Sometimes I stop and think about my makeup's life before it ends up in my beauty bag. Who thinks of the colors? How does it go from idea to actual thing? So, Allure's report on how MAC Cosmetics makes it products, in terms of developing ideas into actual products, was naturally fascinating to me — and I think you'll be fascinated too.
The report on the development process for MAC items is informative and in layman's terms, so we can all truly learn how our favorite shimmery pink eye shadow (MAC's Jest for me) or most beloved purple lipstick (I love MAC Rebel) came to be.
Since the brand introduces new ranges and products rather regularly, you get a keyhole view of the many moving parts and of the elements that go into creating a single product. It really is science!
Once you learn about the basic rundown of product development, you will never take your lip gloss for granted again. You'll be much more acutely aware of the fact that the creation process was a labor of love and will therefore appreciate your beauty items accordingly.
Here are the five key things we learned from Allure's report. If you already heart MAC, you will love the brand even more after reading this!
1. Creativity Rules
The team is creative, but the developers didn't always know makeup was in their future. Product Development Manager Juliet Falchi always dabbled in art and ended up at MAC, while Product Development Assistant Manager Mimoza Disha previously worked in a chocolate factory. Turns out molding sweet treats and lipstick is somewhat similar! The developers work with the chemists, so the development teams appears to be a mix of creative and technical.
2. A Fun Job To Have
What do developers do? They basically focus on the look, color, feel, and texture of your favorite product. Falchi and Disha told Allure that MAC's front-facing "All races, all sexes, all ages" credo applies to its employees as well as its customers. They noted to the publication that the brand values the varied opinions of its product developers, who come from all over the world. That's amazing for us as consumers, since so many different viewpoints are represented.
3. Inspo Is All Around
The developers pay attention to bloggers, customers, and the runway when coming up with ideas for products.
4. Advance Notice
Did you know that sometimes the developers are working three years in advance? Their goal is to predict trends, which isn't always easy nor is it an exact science. There's a lot of time and commitment involved, but the payoff is in the product.
5. This Is How It Works In A Nutshell
Products take a lot of time and effort to create. Here's the quick breakdown: "There's the color, the texture, and all the testing," Disha explained to Allure. "There is fragrance testing, odor testing, testing our waterproof or long-wearing claims, and making sure the payoff is perfect, which is what we call testing the 'pressing.' The pressing is very important because if [a product] is pressed too hard, you won't get the right amount of color payoff." Fascinating, right?
I will keep all of this in mind next time I slick on my favorite MAC Lustreglass. This report is also beneficial for fans that launch petitions for MAC ranges dedicated to their favorite celebs, like the current Aaliyah-for-MAC campaign!
