Cosmetic Science Innovation Inspiration - 3

When trying to come up with different ideas for new cosmetic products, you need to consider the "pain points" that people experience when purchasing your product.

Every product has some kind of issue that consumers would rather not have to face. For example, suppose a consumer needs gas for their car. Some of the possible pain points include...

1. Price

2. Inconvienent travel to the gas station

3. Odor

4. Pumping gas in bad weather

5. Getting hands dirty

New product ideas can be found when you consider the problems associated with your product and then think about ways to solves those problems.  Note that not every problem will be applicable to all your consumers.  However, as long as some of your consumers are affected by the problem, you can include it.

Scenario 3

Make a list of 10 "pain points" related to buying or using your cosmetic product. Then come up with 10 ways you could change your product to solve that problem.

Example

Product type:  Shampoo

Pain points

1. Have to get hair wet
2. Makes hands feel dried out
3. Causes split ends
4. Bottles clash with bathroom decor
5. Unsure about how much to use
6. Allergic to harsh chemicals
7. Mold/mildew grow around the bottles
8. Too many different products to wash hair and body
9. Too hard to rinse out
10. Leaves hair feeling dry

Ideas to address pain points

1. Create a dry shampoo
2. Add skin/body moisturizing ingredients to shampoo
3. Add ingredient that repairs split ends
4. Get a professional designer to create chic bottles
5. Create a metered-dose dispenser
6. Reformulate using the least harsh chemicals possible
7. Put anti-microbe ingredients in plastic
8. Make a hair + body cleanser
9. Create formula that rinses faster than any other
10. Make an improved 2-in-1 shampoo

That was just a quick run through of the exercise.  Now it's your turn.

For previous exercises see the cosmetic innovation page.