The Queen review of the year

As the year comes to an end (not an original start or premise, I realise), we thought we would have a little muse on what's happened here at Queen Cosmetics during 2008.

This time last year we launched our online shop www.queen-cosmetics.com. Given Queen is 81 and as far from cutting edge as it's possible to get (we revel in this by the way - it's abacuses and quill pens all the way here) we did recognise that this was a move we needed to make. We still get ridiculously excited when emails ping up alerting us to the face that a customer has placed an order online but there have been teething problems and strange things do seem to keep happening. Yesterday, the aforementioned email alerts didn't ping up, meaning that some customers' orders were missed, much to our chagrin. One customer declared that she was 'desperate for some Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream' for herself (she was also buying extra to give as presents) and could we get it to her ASAP.

We look forward to improving the site over the coming year and to reaching more people who may benefit from the Queen range.

As if this giant step into the 21st Century wasn't enough, we also launched our first new product in very many years following increasing demand for an anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin. Sensiderma Renew & Refine, which contains a peptide which works to reduce the appearance of expression lines and wrinkles, is such a lovely cream and, so far, it is proving very popular and getting rave reviews. Actually, it is the bestseller online, followed by Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream and Queen stalwarts Moisturiser and Medicated Cleansing Cream (the best cleanser and moisturiser for any skin, not just sensitive skin, in our view!).

Prospects for the year ahead include increasing the range of Queen products available at our London stockist John Bell & Croyden and to finalising our small range of organic products. We recognise that the year ahead could be difficult but we will continue to give an excellent service (online blips aside) and can persuade our customers to stay with us by continuing to offer what we believe are top quality skin care and make-up products at a good price.

Well, as I wait for the latest batch of Queen Skin Cream (I cannot live without this at the moment - hourly applications are staving off dry lips a treat) to cool down, I would like to thank all our customers for their continued support and wish you all a festive New Year's Eve and a happy and healthy 2009 on behalf of Queen.

We hope to see you soon.

The Team at Queen

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Singing Queen's praises (again!)

Gosh, it's been rather busy here at Queen, so much so that we haven't had time for much other than manufacturing and dispatching orders. Not that we are complaining, you understand.

Our second batch of Sensiderma Renew & Refine, our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin, has hit the shelves and customers are already re-ordering. Writes one by email:

"I am LOVING it particularly the fact that it makes my skin feel all soft and, dare I say it, plump."

And the praise has not been reserved for Renew & Refine alone. Oh no. One new customer called last week to place an order and told us that Sensiderma Rich Cleanser left her skin feeling: "all velvety, like baby skin, I can't think of any other way of describing it." Another said of Queen Skin Cream (that old stalwart!): "It is just gorgeous, what amazing stuff." She was also after some more Sensiderma Rich Cleanser and said she would be "working her way slowly through the Queen range after discovering it at John Bell & Croyden on a recent trip to London".

Sales have also been perky at John Bell & Croyden (lovely pharmacy on Wigmore Street in London). Medicated Cleansing Lotion and our Moisturiser have been the big favourites although they are almost out of Theatrical Cleansing Cream too. So are we for that matter so that's a priority over the Christmas break.

Sorry if we sound like we're bragging but if we don't tell the world, noone else will! May as well continue with the own trumpet blowing to say that one new customer has defected to Queen from the Ella Bache range. I was only writing the other day about how we may benefit from customers moving away from super-expensive ranges to products which are good value but just as good, if not better, in terms of their effectiveness (i.e. Queen!). Mind you, we are not complacent in thinking that customers won't look for cheaper alternatives to Queen. This is clearly a possibility, although of course there is no alternative in our minds, which is why we are determined to hold prices for as long as possible despite the cost of everything else increasing. We haven't actually increased our prices for two years.

Well, we just wanted to touch base to show that we are still very much alive and kicking. If we don't get a chance to post before the festive season starts, have a great one and see you in 2009.

The Team at Queen

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It's official: Queen Cosmetics products rival luxury cosmetic brands!

Well, it's been a busy few weeks what with visits to sunny (no, it wasn't) Telford for an ingredients' suppliers exhibition and orders for Queen Sensiderma Renew & Refine, our super-duper new anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin (in case you didn't know!).

The exhibition was thankfully worthwhile as it was a fair old trek from Sussex and traipsing around exhibition halls is hell on the feet. We met a great supplier of organic and non-organic oils and hope to start experimenting with some of their organic fruit and seed blends soon to get our organic range up and running.

