Behind The Superbrands: Fashion, Food, Household and Media

We live in a world where brands fascinate us as consumers. In general, we are pleased when we have the branded version rather than the discount version. This goes for anything from food, drinks, household, electronics, fashion, personal care and everything in between. Multinationalism even affects what you watch on television and what you read in the newspaper. Continuing on from my beauty brand obsessed posts (click here, here and here to read more - and in that order), I was curious to understand more behind the world's largest consumer controllers. Similarly to my previous post, keep in my mind that ownership and shareholders change regularly and so what you read below is subject to the developing market. 

Behind The Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

Unilever

Founded in 1929, Anglo-Dutch consumer goods multinational Unilever owns a multitude of beauty, food and household brands that is worth billions. Unilever provides to products to an international market. Brands include Axe/Lynx, Dove, Becel/Flora/Promise, Hellmann's, Knorr, Wall's, Lipton, Lux, Rexona/Sure, Surf, Sunsilk, Ben & Jerry's, TRESemmé, Magnum, V05, Toni & Guy, Klondike, Starbucks, Breyers, Slim Fast,  Bovril, Brooke Bond, Bru, Brummel & Brown, Tonight, Colman's, Elmlea, Fudgsicle, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Jif Lemon & Lime Juice, Marmite, PG Tips, Pot Noodle, Stork, Skipper, Brut, Brylcreem, Citra, Cif, Comfort, Domestos, Impulse, Just For Kids, Matey, Pears Transparent Soap,  Persil, Pond's,  Q-Tips,  Radox, Simple, St Ives, Sunlight, Surf,  Thermasilk, TIGI, Timotei, Ultrex, Vaseline.

Behind The Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

Procter & Gamble

Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P & G is another billion dollar consumer conglomerate. Similar to Unilever, P & G provides beauty, food and household goods to an international market. Brands include Ariel, Bounty, Braun, Charmin, Crest, Downy, Febreze, Gilette, Head & Shoulders, Lenor, Olay, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Vicks, Wella, Ace, Bold, Bounce, Camay, Christina Aguilera perfumes, Clairol, Cover Girl, Daz, Dolce & Gabbana perfumes, Dreft, Tide, Gain, Escada, Fairy, Fixodent, Flash, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Hugo Boss perfumes, Lacoste colognes, Luvs, Max Factor, Nice N’ Easy, Nicky Clarke, Secret, Silvikrin, Tampax, Wash & Go and much more.

Behind The Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

Johnson & Johnson

Established in 1886 by brothers Robert, James and Edward Johnson, Johnson & Johnson is an American corporation specializing in pharmaceutical development and medical devices. Throughout the years it has expanded its market with beauty and household products from brands including Acuvue, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Benadryl, Benecol, Benylin, Clean & Clear, Compeed, Imodium, Splenda, Listerine, Neutrogena, Nicorette, Nizoral, Rembrandt, Sudafed, T/Gel, Topamaz, Tylenol and so many more.

Behind The Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

RB plc 

Formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, RB is yet another multinational consumer good corporation that includes personal care and household products from brands including Air Wick, Scholl, Durex, Finish, French’s, Gavisocn, Harpic, Clearasil, Frank’s Red Hot, K-Y, Windolene, Lemsip, Neutra-Air, Neurofen, Quanto, Senokot, Woolite and so much more. 

Behind The Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

Other Brands

Groupe Artémis/Kering/LMVH - Salma Hayeck's husband François-Henri Pinault is the man behind this corporation which owns Christie's, Château Latour, Le Point, Stade Rennais F.C., and Théâtre Marigny. François has major shares in Kering, previously known as PPR who are responsible for fahion and lifestyle brands such as Puma, Gucci, McQ, Alexander McQueen, Cobra, Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta, Volcom, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane, Sergio Rossi and much more. Kering are largest shareholder of LVHM (Moët-Hennessy Louis Vuitton) which is the largest luxury goods conglomerate in the world and are behind the make-up brands and department stores as mentioned in my beauty super brand post. 

