However, there are a couple of things to be considered when dealing with such a market: legal impediments, exotic business practices, unusual consumption habits and logistic tricks. Cosmetic products consumption varies from one region and another, with some unique local characteristics. Studies have shown that consumption is higher in the south than in the north, much higher on the east coast than in the western regions, and higher in cities than in the countryside.

China’s large market of hair care products is generally recognised to be approaching saturation, as many consumers have developed the purchase pattern of switching between several known brands, making it difficult for new brands to enter the market. While the market of skin care products is actually more receptive towards new brands, confronting domestic brands with foreign ones. According to surveys conducted by International Market Insight (IMI), “well known brand“, “right price” and “product feature” are the major considerations of consumers when buying skin care products. Skin care products cover products with special functions such as whitening, freckle removing, anti-wrinkle and moisturising.

The make-up market is expected to further increase thanks to the growing number of female workers in the business and other service sectors. Meanwhile, the moderate perfume market is rather small in scale and slowly growing because only a very limited number of mainland consumers use perfume, with most of them being light users.
Statistics about China’s beauty market.

According to the country’s first annual report on the beauty sector, recently released by four young Chinese economists He Fan, Ba Shusong, Zhong Wei and Zhao Xiao: Within 21 years, from 1983 to 2004, the sales volume of China’s beauty businesses has increased 260 times. With a 15 per cent annual growth, the beauty sector is turning into another huge money-maker after the boom in the real estate, auto, electronics and tourism sectors.

China is currently home to 1.54 million beauty parlors and nearly 3,800 cosmetic companies, and almost 8 million people are actually working in beauty-related businesses, plus another 4 million whose jobs are connected to the sector (2005 est.) A survey of five major cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan, shows that the most popular beauty items include SPAs, stone massages, Yoga, foot massages and nail treatments.

As another example, Issey Miyake and Narcisso Rodriguez (Shiseido) ancillary lines have been touching on treatment skincare. A US research company senior analyst Maria Badescu told me than they are seeing the designer element across all three categories and we have seen the increases in designer fragrances, so they are watching this in skincare.

Maria describes the trend for designer’s skincare as still in its infancy. However, whether the designer name will have credibility to deliver on its promises like a doctor brand is not expected to hinder the brand. The is a question of credibility. With the likes of Chanel, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent well established across the beauty categories, Maria points out, having a designer footing does not disclaim such a brand. The challenge, however, will be selling skincare based on the mystic of the brand.

The mass market is making a lot of effectiveness claims so you really have to distinguish yourself from everyone else with a point of difference and something special to buy into and we do think that designers have that footing that they can build on.

Despite the abundance of activity in fragrance, the designer brand can capitalize on its name for new growth—albeit smaller growth—in the skincare area. We see that the longevity of having a good makeup and skincare brand can really shore up a brand and give it a full-pronged approach. With consumers looking for differentiation, the designer brand brings an element of exclusivity and its cachet of quality to the segment.

Furthermore, younger consumers are using more makeup and skincare products than in the past, with 80% claiming to use skincare before the age of 18 years. In the US, selective skincare represented $2.2bn in sales in 2006 compared to the $1.9bn for fragrances. Skincare is actually the category that is used more by women than any other beauty category. The global appeal of skincare cannot be ignored. The bottom line is that innovation is going to drive any category. And the arrival of designer names in the arena might at least broaden the scope of skincare.

The french skincare company will open its second SPA in the US, in the revamped Plaza Hotel in New York in October 2007. Designed by French architect Yves Collet, who did Caudalie’s other SPAs, the 800m² spa includes 15 cabins, the brand’s signature wine barrel bath and a jacuzzi.

It will also feature a retail area with the brand’s products range. Based on the powerful anti-oxidant qualities of grapes, Caudalie is a potent force against skin ageing. A brand that began at a family winery in Bordeaux in France has blossomed into Caudalie, the world’s leading vinotherapy skincare line. The first to use (and patent) stabilised grape seed polyphenols in skincare, Caudalie packs cutting edge antioxidant technology into formulas that help your skin look better with age. The line accounts for all skin types and offers luxurious and effective products for both face and body. All Caudalie products are paraben free.

