One of the fascinating things about all beauty products is that the ingredients are readily available online to look at for the consumer—there are laws that state that the company has to provide accurate information regarding what they put in their products. This product contains parabens, which are chemicals that have tentatively been linked to cancer in some studies, although more research is absolutely necessary to prove a conclusive link between breast cancer and parabens (Goins, 2015). Some people still choose to avoid them, however, and the presence of these chemicals is not apparent on the Covergirl packaging. The product contains no chemicals that are certified as harmful by OSHA, regardless of the presence of a number of different types of parabens in the product itself. Being aware of the presence of these chemicals is important because the consumer should be aware of the things they are putting in their body and using on their body, even if they choose to use the product regardless of the risks associated with use.
The language used to describe this product is, again, very interesting. Many beauty products are marketed using soft, feminine words, but this product is marketed using punchy, aggressive language (Covergirl.com, 2015; Youtube.com, 2015). The language in the advertisements includes words like “blast,” “pop,” “big,” “bold,” and “crusher” (Covergirl.com, 2015; Youtube.com, 2015). These are important words for the advertisers to use, because they demonstrate that there is a specific market for these products, and that the market is mostly younger women and adolescents.
The bright, bold colors of the advertisements and the many bold words used to describe this particular product indicates that the Lashblast mascara is targeting their audience with a “girl power” message of sorts—they have chosen celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Katy Perry, Pink and Ellen to advertise this particular product, which is an interesting assortment of women who appeal to a varied audience of young people (Covergirl.com, 2015; Youtube.com, 2015). One thing all these women have in common is that they are widely considered to be empowered and powerful in their careers; this further emphasizes that female empowerment and strength is the subtle driving force behind these particular Covergirl advertisements.
References
Covergirl.com,. (2015). Explore COVERGIRL’s LashBlast Mascara Collection.. Retrieved 10 July 2015, from http://www.covergirl.com/new-products/lashblast?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=lash%20blast&utm_campaign=Covergirl_Search_Category+Interest+Product.Exact&utm_content=sgclgy9hF_dc|81303456758
Goins, L. (2015). The Makeup of Makeup: Decoding Mascara. WebMD. Retrieved 10 July 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/beauty/makeup/makeup-decoding-mascara
Pg.com,. (2015). Material Data Safety Sheet. Retrieved 10 July 2015, from https://www.pg.com/productsafety/msds/beauty_care/color_cosmetics/Cover_Girl_LashBlast_Fusion_Mascara_(98910402).pdf
YouTube,. (2015). Covergirl Drew Barrymore's Lashblast Mascara Commercial. Retrieved 10 July 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zILszWDXaYs
YouTube,. (2015). LashBlast Mascara Commercial | COVERGIRL. Retrieved 10 July 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HoQ-HblRG8