We met the manufacturer of the peptide for our anti-wrinkle cream there and had a good chat with him. His company is small but very hi-tech with a fantastic research arm and they are beginning to get some of their wonderful products out into the market, including sale of one of their peptides to a one of the premium brands. This company is marketing the cream which contains the peptide at 200 euros and the only active ingredient in the cream is the peptide. Our cream is a mere fraction of this at £35.25 (and it's currently on offer at £30.00!) so let's hope that, in this horrid economic climate we are all facing, people realise they can get a similar cream from Queen Cosmetics and save themselves a fortune. They won't go back to their old brand if they do!

In fact, we have just had a new customer on the telephone say as much:

 "I am used to spending a lot of money on cosmetics," she said, "but I have found your Moisturiser rivals anything I have previously used and I can't believe what good value it is. I want to try the rest of the Queen range now!" 

In fact, we have had quite a few new customers over the last couple of weeks which is great news, even if it's taken some of them a whole eight months to place an order after first having free samples! Either our samples are just too big or it is true what marketing experts say about people needing six or seven exposures (i.e. a letter, seeing advertising or an article, visiting a website, hearing about it from a friend etc etc) to something before taking the plunge of buying.

There's not really much to report his week. We are nearly completely out of Theatrical Cleansing Cream, our preservative-free cleanser for removing even stubborn (e.g theatre) make-up, and so that's on the manufacturing agenda for tomorrow. In fact, stocks of most products are looking quite low so we will hopefully have time over the quiet Christmas period to get the stirrers whirring.

See you soon

The Queen Team

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A little look at these nano particles in cosmetics

I've been reading lots of press coverage this week about the potential danger posed by nano particles in cosmetics. The renewed interest (the issue was first raised by the Royal Society back in 2004 and then again in 2006) has been sparked by a report issued last week by consumer watchdog Which?

The Which? report, entitled Small Wonder: Nanotechnology in Cosmetics said that 'nano materials are being used in a wide range of cosmetic products despite unresolved issues surrounding their safety' and raised concerns about the fact that most nano materials 'do not have to undergo an independent safety assessement'.

While the watchdog was clear that it wasn't saying the use of nanotechonology in cosmetics was a bad thing, it was concerned about safety testing and that so few companies came forward when asked for information about the nanotechnology used in their products.

As you know, Queen does not operate at the glamorous end of hi-tech cosmetics (although we have finally dipped our toe into the anti-wrinkle cream market - more of that later), preferring to continue to plow our lonely furrow of highly effective yet simple, high-quality, unperfumed products exclusively for sensitive skin. As such, nano-particles are not something we have looked at. Yet, the fact that so many companies are using them - some Which? says without even declaring that they are doing so - just underlines yet again how the industry is marketing driven, with companies desperate to be able to offer consumers the non-invasive (painful and costly) equivalents of Botox injections and other surgical procedure.

So, what exactly is nanotechnology and where is it used in the cosmetic industry? According to Which?, it's 'a revolutionary new way of manipulating materials on a tiny scale, giving them new properties and potentially beneficial capabilities'. There are nano emulsions which are used to preserve active ingredients such as vitamins and anti-oxidants and which enable creams such as sunscreen to be very light and transparent and also carbon fullerenes which are used in anti-ageing products.

We're not taking the moral high ground here (look how we've bowed to demand for an anti-wrinkle product!) but if, as I'm sure is the case, these nano-particles are so great and perfectly safe, the big cosmetic players should surely be prepared to be more open or the industry risks shooting itself in the foot. So far, there has been a government voluntary reporting scheme on the use and development of nano particles (to guide the development of regulations). This has had limited success so more stringent regulations are bound to be brought in, perhaps without input from the industry. Regulation is, of course, a good thing but wouldn't it be great if it was the cosmetic companies proactively saying ''we welcome regulation, this is what we're doing and here's all the safety assessments etc', thus building confidence in an industry which feels as if it is always being knocked by ingredient scare story after ingredient scare story. Not only does trust in the industry suffer but consumers may end up not benefiting from ingredients such as nano-particles which could be the best thing to happen to cosmetics.

If there was more trust in the industry or the industry was prepared to be more forthcoming and open, perhaps the whole parabens scare wouldn't have been so dramatic and had such far reaching consequences. In an article in November's SCP about preservatives, the article's author Chris Nichols writes:  'The story behind the parabens problem is not a new one...popular ingredient gets attacked by poorly thought out/poorly researched/poorly written science..story gets picked up by press/internet...industry bows to remove ingredient......What is different in the case of parabens is it is the first time that this level of damage has been sustained by such a widely used ingredient and one universally regarded as 'safe'.'