Richemont - a Swiss group which owns Cartier, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lancel, Montblanc, Chloé, and Net-A-Porter.

Valentino Fashion Group - owns Valentino, M Missoni, and Proenza Schouler.

The Aeffe Group manufactures and distributes for Alberta Ferretti, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Pollini and  some Jean Paul Gaultier. 

Inditex - owns Zara, Bershka and Massimo Dutti

H&M - owns H&M, COS, and Cheap Monday.

The Arcadia Group - owns Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, and Wallis.

Diesel owns Victor & Rolf, Maison Martin Margiela and DSquared2.

Phillips-Van Heusen owns Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Michael Kors,Timberland, Nautica and Sean John.

Hermès - a largely family owned fashion business but other shareholders from luxury brands  such as Giorgio Armani and Versace.

Gap INC - owns Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy.

Limited Brands - owns Victoria’s Secret, LaSenza, and Bath and Body Works.

The Weston Family, - own grocery and department stores including Superstore, Joe Fresh, Extra Foods, Holt Renfrew, Selfridges and Brown Thomas

Luxottica - owners of Ray-Ban, Sunglass Hut, Oakley, Persol and LensCrafters and much more. They also manufacture eye wear for Chanel, DKNY, Armani, Burberry, Vogue and Tiffany to name but a few.

Prada Group - owns Prada, Miu Miu, The Original Car Shoe and Church's Footwear.
Kellogg's - products from Kellogg's are easy to detect as their cereals are often branded with their identifiable red cursive logo. Frosties, Rice Krispies, Coco Pops, Eggo, Pop Tarts, Crunchy Nut, Special K, Fruit Loops, Corn Flakes and All Bran are among some of the Kellogg's family. They also own Pringles. 

JM Smucker - mostly available in the US and Canada, Smuckers own Dunkin' Donuts, Pillsbury, Jif, Crisco and many more. 

Nestlé - a company that has faced many controversies throughout the years. Brands include Pure Life, KitKat, Shredded Wheat, Nescafe, Fruit Pastilles, Carnation, Nesquik, Aero, Herta, Maggi, Purina, Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Munch Bunch, Nespresso, Zephyrhillis, Ovaltine, Ski, Drumstick, Häagen-Dazs - these are just the tip of the Nestle iceberg. 

Coco-Cola - all the usual beverages inclduing all the variances of Coke available. Also Fanta, Lilt, Sprite, Fresca, Dr Pepper, Mr Pibb, Mello Yello, Powerade, Schweppes, Evian, Monster, Minute Maid plus so much more. 

PepsiCo - brands include Pepsi and its variances, Quaker Oats, Walkers, Doritos, Frito Lay, 7Up, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Sunbites, Copella, Snack-A-Jack's, Naked Juice, Nobby's Nuts, Cheetos, Fritos and more.

Mars - responsible for addicting me to Malteasers. Plus M & Ms, Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Galaxy, Dove, Celebrations, Bounty, 3 Musketeers. As well as chocolate Mars makes Pedigree, Whiskas, Wrigley's, Big Red, Dolmio, Uncle Ben's, Suzi Wan and many more!

Cadbury - pretty self-explanatory but they do make Dairy Milk, Marvellous Creations, Caramel, Wispa, Boost, Flake, Double Decker and so much more. If I continue this list I will end up salivating like my dog Bailey when I wave slices of salalmi and bacon in front of his nose. 

Largo Foods - as well as making Tayto Ireland's favorite crisp brand, Largo also makes Hunky Dory's, Perri and King.

Disney - apart from the obvious films, channels and theme parks, Disney also either own or have equity interests in The Disney Television Network, Touchstone, ABC Network, ESPN, The Walt Disney Studios, Marvel and Pixar, amongst a vast amount of others plus an additional 30 radio stations.

