the company’s flavourists and perfumers to develop methods that could deliver certain food flavours using scent. Non-verbal communication experts were enlisted to analyse consumers’ physical and emotional reactions to a variety of flavoured bases, including matcha, beet, pastry cream and bacon. A finished fragrance was then built around each.

‘Project Delight is all about exploring the concept of pleasure in fragrances,’ says Felix Mayr-Harting, Givaudan’s global head of fine fragrance. ‘Perfumers and flavourists have combined their unique skills together, and we have been able to create new fragrances with more impact and more pleasure. How do we know? Because we see and measure it in [consumers'] body language.’

We first explored this collision of fragrance and hospitality in our Olfactive Menus trend.

5. Civically minded brands demonstrate greater growth

New research indicates that UK brands accredited with B Corp certification – which assures a high level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and environmental performance – are reaping the financial benefits of their efforts. The study shows that B Corp members in the UK have experienced an average year-on-year growth rate of 14%, 28 times higher than the national average. As explored in our Morality Recoded macrotrend, brands need to take a more human-centric approach to business in order to meet evolving consumer expectations.

6. Thought-starter: Is competition still a key tenet of capitalism?

Internet of Things technology has created an array of newly immersive brand touchpoints, while data analytics is allowing businesses to anticipate every consumer desire. In our latest macro trend, we explore how these factors are combining to reduce the number of consumption choices your customers make.

Consumers now demand levels of convenience so extreme that it is fast becoming difficult to distinguish between product discovery, purchase moment and private life. The result, explains Willy Kruh, global chair of Consumer Markets at KPMG International, is that ‘today’s consumer no longer goes shopping, but is shopping, all the time and everywhere’.

Accelerated delivery mechanisms are surrounding consumers with a constant stream of algorithmically refined goods and services, anticipating and satisfying their wants before they know them. The need to make any conscious decision to buy is being totally usurped, and along with that, consumers are forgoing the opportunity to deliberate about which brands they want to associate with.

For more on how to position yourself in an era of Subconscious Commerce, get in touch.