S.C. Johnson is trying to grow its Skintimates brand by targeting the burgeoning teen market as well as those long-time soap and water users

Skintimate’s position as the leading shave gel for women has not made manufacturer S.C. Johnson complacent. Company executives recognize the room this brand has for improvement and said growth lies in targeting both the younger consumer and the older woman who doesn’t use a shaving gel product.

S.C. Johnson leads the shave prep category with the current leader in both the men’s (Edge) and women’s category. In fact, Skintimates leads its closest competitor, Gillette, by a three-to-one margin in the women’s category. Skintimates even comprises more of SCJ’s shave prep sales than Edge. SCJ is hoping to grow Skintimates’ sales even further with the addition of fruit-scented products to the Skintimates range.

“Fruity notes have really become very popular in personal care products,” remarked Veronica A. Shearn, director of marketing, Firmenich, the fragrance company that developed Skintimate scents. “And now these scents can make people feel good while they are shaving.”

The new SKUs are: raspberry rain- and peaches-scented moisturizing shave gels; moisturizing shave gel for the bikini and underarm areas and raspberry rain exfoliating shave créme. Each product retails for $2.49 at mass merchandise outlets, drugstores and supermarkets.

With these entries, SCJ is exploring unchartered territory in the women’s shave prep category by offering the first fruit-scented products as well as the first products formulated for use in the difficult-to-shave bikini and underarm areas. Company executives think these products will appeal to young women, who spend a reported $8.7 billion a year on personal care products and influence product purchases for their entire households, as well as consumers who currently use soap and water or body wash to shave.

“We wanted to go farther in meeting the needs of women,” said Sean Carey, senior brand manager, SCJ’s shave business. “This way, we can attract even more women who don’t use a shaving prep product.”

In July, SCJ restaged Skintimates, which leads the segment by a three-to-one margin over its nearest competitor, by reformulating the existing products, improving their graphics and launching a new advertising campaign. This restage helped increase Skintimate sales 20%, according to the company. SCJ executives would not comment on projected sales figures for the new products.