A $65 Cream At the Five & Dime

When it comes to skincare, many women don’t blink at paying $65 for a face cream or wrinkle reducing serum at the cosmetics counter of a department store or spa.But what happens when those same consumers find similar products — and prices — in a decidedly less prestigious locale?They buy them. At least that’s what Lierac Paris, an upscale skin-care line from Europe, has found. The brand, which was created by French physician Leon Cariel in 1975, is among a crop of European brands that are selling their products in American drugstores, despite price points that are higher than consumers are used to finding at pharmacies. Sales for Lierac, the priciest of the lines, which has been made available in seven American drugstores throughout the last year, have exceeded company expectations by 24%, a brand manager for the company, Nicolle Anderson, said.The company hopes to sell even more now that the brand is expanding its New York presence.A year ago, Lierac began selling its products in four Duane Reade stores in New York, in specialized skin-care boutiques within the stores called SkinFitness Centres. Last November the line entered three Brooks/Eckerd drugstores in Boston and Rhode Island.This month, the list of drugstores has expanded to include six Brooks/Eckerd pharmacies throughout New York City. And next month, Lierac will enter CVS stores on the West Coast.The distribution system represents a return to its roots for the brand. “Our brand was actually developed for pharmacies in France,” Ms. Anderson said. “It’s a different idea than exists here. In pharmacies in Europe, the pharmacists are at your disposal to educate you about each of the products they offer.”In the past few years, American drugstores such as Brooks/Eckerd have adapted that European model by creating boutique skin care centers within their stores, introducing their customers to European lines like Vichy and Avene. “We’re in the process of retraining the U.S.consumer, “the manager for Brooks/Eckerd’s Derma Skincare Centers, Beth Rondeau, said. “Most people think you need to go to a mall for antiaging products. But Europe has the best products and revelations with skin care and they’ve been doing it for so long.”To that end, the Derma Skincare Centers launched in New York this month, carrying nine European skincare brands, including Avene, Vichy, and La Roche-Posay, as well as Lierac. Each center will be staffed with a “skin-care adviser” who can offer advice about products. In addition, Lierac will provide an on-site “ambassador” in stores.The ambassadors — there are five so far, who have been hired and trained by the company — are the company’s latest attempt to differentiate itself from its competitors and increase brand awareness among American consumers.When Lierac launched in America, it was sold in spas and at Sephora’s Rockefeller Center store, but the company left Sephora after one year. “With no ambassadors, samples, or advertising, we did $100,000 with them,” the president of Ales Group USA, Eric Domel, said. (Ales Group USA owns Lierac.) But it was difficult to make the products stand out in Sephora without a major marketing campaign. “But it was not a strategic expansion of brand awareness.Our strategy is to go through pharmacies.”Ms. Anderson said the response at spas was positive, but the packaging was a hindrance. “You need professional-sized products at spas, and all of our products are individually packaged,” she said. “Money-wise, it just wasn’t smart for us. It helped get the word out, but our products were developed for pharmacies.”Now that Lierac is available in New York pharmacies, its ambassadors will be on hand to provide the education that pharmacists here likely won’t bother with. They might also have to counter some sticker shock. Lierac’s lowest-priced product, its Cleansing Water for Face and Eyes, sells for $23. Its highest-priced product, Coherence Neck Firming Cream, is $65. Are consumers here ready to pay such prices at a drugstore?Absolutely, said Rachel Weingarten, president of Brooklyn-based GTK Marketing Group, which has consulted on brand strategy and marketing for cosmetics companies. “To the woman who doesn’t spend a lot on skin care, a $60 price tag might feel shocking,” she said. “But what has happened in drugstores is, there has been a boom in elegance and better products. Women have definitely shown that they’re willing to spend more if it’s quality.I think it’s cool that regular drugstores are going to carry this level of skin care.”

A $65 Cream At the Five & Dime

A $65 Cream At the Five & Dime

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