Here's the question of the day:
"Who can trust the organic brand image if they all sell out?"
It's the one posed by Canada's Financial Post regarding Canada's own Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics' refusal to sell to bigger corporations or hedge fund managers.
They quote Mark Constantine, the brand's chief executive, commenting on the recent sale of Burt's Bees to Clorox: "You couldn't have a more dramatic difference in image from a chemical bleach company and a natural cosmetics company based on honey and bees."
They also point out other "natural" brands who have sold out in recent years, among them, Bare Escentuals and UK's Body Shop (to L'Oreal).
Of course, I'm just hitting the tip of the iceberg here, but I think that's the point: Now that you know Clorox owns Burt's Bees, will it affect whether you buy the product or not?
There are, I'm sure, myriad reasons that sale happened (outlined in the NY Times article), but does that change your perception when you actually choose which brand to buy? What if Clorox told you they'd stick by the original mission of the Burt's Bees company? (Their site states: "It's a great opportunity to help us better deliver against our mission of making truly natural personal products available to everyone, everywhere.")
Yes, it takes a lots and lots of money to expand a brand globally, but I'm not sure consumers who consider themselves "ethical" buyers really care how big their shampoo company gets.
But, then again, does a company like Estee Lauder really need them when they can turn a brand like Aveda into a global powerhouse?
I mean, does anyone remember when Ben & Jerry's ceased to be a little Vermont ice cream company?
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