Ch. 10 Product Concepts

As mentioned before Burt's Bees is a personal care company, specifically it is part of an ever-growing niche industry of 'natural' personal care products. The items that Burt;s Bees offer range from, hand creams and body lotions, to face washes and lip balms. In recent years they have broadened and expanded product offerings to include, lip glosses shimmers and sun-screens.

People who routinely use Burt's Bees products and choose them specifically are buying specialty consumer products. In essence this means that potential customers are 1. purchasing a product that fits there individual and personal wants, and 2. is searching for extensively and reluctant to choose an alternative.

From its line of lip products there are two main categories to choose from. Lip Color and Lip care, further down these categories are divided into eight specific product offerings which gives the consumer a nice variety to choose from when deciding what they would like to use on there lips.

From its line of facial products again the varieties are many and vary based on the different needs and wants of customers, from those with sensitive skin, to others looking for specific ingredients and even those of want a little bit more radiance on there skin. 

It is also important to mention that since Burt's Bees is a company committed to the Greater Good there recycled post-consumer packaging plays a large role in its brand identity. They are a company that is focused on the environment, that understands the key role played by a company and the responsibility of reducing carbon footprints and working diligently towards sustainability. 

Below is an excerpt taken directly from the Burt's Bees website to illustrate the companies personal commit to providing environmentally friendly products through its packaging. Since it plays such a large role in a companies waste production, it is a defining characteristic of the company to put its best foot forward to reduce its level of waste. 

Our Packaging Innovations

As a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, we’re continuing to develop innovative sustainable packaging solutions for ourselves—and the industry. In addition to using the highest approved levels of Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) or Post Industrial Recycled (PIR) and recyclable materials whenever possible, here are a few of our other achievements:

• Our new lip balm and lip shimmer packaging labels are now shrink wrap free. In just one year this has eliminated 1800 miles of shrink wrap film that would have been sent to the landfill — enough to wrap the Statue of Liberty 100 times!


• We’ve trimmed the excess packaging from many of our products — some by 50 percent!


• We’ve also pioneered the introduction of TerraSkin™ Wraps, an environmentally friendly, treeless and bleach-free paper alternative we use to package most of our bar soaps. It has a lower absorption rate so we can use 20-30 percent less ink when printing. And because it’s stronger and water resistant, it makes for less waste.