The firm, which launched its first SPA in France in 1999, now operates in France, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, California

Caudalie ? It used to mean the afterglow of wine on the taste buds !

If you want to buy your Caudalie’s products, give a try to this shop. They have the cheapest prices of the market.

Care by Stella McCartney challenges the conventional cosmetic laws by raising the following question: why are we more careful about our food than we are about what we apply to our skin, whereas it’s the latter that is our larger organ. This line is made with 100% certified bio-active ingredients, with no petrochemical products, no silicone or synthetic preservatives. Moreover, it doesn’t contain any animal derived components, or endangered plant species and its formulas aren’t tested on animals.

A truly organic line that offers formulas made of organic components that are more concentrated in essential nutrients than the traditional ingredients. Namely vitamins, antioxidants, oligo elements, and other essential organic components, such as the amino acids and the fatty acids, that support the vital functions of the skin. The line Care by Stella McCartney is Ecocert certified.

It’s because it combines this ecological commitment without concession with a luxury positioning that Care by Stella McCartney is distinguished from all care lines. Stella McCartney refuses the idea that it is necessary to make sacrifices to apply an organic product to one’s skin. With Care by Stella McCartney, she proves that it’s possible to offer a luxury product, highly powerful, with a perfume that is both extremely pleasant and organic, in a well designed packaging, without compromising her personal convictions or the safety of the environment.

The packaging is far from the austere corrugated boxing that goes generally with the so-called natural products. The concept is simple: air tight bottles when needed to protect the natural formulas they shelter, sober cases, perfectly elegant and meant to be in the bathroom or sport bags or simply be re-used. A modern packaging, for a modern product, both by its philosophy and its esthetics.

The line Care by Stella McCartney is perfectly integrated into current life styles. It is actually appropriate for both men and women, of any age. It brings to the skin, of any type, all it needs and nothing else. The products were conceived to be joined indefinitely, but can be used separately. No way to impose anything.

The environment, in which Stella McCartney grew up, has largely inspired the communication campaign. She grew up in an organic farm and wished that the visual would be the reflection of the natural beauty, and that the outside shots convey vulnerability and softness without giving up an elegant and sexy atmosphere.

With Care by Stella McCartney, take care of yourself and your environment; offer yourself an infinite universe of beauty.

Thanks to a special free downloadable software, the consumer will be able to capture with his mobile the image of some kind of intelligent bar code embroidered or printed on the clothing, called the tag. He takes a picture of the label that will enable him to watch clips, movies or all kinds of shows.

The 200 models of the men and women collection become evolutionary, thanks to a daily update of the content of the denim code tag. They will be available for sale through a multi-brand distribution network, and will be launched starting from April 07, in the 180 m2 showroom shop in the Etienne Marcel district in Paris.

Presented at the last Exhibit Who’s Next at the beginning of month, the jeans of the young French-Dutch brand Denim Code are nothing else other than the Web 2.0 of jeans, according to Christian-François Viala, one of the founders of the brand.

The small stroke of genius of this mark, the tiny plus that tickles us for the geeks is the intelligent use of a QR Code, these codes bars that are widespread in Japan. A QR Code is a matrix code or 2 dimensional bar code created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 94. The « QR » is derived from « Quick Response », as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

The idea is that, once your Denim of digger bought, you take a picture of the code sewn onto the…well, the… in short, the belt with a mobile phone. A Javascript makes it possible to interpret it and to connect you to the webserver of the brand.

Once connected, videos and interactive contents, etc. are offered to you. A little top is expected to hit the markets for a price between $35 and $75; and the jeans will cost between $45 and $80.

Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BC have been discovered at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau. Tattooing in Japan is thought to go back to the Paleolithic era, some ten thousand years ago. Tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent decades in many parts of the world, particularly in North America, Japan, and Europe. The growth in tattoo culture has seen an influx of new artists into the industry, many of whom have technical and fine art training.