GoogleInc -  a transnational company which specialises internet services and products. Google boasts search engines such as Google Image Search, Google Scholar, Google Patent Search Shopping, as well as books, financial merchandise, blog spaces, Gmail, Google+ (social networking), Orkut, YouTube, and Picasa. 

Rupert Murdoch News Corp - owns Twentieth Century Fox, HarperCollins, BSkyB. Rupert Murdoch also owns many British newspaper companies including The Sun, the News of the World and The Times. Murdoch also owns FX, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild,Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. 

British BroadcastingCorporation (BBC) - owns numerous television channels, radio stations, online websites, with BBC News being the largest broadcaster in the world.  

Comcast - owns NBCUniversal, NBC, Telemundo, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, The Weather Channel, MSNBC, Syfy, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Esquire Network, E!, Cloo, Chiller, Universal HD and Comcast SportsNet. 
Time Warner Inc. -  owns CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, HLN, NBA TV, TBS, TNT, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Warner Bros. Pictures, Castle Rock, DC Comics,and New Line Cinema.
Viacom - owns MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment and Atom Entertainment. 
CBS Corporation - owns CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network, Showtime, TVGN CBS Radio, Inc, CBS Television Studios and book publisher Simon & Schuster.

Discovery Communications - owns Discovery Channel, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, Destination America  and distribution rights to BBC America and BBC World News.

Does it strike you as curious that just a handful of superbrands own absolutely EVERYTHING? How can we have control of our senses if our choices are limited to conglomerate consumerism?

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

This is the third installment of my make-up manufacturing and superbrands secrets series. In this post, I will tell you who owns what - which conglomerates have control over the smaller brands. Keep in mind that this market is always changing so who owns what today, may not own it tomorrow. 

L'Oréal

Founded in 1909 by advertising mogul Eugène Schueller, French personal care and research company L'Oréal is a popular international superbrand. L'Oréal's diverse portfolio is abundant with world-wide brands that covers all the lines of cosmetics including make-up, skincare and haircare. Their brands cater to men and women of all ages and races. They even have professional labels for those working in the beauty industry. L'Oréal also indulges people with longer purse strings with their luxury range of L'Oréal Luxe. Their brands include L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme, IT Cosmetics, Giorgio Armani beauty, Yves Saint Laurent, Biotherm, Essie, Ralph Lauren fragrances, Keihl's, Shu Uemura, Cacharel, Viktor & Rolf, Helena Rubenstien, Urban Decay, Clarisonic, Diesel, Guy Laroche, Garnier, Softsheen Carson, Maybelline, Paloma Picasso, Redkin, Biotherm, The Body Shop, EM Michelle Phan, Kérastase, Stella McCartney, Vichy, Dermablend, Decléor, La Roche Posay, Ombrelle, Maison Martin Margiela, Innéov, Skinceuticals, Roger & Gallet, Sanoflore, Magic, Créateurs de Beauté,  Carita, Sanoflore, PureOlogy Research, Yue Sai, Drakkar noir, L'Oréal Technique, IT Cosmetics, L'Oréal Professionnel, ARTec, Innate, Kéraskin Esthetics, Matrix Essentials, Mizani, Elvive.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Coty, Inc

In 1904, François Coty founded Coty, a global beauty company which covers make-up fragrances and skincare and is manufactured in many facilities all over the world. Did anyone else associate Coty with products that would make your eyes fall out? I did. They have come a long way since their bargain basement products - they are all slightly less cheap now and less likely for consumers to be hesitant about their cosmetics. Their brands include Bourjois, Rimmel, Calvin Klein perfumes, Natica, Chloé, Lady Gaga, CK One Color, Bottega Veneta, Chopard, David & Victoria Beckham, Tjoy, Marc Jacobs, Davidoff, Astor, Manhattan, Guess, Joop!, Tonino Lamborghini, Nicole By OPI, Adidas, Balenciaga, Playboy, Beyoncé, Miss Sporty, NYC New York Color, OPI, Vespa, Celine Dion, Stetson, Jovan, Roberto Cavalli, Katy Perry, Cerruti, Vivienne Westwood, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Moss, Nikos, Pierre Cardin, Halle Berry, Lancaster, Madonna, Philosophy, Vera Wang, Tim McGraw, Sally Hansen. As of late 2014, Coty acquired Bourjois. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Avon Products, Inc