He goes on to say that as one permitted (on the EU Cosmetic Directive list Annex VI) preservative is knocked down so the next one in line is exposed and there are not an infinite number of them.

At the end of his article, called 'The Preservative Paradigm', Chris Nichols says: 'We use preservatives to comply with the cosmetic directive that "cosmetic products should not be harmful under normal or foreseeable conditions of use". It is getting harder to find preservatives that are acceptable to much of our target market. If we continue to lurch from crisis to crisis, we will eventually run out of options'.

Anyway, enough of all this serious stuff. We are pleased to say great feedback for our Sensiderma Renew & Refine (our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin) is flooding in. 'Ooh, yes I can already see a difference,' says one customer upgrading to full-size bottle after trying her sample. 'It's lovely, light, feels really nice on my skin and I need some more.' Keep using it, we say!

Have a good weekend.

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Mother knows best when it comes to sensitive skin

A young woman came down to our HQ this morning. She said 'my mum usually comes but she's broken her wrist'. 'What would she like', I asked. 'Oh, it's not for her actually, it's for me. I need an Eye Make-up Remover. I've been using it for years. I've got really sensitive eyes and can't use anything else without them becoming sore and itchy.'

I love this. She is only 26 and is already a devoted Queen customer. Mark my words she will be complimented on her amazingly youthful skin in thirty years or so! She was introduced to the products by her mum like so many of our customers. We've had quite a few mother/daughter orders this week. One  such order came in on Wednesday. This particular daughter places an order once or twice a year for them both and they stock up on everything they are likely to need (and they also like to try any new products so Sensiderma Renew & Refine was obviously a must!).

It's interesting the different ways in which customers behave. One particular client orders a 50g jar of one of our moisturisers every two weeks. We have suggested that it would be cheaper to have a 100g jar every month but she prefers it her way. Others will place a bulk order every 6-9 months

One of the questions we ask on our online survey (see our homepage at www.queen-cosmetics.com to take part) is 'how long does a jar of cream or a bottle of cleanser last you?'. Almost 60% of respondees say a month or two but this doesn't seem to correlate to how most of our clients actually do order which is certainly less frequently. Do they go without for a few months/weeks or does time just fly so fast that they don't realise more than a month or two has gone by? I suspect it could be the latter.

Some more nice feedback this week. A new customer writes: 'I have been using your products since August and I am very pleased with the results. I have very sensitive skin but I have had no bad reactions to your products,  just nice smooth skin.'

She adds: 'I recently bought a trial size of the anti wrinkle cream, Sensiderma Renew & Refine, which I also like very much and would be interested in trying your organic cream too.'

Excuse all this self-congratulatory stuff but if we don't tell people how fabulous our customers think Queen products are, who will?!

Elsewhere, Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream, currently on special off at just £6.00 (buy some, buy some at www.queen-cosmetics.com) is the order of the week. Fair flying off the shelves it is. Having suffered some criticism of our 'tottles' (sort of tube/bottles and not the prettiest receptacles, we do realise), this week they have been getting some positive reviews. Phew! We always find it hard to find packaging we can buy in small minimum quantities so I will perhaps hold off a bit before researching some replacements.

Right, time to get the orders ready for the postman.

Have a good weekend.

The Team at QC

Finding value cosmetics which actually work

There's been quite a flurry of activity here today which is nice given the doom and gloom about the economy. Whether the cosmetics' market proves to be recession-proof remains to be seen, however, and we cannot be smug or complacent. Traditionally, people (or women!) have continued to buy their favourite skincare and make-up products in an economic downturn but the industry is in uncharted territory at the moment.

SPC, our industry mag, explains it well in this month's editorial:

"The idea is that if people can't afford a car or a designer dress, they can at least treat themselves to the designer's fragrance or a nice lipstick."

Editor Clare Henderson goes on to say: "But when things get as serious as they seem to be doing at the moment perhaps that traditional thinking now sounds a little too optimistic.

"For the moment, premiumisation continues to be a strong trend, with consumers determined to get their hands on products that work, while niche is still a great draw for those looking for something different."

She adds: "But in the current economic climate can this be sustained indefinitely? And, what of the superluxe sector? Is this customer pool likely to take a temporary dip?" And concludes: "We can at least be confident that people will always buy personal care products. For the time being though, it's a question of which ones."

Despite being 87 years old, Queen hasn't really been here before. Our marketplace was well-heeled, fashionable young women in the 1930s, 40s and 50s and this was our heyday. These customers seemed to have sensible heads on their shoulders. In an interview with Lady Dartmouth (better known as Countess Raine Spencer) in the Observer in the 1960s, she said she had always used Queen products as they were "terribly cheap and terribly pure"!

