How L'Oreal Restored Brand Trust After Big La Roche-Posay Recall

Corporate cosmetic powerhouse L'Oreal, who yes owns La Roche-Posay among other brands, recently had to recall an acne treatment due to concerns that there may me a carcinogen named benzene in the formula. My thought when I see kerfuffles like this is how is the brand going to handle it?

How are they going to restore brand trust?

Consumers will want to know three things in particular moving forward:

1. How did L'Oreal detect the possible contaminant?

2. How soon did they take action?

3. How can consumers know that their future purchases are safe?

There are several things I would do on the marketing and social media end to help repair that long-standing brand trust with consumers.

REMIND CONSUMERS HOW LONG THEY HAVE BEEN AROUND

For a big established brand like L'Oreal, they can easily remind consumers how long they have been in the cosmetics industry, Sure this is a hit they've had to take, but amongst how many successes? It's a good time for them to promote the brands and products that the public has come to grow and love over the years.

For a smaller brand, how can you do the same? Well you can't restore brand trust in the same way a huge brand does. To help connect and restore trust amongst shoppers, I suggest a lot of communication - via email and via social media. Remind them why they bought from you and just be sincere in communication your dedication to their health and safety.

LEADERSHIP

While food regulations are strict, cosmetics are largely unregulated in the US. And while the FDA reports on recall numbers, the cosmetic recalls are lumped in with the food recalls. The estimated amount of cosmetics pulled from shelves each year may be barely in the thousands. It's a small number compared to the amount of cosmetics produced in the US each year.

For a powerhouse brand like L'Oreal to take it upon themselves to recall product in the first place is in itself an act of safety and leadership. I feel the best they can do is embrace it fully. To take on that leadership and proclaim how dedicated they are to the safety of their consumers.

Their recall was also executed from a place of leadership. They took it upon themselves to do the recall, and in so doing, they mitigated what would have otherwise turned into investigative journalism.

TRANSPARENCY

Transparency is perhaps always the best method for moving forward after a break in brand trust. Because really what people need to trust in L'Oreal for at this point isn't that they will not make mistakes but rather that they will deal with them in a quick and precise manner that will safeguard the consumers health.

In a statement to Bloomberg, L’Oréal said, “Therefore, in close coordination with the FDA, we have proactively decided to remove the limited remaining units of the current formula of Effaclar Duo from retailers.” They also said an improved formulation of the acne treatment will be available soon.

What They're Doing Right: BUSINESS AS USUAL

How L'Oreal is perhaps handling this in the best way is by continuing on with business as usual. They're being transparent and they were proactive, and that's it. No drama. No bells and whistles. Being a long-standing and well-established brand I'm sure has worked in their favor as well.

Whether you have a well-established or a new indie beauty brand, you can still follow the tips above when navigating a tricky situation like a product recall.