Avon is an American international manufacturer and corporation specializing in the candid selling techniques of beauty and personal care products. Beginning in 1886 as a two man door-to-door company, Avon was initially established as the California Perfume Company. Avon's brands are easier to navigate than others as they are contained within their monthly brochures. As well as celebrity endorsements within Avon, brands include Mark, Anew Beauty, Smooth Minerals, Extra Lasting, Nailwear Pro, Anew Men, Anew, Avon Elements, Solutions, Cearskin, Planet Spa, Foot Works, Advance Techniques, Avon Care, Skin So Soft, Moisture Therapy, Naturals, Color Trends, Supershock.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Kryolan

Kryolan launched in Berlin theatres in 1945. It has since expanded to an international market and is well known for their special effects and high defintion make-up for film and television.  Kryolan own and manufacture all of their own cosmetics. They also have a silent interest in Illamasqua, the brand synonomous for illusion and masquerade. Illamasqua is owned by marketing agent Julian Kynaston but his products are largely manufactured by Kryolan. It was difficult to find out if Kryolan has shares in Illamasqua or if they have interests in other brands so this is all that is available now. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Wertheimer Brothers

In the 1870s, Pierre Wertheimer bought shares the French cosmetics company Bourjois, the inventor of the first dry blush. By 1917, Pierre and his brother Paul owned Bourjois entirely, emphasizing the strong ideology of a family business. In 1924, Coco Chanel approached the brothers to help extend the sales of her perfumes. By the end of WW2, the Wertheimer brothers had full control of Chanel perfumes. Today Chanel is owned by Alain and Gérard, the grandsons of Pierre (Bourjois was sold to Coty in shares in late 2014). They also inherited a thoroughbred race horsing operation from their father Jacques. Together they have interests in Bell & Ross and also own Eres Lingerie, Tanner Krolle, Holland & Holland and a number of French vineyards. They also own a number of fine French ateliers specializing in crafts such as millinery, embroidery and feather & flower making. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Shiseido

Shiseido is a major Japanese cosmetics group founded in 1872. It's subsidiaries include Aupres, Ayura, Bare Escentuals, Beauté Prestige International, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez, Elie Saab, Azzedine Alaïa, Clé de Peau, d-program, Aqualabel, Za, IPSA, ISO Hair, Joico, NARS Cosmetics, Qiora, Revital, Senscience, Serge Lutens, UNO, UV White, Zotos International.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

FB Beauty & Tam Beauty

FB Beauty formerly owned by the Wormser Group is currently owned by Adam Minto, a business man who also owns Make-Up Revolution and Freedom Make-Up. Make-Up Revolution does not seem to be part of FB Beauty as when placing orders through their website, their PayPal merchant is Tam Beauty (Medichem, a British manufacturer of cosmetics and hospital grade chemicals, was the previous merchant for Make-Up Revolution and Freedom Make-Up). FB Beauty own fragrances including Glee, Love Hearts and The Only Way Is Essex. Beauty brands from FB include Famous By Sue Moxley, Fashionsista, Make-Up Academy, Vivo and Accessorize, the beauty subsidiary of Monsoon, as well as some celebrity perfumes. Tam Beauty is the collection of brands such as Make-Up Revolution, Freedom Make-Up, I Heart Make-Up, Face B4, Colourless Hair Colour Remover, DGJ Organics and Colour On. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Revlon Consumer Products Corp

