Although my first job was working with my father in his intimate apparel business, my first formal job was at Procter & Gamble. Not that my job with my father was not real. It was, but somehow when I was hired at Procter & Gamble, I felt that I was really on my own. I remember my first meeting with my new boss. He was a wonderful man who was investing his time and talent to train and elevate me. His first lesson was to define your objective. Whether it was in writing a famous P&G style memo, joining a meeting or having a phone call with someone, it was important to declare your objective beforehand. That way you would always stay on track and be able to assess if you were successful or not. That lesson has stayed with me throughout my life.
Many years later I was at an Executive Leadership retreat, and a Harvard professor presented the phrase rai·son d’ê·tre to our group. I am not a fluent French speaker by any means, but I have learned many French words and phrases over time that have left an impact. One of these phrases is Rai·son d’ê·tre (pronounced /ˌrāzôn ˈdetrə/). It means “the most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.”
This existential question, which is closely linked to the earlier question of defining your objective, is one that must be answered by any organization, company or brand. Without a clear answer it is likely that the work, products and outcomes are scattered and fuzzy.
So, what is Care Skincare’s raison d’être?
It is to provide superior quality, highly effective skincare that is safe, affordable, and simple. Creating a daily routine, that if followed consistently, will transform your skin to look and feel healthy and glowing at any age. Formulated with the best available cosmetic science, using only ingredients that are proven, safe and never animal tested. The name Care is much more than a brand. It is the action of caring with authenticity. That means straightforward communication with no marketing hyperbole and gimmicks. It means supporting the communities we serve by giving back since day one.
Although all of these “things” seem reasonable and expected, they are not the norm in the beauty industry. The big and small beauty brands that are part of corporations are constantly launching new products because they need to “anniversary” numbers for Wall Street and show growth year on year and quarter over quarter. Although some of these new products are true innovations that actually work to improve skin’s health and appearance, unfortunately, the majority of them are marginal in their benefits to skin and are loaded with marketing hyperbole, or what I call marketing BS. As a result, consumers everywhere are constantly bombarded with marketing messages that are not only confusing, but contradictory at times. These actions damage their credibility, because as a consumer, you can no longer believe their messages. Of course, what these brands want you to do is purchase, and to do so, they hire expensive models and spokespersons that in many cases have never used the brand they will be promoting with their image. All of this is wrapped in expensive packaging that for the most part, is hard to recycle and ends up in landfills. Sadly, the consumer eventually pays for all of it, and they remain asking the question: is there a more simple, straightforward way to have great skin?
At Care Skincare, we have vowed to be the answer to this question and offer a solution. We only have 5 products that are multifunctional and highly effective. We are developing a sunscreen that we hope to launch soon, and we don’t have plans to launch anything else in the near future. We are not a new product launching machine.
With the exception of a few components, our packaging is recyclable – and we are actively looking for ways to make our packaging and our products more sustainable and to eliminate waste wherever possible. We are also looking to always find ways to make our 5 existing products more effective and will upgrade formulas to deliver better results without the marketing BS. We are on the lookout for improvements to ingredients and leveraging the best of modern cosmetic science.
Instead of paying expensive models, we choose to invest in our communities with our “Because We Care” program that gives back to different causes that are important to our customers and to us, on a rotating basis. We believe in the power of focused help. We don’t have vast amounts of money, but we think that a little can go a long way. “We can’t boil the ocean, but we can boil a pot” is our philosophy.
Giving back is an integral part of who we are and why we exist.
It is important for our capitalist system of free enterprise to function correctly and fulfill its mission to society to give back to the people that it serves. We assume our responsibility which is there for all businesses, even for a small company like ours.
So, these are all the reasons why we exist, but we cannot exist without the support and patronage of our customers. For this, we thank each and every one, in hoping we are given the privilege and opportunity to continue to serve and offer them great skincare at an affordable price.