Alchemic makeup brand Rituel de Fille is most likely described as niche; the formulations are interesting and expressive, but they do take some commitment in practical application. The clue is in the name: Ritual of Girls. The sister trio behind the brand sees both the creation of the product and the application as more of a sacred ritual than a basic action.
I dabbled in this brand before I became a vegan, but I stopped because I saw some ingredients like carmine that are not plant-based. So I always assumed that although they are earth-bound in the way that they formulate products, there is no special consideration about the use of animals or animal-byproducts. So I was very happy to receive an email on March 3rd about a new vegan lip oil formula.
Rituel de Fille has started a new program called ‘Lab Access Release.’ They offer limited edition previews of a new product at a heavy discount. The goal is to get ‘testers’ to use the product and give feedback (a 15-minute survey arrives after your product is formulated and shipped) to influence the final release of said product. As I understand it, the final releases are spaced far away from these lab-access events, so it’s a chance for people to get an exclusive sneak peek at what’s to come.
It’s a smart marketing strategy: the company gets to guarantee testers without participating in the volatile and often costly (read: no guaranteed return on investment) world of influencer marketing. This way, they can actually make money by selling the preview product at a major discount, and get real time feedback from people (literally) invested in helping to perfect it. The first product in their Lab Access Release is the Thorn Bite Peptide Plump Cream Lip Oil. The release sold out in 4 hours.
Participants have been warned that it will take some time to fill the orders, and after that they will be sent a survey to share their thoughts. The product is not in its final formulation or packaging stage. What’s brilliant is that even if participants decide not to give feedback on the product, Rituel de Fille still made a decent amount of money on a product that may or may not look or feel the same later on… and they’ve proven that there is demand for their product. Kudos.