Established in 1932 by Joseph and Charles Revlon and Charles Lachman, Revlon is an American cosmetics and fragrances company. Revlon now has franchises in Almay, Charles of the Ritz, Charlie, Electric Youth, Esquire Shoe Polish, Food Fair, Institut Jeanne Gatineau, Mitchum, Natural Wonder, Ultima II.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder is perhaps the one conglomerate which concentrates solely on make-up and beauty products. Founded in 1945 by American married couple Estée and Joesph Lauder, this company has now expanded into many brands including Too Faced, AERIN Beauty, Aramis, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, Coach, Darphin, Donna Karan, Estée Lauder, Flirt!, Good Skin, Jo Malone London, Kiton, LAB Series, La Mer, Le Labo, M·A·C, Marni, Michael Kors, Ojon, Origins, Osiao, Prescriptives, RODIN, Smashbox Cosmetics, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford Beauty, Tory Burch, Ermenegildo Zegna.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Groupe Artémis/Kering/LMVH

Salma Hayeck's husband François-Henri Pinault is the son of the man behind Groupe Artémis which owns French grocery and media brands. François has major shares in Kering, previously known as PPR who are responsible for fashion and lifestyle brands such as Puma, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, and much more. Kering, in turn are the largest shareholder of LVHM (Moët-Hennessy Louis Vuitton). LMVH is the largest luxury goods conglomerate in the world and are behind the likes of own Christian Dior perfumes, Benefit Cosmetics, Acqua di Parma, Guerlain, Make Up For Ever, Kenzo, Fendi, Nude. and more. As a group, they own Sephora, Le Bon Marché and many wine, champagne, and liquor companies. 

Behind The Super Beauty Brand: Who Owns What?

Kao Corporation

Kao Corporation is a Japanese chemical and cosmetics company established in 1887. Their brands include Nivea, Molton Brown, John Frieda, Kanebo Cosmetics and Jergens. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Kendo
Kendo is a brand which incubates and acquires many luxury cosmetics brands including Marc Jacobs Beauty, Ole Henricksen, Formula X by Sephora, Bite Beuaty, Kat Von D and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. It is also worth noting that the same labs used to create brands exclusive to Sephora, namely Kat Von D, is the same lab used by indie and independent brand Jeffree Star. Kendo is a division of the LVMH talent network. 

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

Puig
Puig  is a third generation family owned beauty and fashion corporation founded by Anthony Puig in 1914. They own several beauty brands including Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, and Paco Rabanne. They also conrol some Jean Paul Gaultier licenses such as Prada, Valentino and Comme des Garçons, and an array of celebrity fragrances including Antonio Bandera and Shakira.

Behind The Beauty Super Brand: Who Owns What?

What about the supermarket and drugstore owned brands? They are more than likely manufactured the same group of corporations. What are your thoughts on the beauty brands owning the smaller ones? 

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomerates

This is a follow up to my post on make-up manufacturing. For those who may not know, large multinationals tend to incorporate a vast amount of brands. This goes for beauty, household, food and media. If you simply want to know who owns what, just click here. Do you ever wonder why luxury and drugstore cosmetics look, feel, smell and perform the same way as each other? Chances are, not only are they owned primarily by the one main corporation, but they may also be made in the same factory and re-packaged as a totally different brand. Why do you think there are so many cheaper dupes for what is fundamentally the product? Why are there are no real answers on this topic on the internet?

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomertates

Earlier this year I tried to find some answers and emailed many beauty brands both large and small. I posed the questions to Real Techniques, Beauties Factory, Urban Decay, Estée Lauder, Inglot, Coastal Scents, Make-Up Academy, No7, MAC, Chanel, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. I did contact many more companies than these; however they were the ones who replied to me - either with answers to some questions or just to confirm they received my email. My questions were:

• Where are your brushes/cosmetics manufactured? 
• Which country are they made in?
• Are your brushes/cosmetics made in a factory that caters to other beauty brands?
• Do you make brushes/cosmetics for other companies?
• Also can you tell me if you are an independent company or are you owned by/shared with another company? 