This says to me that there wasn't a need to spend or be seen to spend a fortune on products (or there weren't the highly expensive luxury brands around then that there are now) but that efficacy was the most important factor.

Hopefully, this will stand us in good stead as will the fact that we have a niche, namely sensitive skin. Our products are, we believe, excellent value and, most importantly, they do work. Maybe we will even benefit from people 'downgrading' and looking for quality cosmetics at reasonable prices. We will see.

Anyway, I thought I might just spend a few moments blowing our own trumpet.

Someone writes after trialling our organic formula moisturiser:

"I was wondering when you were planning on launching this as I love it. I have quite sensitive skin and this is just perfect, no irritation or redness, and it's lovely and rich, without being too heavy.

"I suffer terribly in winter from dry and reddened skin, and my normal day cream isn't sufficient. I've tried others and usually end up going back to Origins Never Say Dry, but it's really a bit too heavy."

Hurrah. We know it's good but it's always good to hear it!

Off to catch the post. Have a good weekend.

The Queen Team

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Lanolin is lovely. Really.

We've just had the following email:

"I have just had some patch tests completed with my dermatologist and have been told I have reactions to perfume/essential oils, lanolin and sodium metabisulphite."

This is typical of the sort of inquiry we get and reinforces what we always say about perfume and essential oils being the main culprits in causing irritation to sensitive skin. Yet, I read the following on one internet beauty tip site recently:

"One good thing for sensitive skin is the skin care essential oils. Essential oils in most cases will not have a reaction to your skin, if it does then stop using the product right away. You can try essential oils such as Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood, Neroli, and Chamomile. So, if you have sensitive skin, than try out these essential oils to see if these will help your skin."

Ugh! It's no wonder people with sensitive skin end up not even trying to find anything which works for them if they've followed dangerous and stupid advice like this.

Anyway, what interested me about our email was the fact that I didn't know much about sodium metabisulphite - we don't use this ingredient - and so I thought I'd do a bit of research into it. And also, I was interested that this woman was sensitive to lanolin. Lanolin has long been accused of being a sensitive skin culprit and, while this woman clearly does have a problem with it, mostly it is an excellent ingredient with a very good track record. Like preservatives though, it is something that is seized upon by people as being a 'baddie'. We get lots of women calling in claiming they are sensitive to 'preservatives and lanolin'. Yet, when you ask if they have had patch tests, they say 'no' and further probing reveals they just think these are causing their problems because they've heard vague mention of them somewhere.

I have always liked the www.cosmeticscop.ca website which is run by a woman called Paula Begoun, an ex-make-up artist and now a writer and the owner of her own cosmetics line (and someone who seems eminently well informed and sensible), so I thought I'd see what her ingredients directory said about lanolin. It makes interesting reading:

Lanolin: Emollient, very thick substance derived from the sebaceous glands of sheep. Lanolin has long been burdened with a reputation for being an allergen or sensitizing agent, which has always been a disappointment to formulators because lanolin is such an effective moisturizing agent for skin. A study in the British Journal of Dermatology (July 2001, pages 28–31) may change all that. The study concluded “that lanolin sensitization has remained at a relatively low and constant rate even in a high-risk population (i.e., patients with recent or active eczema).” Based on a review of 24,449 patients who were tested with varying forms of lanolin, it turned out that “The mean annual rate of sensitivity to this allergen was 1.7%”—and it was lower than that for a 50% concentration of lanolin. It looks like it’s time to restore lanolin’s good reputation. That’s a very good thing for someone with dry skin, though it can be a problem for someone with oily skin, because lanolin closely resembles the oil from human oil glands (see here for more http://www.cosmeticscop.ca/dictionaryL).

As for sodium metabisulfite, this is something which is used in hair products.

Says Paula Begoun's ingredients dictionary: "Reducing agent that alters the structure of hair. It can also be used as a preservative in formulations, and can be a skin irritant. However, it can also be an antioxidant (Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, September–October 1999, pages 252–259)."

I also found mention of its use in some skincare products, one of which is a range or brand called Obagi. At the end of some product information, this site says: "This product also contains sodium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause serious allergic type reactions (e.g., hives, itching, wheezing, anaphylaxis severe asthma attacks) in certain susceptible persons." Hmm.

I am pleased to say that, while we do use lanolin in a few products (excellent products too and used by clients with a wide range of sensitive skin conditions), we do have plenty of products which don't contain it so we can hopefully help the sender of our email. I'll keep you posted.

That's it for now.

Us at Queen

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