Why Is Benefit the Go-To for Tint and Blusher? [Hidden Industry Story]

From a Small Boutique to a Global Brand
Customer-Friendly Brand Philosophy... A Play Space for Women
Benefit’s Competitive Edge: Shop-in-Shop Style Brow Bar

(From left) Gogotint, Love Tint, Chachatint, Benetint. Photo by Benefit

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] There is a brand that always comes to mind when talking about tints. This brand, which started with the business goal of "earning 33 dollars without taking a loss," is none other than Benefit. The first tint, developed to solve the beauty concerns of a dancer living in San Francisco, is still sold as a best product nearly 50 years later. Benefit products, frequently featured in awards like the Cosmo Beauty Awards, raise the question: why is Benefit the first brand that comes to mind when thinking of tints and blushers?

A New Approach to Makeup... The Beginning of Innovation

Yeouido IFC Mall Benefit Store. Photo by Benefit

Benefit’s origins trace back to 1976 when twin sisters Jean Ford and Jane Ford opened a store in the Mission District of San Francisco, USA.

The co-founders Jean and Jane are identical twins born in a small town in Indiana, USA. The older sister Jean majored in art education and had a strong interest in skincare. The younger sister Jane majored in marketing and finance. Additionally, Jane was skilled with her hands and had excellent business acumen from a young age.

The combination of their innate artistic sense and marketing skills is no exaggeration to say that it created today’s Benefit.

Jean and Jane wanted daily makeup to be an easy and fun playtime, so they opened a small shop called "The Face Place."

Focusing exclusively on makeup, they succeeded in rapid growth. In 1980, they opened a second store of The Face Place in downtown San Francisco, and in 1986, the brand gained fame in the American makeup industry when the famous makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin began using their products.

In 1990, the brand’s history officially began when they combined the Italian word "Bene," meaning "good," with the English word "Fit," meaning "just right," to create the brand name Benefit.

Especially after the name change, Benefit made a leap forward by opening its first store in the Henri Bendel department store in New York. Later, in 1999, Benefit was acquired by the French LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton Mo?t Hennessy Group), bringing a fresh breeze to the beauty industry.

From 2001, Benefit expanded into overseas markets. Starting with Australia in the same year, it entered European countries such as Spain, France, and Germany by 2006.

In 2004, Benefit entered the Asian market. In March of the same year, Benefit launched its products for the first time in Korea and also expanded into Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

Winning with a Customer-Friendly Brand Philosophy

Photo by Benefit Official Website Capture

The Ford sisters grew their business by listening to customers’ concerns and offering tailored advice. Starting with the concept of a "candy store for the face," at The Face Place, they approached customers warmly by informing them about products and makeup techniques that could cover facial imperfections. This innovative service captured the hearts of local customers.

At that time, The Face Place was known as a space where women could openly share their worries and also a playground for women to explore various cosmetics, gaining much popularity.

Benefit is also known as a brand that avoids celebrity endorsements. This is because customers often feel disappointed when they see celebrity ads thinking, "Even if I put on makeup, I can’t look like that model." Instead, Benefit uses antique dolls collected by Jean and Jane as models. This highlights the brand philosophy of being "by the customer," "for the customer," and "of the customer."

Ideas from Customer Concerns... Diversifying Products and Enhancing Performance

Photo by Benefit Official Website Capture

The Ford sisters often came up with new product ideas by listening to customers’ concerns. The first Benefit tint, "Benetint," launched in 1977, was developed to solve the beauty concerns of a dancer active in San Francisco.

Because of the nature of her intense dancing profession, she needed a tint that wouldn’t wash off with water or sweat. Jean and Jane created a "rose tint" by crushing rose petals to make a long-lasting tint. A few years later, this rose tint began to be called Benetint.

The sisters did not stop at product development but also worked hard to improve the function so it could be used on lips and cheeks. The fruits of their efforts were later proven by the diversification of products.

Currently, the range has expanded from the pink-colored "Posietint" in 2008, the coral "Chachatint" in 2011, to the lavender pink "Lollitint" in 2014, offering a variety of colors and types. The Chachatint, released in May 2011, sold over 50,000 units within a month of launch, marking a remarkable achievement.

Besides Benetint, Benefit also gained fame for its blushers. Among the blusher series, "Dandelion," inspired by the dandelion flower, is known as the most representative boxed powder product.

Dandelion has contributed to raising product awareness by being mentioned as a best product in awards such as the Cosmo Beauty Award and the Sure Beauty Award.

The primer product "The POREfessional," launched in 2009 to help makeup adhere better, ranks second in global Benefit sales. This product is excellent at concealing pores and wrinkles and continues to sell steadily.

Moreover, the eyebrow mascara "They’re Real! Mascara," released in 2012, is Benefit’s top-selling product worldwide, selling over one million units globally within six months of its launch.

Humble Beginnings, Grand Success... Leap to a Global Brand

A customer visiting Benefit Brow Bar is receiving customized eyebrow care tailored to their face shape and image from a brow expert at Benefit Brow Expert. Photo by Benefit

In 2003, Benefit introduced its first brow bar in a shop-in-shop format. The brow bar, operated by appointment, offers paid services where professional artists shape customers’ eyebrows.

This brow bar service was implemented from the early days of the sisters’ business to help women who had difficulty grooming their eyebrows.

The service is still offered at Benefit stores domestically and internationally and is regarded as a unique differentiating point compared to competing brands.

Benefit, which has shown steady growth since its inception, currently operates about 2,500 stores in over 50 countries worldwide. In particular, the brow bars operate 800 locations in more than 30 countries.