MAC stated,

“MAC Cosmetics is one of The Estée Lauder Company brands, which is why you may find similarities with the products to other brands.”

Fair enough answer. I already knew that and had contacted Estée Lauder at the same time I contacted MAC. Two steps ahead of you MAC. Estée Lauder replied with,

“The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. does business in over 150 countries and territories around the world. As a global organisation, our products are produced in various facilities worldwide. You can be assured that, regardless of the place of manufacture, all of our facilities follow stringent manufacturing practices and adhere to our high quality control procedures.The Estee Lauder Group of Companies brands include Estee Lauder, Tom Ford Beauty, Clinique, Creme De La Mer, Bobbi Brown, M.A.C., Jo Malone London, Origins, Aveda, Darphin, Aramis Designer Fragrances, Ojon, bumble & bumble and Smashbox”

Thanks Estée Lauder but that is public information. I want to know what is not typically disclosed. I want answers to my questions! I feel like a female version of Alex Riley when he presented Secrets of the Superbrands for BBC3 in 2011. It was his episode on fashion which piqued my curiosity on brand exploitation and product manufacturing. The scenes which showed Chanel sunglasses being made in a huge factory based in Italy owned by super brand Luxottica were of particular interest to me as they themselves own Sunglass Hut, Persol, RayBan. In addition to manufacturing glasses for Chanel, they also make for DKNY, Armani, Burberry, Vogue and Tiffany! Not only do they blatantly manufacture for all these luxury and mid-range brands plus many more, they also design the sunglasses for undisclosed brands.

For me, this is a testimony that consumers are being browbeaten into thinking they are buying an item which depicts opulence and lavishness, when in fact consumers are paying an excessive amount of money on products that are designed and manufactured by a similar group of corporations. Is this not a form of oppression? I believe it is.

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomertates

Anyway... enough  of my social care standpoint and back to the beauty brands. Where was I? Ah, yes, I was discussing Estee Lauder’s evasion of my questions. Similarly to them, Unilever could not address me exclusively, stating,

“Unfortunately, due to the large number of requests we receive similar to your own, we are unable to provide you with the specific information you have requested. Our website at www.unilever.com has a wealth of information and PDFs - perhaps try using the search engine to find the information you need.”

But Unilever, this information is not available on any website I have looked at. Procter & Gamble gave me a very lengthy response which did not answer my factory specific questions, 

“P&G is a global company with manufacturing and research facilities throughout the world. Although I'm not able to give you the origin of a specific ingredient in a product - we manufacture over 300 products and versions - P&G's safety and quality standards are global standards that apply to all products manufactured by or for P&G around the world.  All of our products and ingredients, no matter where they are from, have undergone safety testing before they go to market. Once in the market, we continually monitor their safety. P&G fully complies with all legal requirements and regulations in each specific country or region. Please be assured, the safety and well-being of the people who use our products is always our highest priority. P&G has one of the most trusted portfolios of brands in the world including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Gillette, Max Factor and Olay. We are solely focused on harnessing the power of innovation to create brands and services that truly improve the lives of the world's consumers. The manufacture of private label products is not part of our business model. The only P&G make-up brand available in the UK and Ireland is Max Factor.We make a wide variety of products, including some of the world's most well-known brands. To see a listing, please visit the "Worldwide Sites" section of our website at:  www.pg.com/en_US/index.shtml Any further information would be proprietary, but I hope this helps.”

Proprietary? You may as well have said, ‘mind your business.’ No thank you Procter & Gamble. I want to know exactly where my stuff is made, who it is made with and who else gets a slice of pie.