Permanent tattoos are applied by injecting color pigments into the second layer of skin using a needle that is attached to a motorized instrument. The tattoo may take anywhere from a few hours to several months to complete, depending on size and detail of the design.

Having a permanent tattoo done requires research. You most certainly don’t want to have your tattoo done by just anyone. Imagine getting a tattoo, only to later discover you contracted the disease hepatitis from an unclean tattoo needle. Having a tattoo done safely should be your number one priority. State health departments in Texas, Oregon and Wisconsin monitor and inspect tattoo studios. However, tattoo studios operate in many states in the U.S. but are NOT inspected by a local health department. New York City currently has over 400 licensed tattoo artists. Tattoo studios are still illegal in several states in the US: Vermont, Massachusetts and Oklahoma being a couple at the time of this writing.

You also have to remember tattoo aftercare is vital to the longevity of your tattoo! How your tattoo looks three months or three years from now depends upon how you treat it right away. Follow these steps to promote a healthy tattoo.

If you have already had a tattoo done and have since then regretted it, there are several ways to have the tattoo removed. The method of removal however, will depend on the pigment used, amount of time the tattoo has been on the skin, the location of the tattoo and if it was professionally done or not. Keep in mind that tattoo removal is a very costly procedure and it’s not always possible to completely remove the tattoo. Often there is permanent scarring where the tattoo once was.

The most common removal methods are laser treatment, dermabrasion (which involves freezing, then sanding the skin) or salabrasion (which requires the use of a salt solution instead of freezing. The skin is then sanded).

If you’re looking for a less permanent and safer approach to tattooing, try a temporary or henna tattoo.

Although not permanent, Henna tattoos are a more temporary ink, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of body art. Colors however, are limited. Usually henna inks come in shades of red, green or brown and depending on your skin tone, the colors may react differently than others.

For many celebrity, getting tattoos can become a media circus with future employment ramifications. A tattoo design that was crafted with personal intention can suddenly become the latest must-have copycat item for hundreds of fans worldwide.

Part of being a celebrity is having every detail of your life opened up to the attention of the public. With the rise in popularity of body art, and the lessening of the stigmatic perception of things like tattoos and piercings, those who enjoy celebrity watching now scrutinize every little inking and puncture of their favorite stars.

The first Western celebrities to make tattoos fashionable were the British upper class in the late 1800s. Family crests and other small signets were popular on forearms.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) get a colorful variation on their “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” advertisement campaign. After a series of ads featuring unclothed female models, the latest ads are spun off under the concept “Think Ink, Not Mink.” In addition to bared bodies, the ads feature the appearances of both male spokesmodels and celebrity tattoos.

If you have a tattoo please, leave me a comment, and let me know if you get a nice experience with your tattoo studios

That she’s so refreshingly normal for a chanteuse is, of course, what makes her appealing. Still, Norah Jones now seems determined to spice things up. On last year’s « Sucker », a duet with former Faith No More singer Mike Patton for his Peeping Tom project, she delivered the word « motherf***er » and she regularly performs with a glammy New York rock band.

Norah doesn’t really show up in gossip magazines and she made a concerted effort to stay low-key in a way that not a lot of other people with her success do.

The little slidehow is by Danny Clinch. He really got her looking gorge! don’t you think she has an angelic smile ?

For more on Norah Jones, check it out here

http://www.norahjones.com

Catch up on what’s new on Blue Note (an amazing label featuring the likes of jazz and blues musicians from around the globe)

http://www.bluenote.com

Product Red is like a constellation of some of the world’s most iconic global brands (American Express, Gap, Nike, Motorola, Armani) who have created special Red products. A proportion of the profits goes to the Global Fund1 to raise funds for the fight against HIV and Aids in Africa. Launched in the UK last spring 2006 and supported by an independent newspaper, and a gaggle of celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Claudia Schiffer and the Scissor Sisters, it has been promoted in North America last summer.

