Last month in London, Clinique unveiled a key new addition to its skincare portfolio: the Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush. The Moodie Report was the exclusive travel retail media at the launch event – full details of which were embargoed until today.
 |  |
Clinique is set to enter a new product segment with the launch of its Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush, designed to work in tandem with its 3-Step portfolio | |
Described as a “skin-changer”, the new brush has been designed to work in tandem with Clinique’s best-selling 3-Step cleanse/exfoliate/moisturise system. It will be available in Asia Pacific travel retail locations from July, before rolling out to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas in September. The suggested UK travel retail price-point is £67.15.
The Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush was developed in partnership with dermatologists from the Orentreich Medical Group – which helped to develop the brand’s original 3-Step system – and a leading Swiss toothbrush manufacturer, well versed in the field of sonic technology. The result, claims Clinique, is a gentle yet effective cleansing innovation that will transform skin and leave it better prepped and primed for subsequent treatment products.
 |
Dr Tom Mammone: “Effective cleansing makes skin a better blank slate for what comes after.” |
“Cleansing is immensely important for healthy skin,” explained Dr Tom Mammone, Executive Director of Skin Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinique Research & Development, Worldwide, at the launch event. “Cleansing and exfoliating makes skin a better blank slate for what comes after.”
Mammone likened thorough cleansing and exfoliation to exercise for the skin. “On average, the epidermis turns over every 28 days,” he noted. “When that [process] slows down, we see a build-up and a greyness on the surface of the skin. Cleansing and exfoliation can speed things up again.”
Thorough cleansing is also key for consumers who are concerned about the effects of pollution, Mammone acknowledged.
“For example in Beijing, there is a high proportion of PM2.5 (particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in size). We have spoken for many years about how cleansing takes off what we put onto skin, i.e. make-up. Now we need to expand that concept to include what else skin might be exposed to. Pollutants that settle on the skin can adversely affect it, so we really want to wash them off as fast and as thoroughly as possible.”
Efficacy, however, must not come at the expense of gentleness and safety, Mammone underlined. “[Our guiding dermatologist] Dr David Orentreich is a major champion of being gentle,” he explained. “We are also completely committed to being safe.”
“We are introducing what we call a skin-changer,” declared Clinique Senior Vice President Product Development Janet Pardo at the London launch. “We feel very proud of this brush. We developed it with a lot of help, because electronics is not exactly our forte. But our Swiss partners knew exactly how to guide us in developing a brush that is gentle, and works synergistically with our products.”
Pardo guided the assembled media through the brush specification. The oval-shaped, angled brush head incorporates two strengths of rounded bristles. “The green brushes are stiffer, shorter and denser, for cleansing the T-Zone,” Pardo explained. “The white brushes are softer and less dense, for the more delicate cheek area.”
Each brush contains around 35,000 fibres, with domed tips, to gently dislodge dirt from skin without any scratching. The device delivers around 10,000 sonic movements per 60 seconds, loosening stubborn dirt and oil more effectively than hand washing. An integral timer automatically turns the brush off after 30 seconds.
 |
Clinique’s Sonic Brush – described as a “skin-changer” – was unveiled last month in London |
 |
The Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush performed exceptionally well in sensory tests |
The brush fibres have been mixed with silver, which acts as an anti-microbial. “Clinique is all about hygiene,” noted Pardo. “We anticipate that this brush will be used and stored in the shower, so it’s going to get wet. We want it to stay clean and not grow anything!” Clinique recommends replacing the brush head every three months.
Pardo highlighted the brush’s light, compact, portable design, complete with ergonomic handle that allows the brush to lay flat to dry. A single charge ensures a three-hour battery life. The LED indicator on the handle turns orange when the battery is low.
 |
Clinique SVP Product Development Janet Pardo demonstrates the brush’s gentleness with the aid of a moistened tissue |
To further enhance the brush’s efficacy, Clinique has added a new Foaming Facial Soap to its 3-Step repertoire, which already includes a Liquid Facial Soap and a Facial Soap Bar.
More thorough cleansing does not obviate the need for exfoliation, however, and Clinique is keen to let consumers know that its Clarifying Lotion remains a key 3-Step component.
“What you take off with a facial soap is different from what you remove with Clarifying Lotion,” Mammone explained. “They do two things differently, and it’s necessary that they are done together. Everything is synergised.
“A soap takes off oils, lipids and other sebaceous secretions. Clarifying Lotion removes inorganics such as salts and proteins.”
Clinique has high hopes for its Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush, which performed particularly well during extensive sensory testing. Consumers praised its effective cleansing, gentleness, ease of use, improved skin feel, and better preparedness for subsequent skin care products. 97% of users agreed the brush gently cleansed skin while thoroughly removing dirt, oil and impurities, according to Clinique. 95% of users agreed skin looked clearer and more radiant.
Crucially, a portion of Clinique’s testers were existing cleansing brush users, Pardo pointed out. Of that group, 80% said they preferred the Clinique brush, she revealed.
Clinique will support the launch of its Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush with a number of digital innovations, including an animation that uses a delicate orchid petal to demonstrate the brush’s gentleness. “At counter we will demonstrate this slightly differently, by using a wet tissue on the back of a customer’s hand,” Pardo concluded.
