$75 for 1.7 oz

Written by Todra Payne

This week I was in Macy’s searching for a shirt to wear for an upcoming media taping. Like in the old days (pre-healthy beauty), I cut through the cosmetics section on my way to the clothing department.

Of course, cosmetics was filled with the requisite pretty women with perfectly coiffed hair and lovely smiles. “Estee Lauder has a gift with purchase today,” one called out as I walked by.

The counters were well lit to showcase the beautifully shaped glass bottles, and the bright palettes of eye and lip colors. And just the right amount of fragrance lingered in the air.

In the past, these trappings would have called me by name. I would have left the store an hour later with new clothes and a bag full of makeup.

But now I understand that ambiance and pretty sales associates don’t equal good products. I’ve taken time to educate myself on non-toxic ingredients, basic formulation techniques (very basic, like mixing body scrubs in my blender) and why the $55 and up face creams usually aren’t worth the money.

Right on the heels of my Macy’s visit, I came across this great Facebook post from Valerie Tukey, a very busy and well celebrated esthetician in Nashua, NH. Take a minute and read her assessment of the ingredients in Lancome’s $95 Renergie Anti-aging Creme (sorry, can’t figure out all the little French marks on my keyboard). Corn, petrolatum (Vaseline) and preservatives, along with things to add slip and protect from mold are the bulk of the ingredients. According to her list, there’s nothing particularly innovative or even expensive in this cream. Why in the world are women paying $95 for it? It must be all that ambiance.

The niche beauty brands that we discover and feature on this site are made by formulators who are passionate about adding good quality ingredients with minimal synthetic additives and preservatives. They eschew easier, inexpensive ingredients, often taking a cut on the profit, in order to make a product that performs without harming. Organic, farm fresh ingredients, top quality essential oils and peptides that really provide anti-aging benefits can be quite expensive.

But many of those selling in the natural beauty market say potential customers often balk at their prices, insist on discounts and expect lots of freebies with each order. Why is that? Because these brands aren’t seen as big players in the cosmetics industry? Because they don’t have a counter in Macy’s? We checked in with a few brand owners  and a natural store owner to get their perspective. Is it just us, or do people expect to pay less for a good quality natural brand?

“I find it interesting that people will spend quite a bit of money on beauty products made with chemicals and cheap fillers from a department store, Sephora, Ulta or even their local Mary Kay rep”, says Joy Wicks, owner of Natural Joy Beauty, a healthy/natural beauty site (and retail store in Sandy, Utah). “But then they complain about the prices on the products I sell made with all natural and organic ingredients.”

Okay, so Joy’s experiences line up with what I’ve heard and seen. I often get emails from readers asking  for recommendations on products/brands. And I always try to offer suggestions in various price ranges. But some quality brands I know and recommend could be classified as expensive, depending on your budget and lifestyle. Whenever we recommend Miessence skin care products, which are certified organic and really amazing, we’re usually met with, “That’s so expensive.” This set, which I am currently using, costs $156.00 plus shipping. But there are FIVE products. This is a complete facial kit (except for cleanser) made of high quality, certified organic ingredients.

I’ve heard Miessence referred to as “health food for your face.” At a department store counter, a set like this would run $300 or more, depending on the brand. And I can’t prove it, but I suspect some of the women who say this brand is outrageously expensive would not think twice about slapping down $95 for one jar of  face cream filled with corn oil and parabens. So, it’s not lifestyle and budget. In this case, it’s obviously perception.

When I spoke with Julie Lutz, owner of a natural skin care and body care line called Raw Element, she had this to say: “I often get reactions from people on the price of my products (which tend to be the people who don’t fully appreciate organic or natural ingredient benefits in the first place). They feel that $35 for a jar of face cream for dry skin that’s double the size and a 1/3 of the cost of face cream from the department store is way too expensive (alluding to the fact that how dare I charge that when my name is not Estee Lauder??).

$34.99 for one 4 oz bottle

“However, what they don’t know is what’s in those department store creams, or not in them I should say. If they knew their ingredients, they would realize that often there are no valuable ingredients and often harmful ingredients and the price they pay is to cover all the glitz and glam of a department store brand. I don’t do glitz and glam, I do good product.”

I think Julie hit on an important point. If the potential customer is purposely seeking out healthier, more natural products, they may have a better understanding of costs and ingredients. If they’re simply looking for a bargain on a face cream without really having a lifestyle of healthy living, they aren’t going to appreciate what’s being offered in a natural product.

Sharon Gnatt Eppel, owner of La-Isha was the only brand owner we spoke with who said she’s not had customers balk at her pricing, which is interesting because she prices her natural beauty products competitively with department store brands. This face cream (also pictured above) in a 1.7 oz jar sells for $75. And Sharon doesn’t apologize for that.

“High quality natural and organic ingredients cost more to grow and bring to market than cheap synthetic chemicals that are manufactured in a lab,” Sharon says. “We get fabulous results that speak for themselves because our ingredients are top notch, imported from all over the world, and everything is made to order to guarantee the type of results you can only get from using fresh ingredients of the highest quality. This means that our skin care is not produced in massive quantities or stored in giant 50 gallon drums that have enough synthetic preservatives in them to give them a shelf life of 50 years. Our product sizes were designed to make sure that customers will finish their product long before its’ potency is diminished.”

Sharon believes a lot of women have had experiences with natural brands that haven’t lived up to their claims. If there’s no visible results, she says, having natural ingredients aren’t enough. So women have become skeptical of natural brands and how effective they are.

Sharon’s assessment may be accurate. There are a lot of “natural” brands out there that either aren’t really natural; or they are simply a cocktail of herbs and essential oils without any knowledge behind them. Will these ingredients honestly nourish the skin and fight signs of aging? Or is the brand simply hopping on the current trend? But then again, if a mainstream brand has nothing beneficial in it and there are no visible differences after using it, why do women still buy those products?

“I think a lot of it boils down to branding and marketing,”Joy Wicks says. “The smaller companies who make the natural and organic products aren’t as well known, typically don’t have the fancy packaging and aren’t associated with ”status” the way some expensive conventional makeup brands are.”

We agree wholeheartedly with Joy.

Why do you buy the brands you buy? And can you honestly say you see a difference in the condition of your skin after using them?