Make-Up Academy, also known as MUA, were of a similar response, albeit much shorter than Proctor & Gamble,

“We are very happy you love our products so much! Other brands owned by FB Beauty are Look Beauty, Vivo Cosmetics and Famous! We design our products in London and they are manufactured in the PRC! We cannot say who else uses the factories we do I'm afraid!”

Thanks MUA, at least you guys were candid in you simplistic language unlike P&G. Why all the secrecy? Well, Real Techniques alluded to an answer for me,

“I’m unable to answer all of your questions due to our privacy policy but I can say that our brushes are made in China.  Thanks!”

It seems the answer falls into the category of ‘superfluous for public knowledge.’ As in this information is wrapped up in policies which may or may not be filtered down from law. But private policies does not always equate to statute so why shouldn’t we know where our cosmetics comes from and what other brands/factories they are shared with? I could rattle the cage more and press for information under the doctrines of freedom of expression and an open internet but I imagine that won’t go down well with all of the above companies. I would likely receive responses containing phrases such as, ‘not necessary for public interest,’ and ‘unlikely to affect common wellbeing.’ 

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomertates

I imagine these answers because something tells me that the larger of the multinationals - and I mean the Big Kahunas of this multi-billion dollar industry, are closely linked to government. That’s right, just like the banks and media houses of this world which own your money and your news, also own the so-called private corporations that you buy your make-up and household items from. So the legislature owns, or at least part owns what you are consuming. That would explain why I was receiving answers about individual company policy. Speaking of policy, Beauties Factory also used this as their excuse for not disclosing such information,

“Thanks for your email but due to client confidentiality that is not the sort of information we would share.”

Beauties Factory did mention that re-branding is one for their services and kindly sent me a pricelist should I choose to place an order of make-up with my name and logo on it. At least there is a little bit more transparency with Beauties Factory. Urban Decay also went a step further and touched on the issue of public information,

“Thanks for reaching out to us. Unfortunately, that information is not public knowledge. All of our information regarding manufacturing is located on the products packaging. Is there something you were looking to avoid in our products? Why were you looking into this information? Maybe we can find another way to help you.”

So when that did not satisfy my curiosity, I explained my reasons for speculation on manufacturing and received this back,

“Our cosmetics are manufactured in many places throughout the world. If I find out the information on each product you would have to check on the packaging. Unfortunately, we can't give out specific locations. As for if our factories cater other beauty brands, that is not public knowledge and honestly, we are not privy to that information.”

Seems like a repeat of your original message Urban Decay. At the time of this message, Urban Decay had just been acquired by L’Oreal, an eminently large corporation, which would explain why this subject is such an enigma. Perhaps the big conglomerates are afraid we will boycott them if private speculation turned into public awareness. I know I would - and not because of the high price they suggest to their retailers, but because they cannot be upfront with loyal customers. For me, hiding such information on the manufacturing of their goods and who they share a factory with does seem unethical. Unethical in the sense that customers are paying £37/$52 for an Urban Decay Naked palette and £4/$6 for what is essentially the same palette from Make-Up Revolution. Does that not seem unconscionable to you? It does to me. That is outright mistreatment of the customers.

Let me put this into a different context for you. When researching fashion brands, Alex Riley interviews culture and fashion journalist, Dana Thomas and questions just how unattainable Louis Vuitton clothes and accessories really are. Dana’s response is provocative and certainly made me wonder about the illusion that fashion houses have created for the consumers,

“It’s seen as that (unattainable) through its marketing but it’s actually very accessible. In 1977 Louis Vuitton only had two stores and now it’s an enormous business. It’s a delicate balance of selling masses to the masses whilst still remaining exclusive to the rich.”