This campaign captures the true energy and spirit behind Red while communicating the unique role the card can play in enabling consumers to make a real difference.

Some people said the idea of a poor African’s life is being borrowed for by a rich white person is not a revolutionary concept. Regarding Keseme Ole Parsapaet, he said: « Aids is affecting my community. I think Red is great. It is a way of helping the world come together to help fight Aids. »

Yet another celebrity has jumped on the Saviour of Africa bandwagon.

Gisele is, since january, the new face of Cacharel. The Brazilian supermodel has signed a multi million pound deal with the French company. She will appear in advertising campaigns from Europe to the Middle East to promote their new fragrance. Gisele is one of the most high profile models in the industry. Bunchen’s popularity in China, Japan, Europe and the Middle East after the Product Red campaign is believed to be one of the reasons why she was chosen to represent Cacharel. The stunning 24 year old has starred in campaigns for some of fashion’s biggest names including Louis Vuttion, Christian Dior, Victoria Secrets, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.

Sophistication and spirituality

According to the stylist we meet, the natural beauty trend is the biggest. This will be reworked to have a more sophisticated edge. Spirituality and emphasis on inner beauty will become increasingly important as products cater to body rhythms and energy cycles, in ergonomic or eco-friendly designs. To the other extreme, the surgically inspired trend will become more laboratory-like and translate to new applications such as treatments in syringe-shaped packaging; colors and textures will be more advanced, lastly, we will see a return to a Retro 1940s look. But colors will be more audacious, and textures more brilliant.

From tweed to gouache

A french trend forecasting agency proposes 4 dominating themes in beauty. In a nod to the 1960s, the Playtime theme predicts a very graphic approach to cosmetics with bright colors, new shapes, and fashion merging evermore in makeup giving rise to jacquard and tweed patterns. From the realm of science fiction, Mutations probes into the stranger side of nature. It involves a play on contrasts, colors that change, and unconventional textures from sticky glosses to jelly-like elixirs. Natural beauty, under the Origins theme, goes ultra-modern: Colors become earthy, and textures take on a gouache or pasty aspect. Finally, the Epure theme suggest harmony and softness inspired by the Japanese art of living, with pure white products, porcelain-like sunscreens and snow-like powders.

Osmosis of the interior and the exteriorBeauty is so vast that it is turning to the more fundamental aspects—staying vital, staying healthy. Nutrition, wellbeing, emotions, and new parts of the body—like the skeleton or nervous system—will be key elements addressed in beauty. Skincare and makeup products that restructure and sculpt the body will translate to a new beauty ritual where the user is the artist. Surgically inspired beauty will become more refined, and more laboratory-like in its applications. Neutral shades (plasters, marble, metals, minerals, burnt blacks) with nuanced or light- effects will figure largely in the palettes.

The plot is pretty simple, a man who seems worth nothing in life is at his wits end when his eye catches a stunning blonde, and she sets about to put his life right. Looking to escape his past Andre (Jamel Debbouze) accepts the help of the mysterious Angela (Rie Rasmussen) and sets in motion a chain of events that will change his life forever. Beautiful in its simplicity, Angel-A is a striking, supernatural love-story. The characters are very natural, with their interactions very relaxed and real. The dialogue just seems to flow, and nothing about these performances is stilted or out of place. This gave the whole film a very loose and natural feel, almost as though some scenes were improvised. The actors perform wonderfully, especially the male lead, Jamel Debbouze. He has an energy about him and quite a captivating face.

A few years ago, France’s most successful living director announced his intention to quit while he was ahead. He would, he said, make 10 films and then get out of the game. At the time few people took him seriously. But with Angel-A, he has reached his limit.

As played by newcomer Rie Rasmussen, Angela proves a very Bessonian figure: leggy and lippy, a grungy euro-chick with a heart of gold. She could be the younger cousin of Ann Parillaud in Nikita, or Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element. Parillaud, incidentally, was Besson’s first wife; Jovovich his second.