Dana then discusses The Pyramid Model,

“You have a pyramid. At the top you have the very beautifully made, exclusive, limited amount of product. They will make anything you want. From there you have the middle range which you can walk into the store and buy. It’s still very well made with beautiful fabrics. Then you have the bottom range where the money comes in where they just sell masses of stuff - could be perfumes, wallets, belts, scarves, umbrellas, key chains, sunglasses. That’s how they’ve managed to keep the Sultan of Brunei, Hollywood stars, Royalty as customers as well as selling to the Chinese secretary who wants to put the bag on her desk to show that she afford a Louis Vuitton bag.”

This is a very interesting analysis. Now think of Dana’s pyramid from a beauty industry perspective - The Make-Up Pyramid, if you like. Starting with the luxury brands at the top including Tom Ford, Chanel and Dior. Next there is the higher end of mid-range brands, for example, MAC, Urban Decay and Sephora. The third portion of the pyramid is the lower end of mid-range, or higher end drugstore/pharmacy brands such including Bourjois, Real Techniques and Revlon. At the bottom you have discount brands such as Make-Up Revolution, Make-Up Academy and W7. How many of those higher end brands have eyeshadow palettes, blushers, foundations and lipsticks which can be classed as dupes for the lower end ones? It is possible that discount products are made by the same hands that created the luxury brand, or at least have appeared on the same conveyor belt. What is obtainable for some is not for others and this all depends on your budget as well as your personal preference as a consumer. By having duplicate products at a lower price, this makes the once unobtainable Chanel blusher a much more accessible product if it has a Bourjois price-tag. Same goes for Urban Decay Naked 2 palette being rebranded as W7 In The Buff. By factories and brands rehashing the same product with different packaging, it will fly off the shelves, making the company a huge amount of money. This appeases the consumer with the smaller budget as they believe they have found a luxury item at a fraction of the cost. It also pacifies the consumer with the bigger budget as they have the original opulent item, perhaps attributing to their already existing ostentatious lifestyle. Whether you have a buying style that is grandiose or on sale, brands and factories alike appear to be misleading no matter where you buy from. The top of The Make-Up Pyramid is where you build the cult status of a product which reflects back to the customers. The rest of the pyramid is where this status image at the top milks the consumers for their money.

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomertates

Enough of my own theory and back to the brands as mentioned earlier. Rest assured that Inglot are 95% transparent,

“95% of INGLOT products are manufactured in the EU, mainly in our state of the art facilities in Przemyśl, Poland. We are an independent company and we do not manufacture for other brands.”

Coastal Scents were also very forthcoming,

“Thank you for your interest in our cosmetic line. Coastal Scents offers a wide range of products that are manufactured in the USA as well as other areas of the world. Our line of Mineral Makeup is manufactured within the USA along with many of our fragrance and essential oils. Our Gel Liners, Finished Makeup Palettes, Foundations, Liquid Liners, and Lip Smacks are manufactured in areas of Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. We offer our Made in Africa line, which includes products that are all-natural and come directly from Ghana, Africa. Coastal Scents partners with other countries to manufacture products to be able to offer our customers the lowest pricing possible. All products are made under FDA guidelines and none of our products are tested on animals.”

There is ambiguity in that word ‘partnering.’ Does that mean you use the same factory as other brands? Who knows? I can only hypothesize on the matter.

Chanel told me they would forward my message on to the relevant department. I received nothing. Boots contacted me of behalf of No7 who said they would get back to me in three days. That was 10 months ago.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you thing brands should disclose whether or not they share a factory with other brands? Do you think this is up to the brand or the factory to inform the consumer if a luxury £30 bronzer is the same £3 one from the drugstore, only with a little clever re-packaging? Do you think it is time the big beauty superbrands let the secret out? I do! 

Secrets of the Beauty Superbrands: Cosmetic Conglomertates

*Disclaimer:

I am not brand bashing, nor am I trying to create dolmens for the beauty industry. I just simply wanted answers to my questions. I love make-up and cosmetics in all forms and I welcome all brands into my make-up collection. I have had these queries for a few years now and I thought I would share them in the hopes I could get start a conversation with like-minded people and also the beauty industry itself.