The next time you pour yourself a cold one, take a good look at the head before you quaff that first sip. For that matter, you might want to reconsider the entire beer, because it turns out it has the ability to multitask and lead a double life as a skincare product.
Wait, what?
Yeah, it may come off as a tough concept to swallow, but it turns out it’s true. If your choice of brews is Heineken, you’ll doubtless want to know that the renowned beer company is launching the “Heineken Smootheriser,” a beauty cream that’s blatantly designed to take advantage of the brand’s ongoing popularity in the beer world.
Heineken does skincare in significant product shift
Specifically, Heineken Silver is releasing this initial product, based on the beer’s reputation for smoothness. Presumably it’s for men given the classic silver can that’s instantly recognizable, although in theory, brew-oriented women might bite for this unusual form of ultra-masculine packaging.
The Smootheriser skin cream is made with the same ingredients as the beer, according to the company, which may or may not be a good thing. Companies like Oakwell Cosmetics have had success offering beer-based skin products as part of a spa experience, but Smootheriser represents a completely new approach for Heineken.
It’s definitely an intriguing experiment. Skincare ads are everywhere these days, and the expansion of the men’s side of the market is a big part of what’s happening. Heineken is obviously hoping that the rising tide of skincare interest will lift all boats, including a skin cream that comes in a beer can.
Famous beer, meet (hopefully) famous skin cream
The famous beer brand isn’t being shy about what the company is doing, either.
“The Heineken® Smootheriser is not just about jumping on the latest trends,” said Nabil Nasser, Global Head of the Heineken brand. “It’s about Heineken’s move to blend [humor], innovation and cultural relevance to create a memorable crossover that gets people talking, whether they’re into beer, skincare, or both. After all, when something is as smooth as Heineken Silver, why stop at beer?”
Why, indeed. As it turns out, several other unconventional moves are behind this product release. Heineken is making over 1,000 product-based boxes available as part of a launch promo, with these boxes featured through select activations and giveaways.
For those more interested in concrete results — i.e., does the skin cream actually work? — some serious travel will be involved to sample Smootheriser. It’s being launched in Taiwan and Cambodia, with product availability conveniently tied to the simultaneous availability of Heineken Silver in Asian markets.
While the transparent brand-crossover marketing of this skincare product might be audacious, there’s little doubt that Heineken has the brand power to pull it off. The company has a portfolio of over 340 beers and ciders available worldwide, with breweries, malting, and cider plants, as well as other production facilities located in more than 70 countries.
If Smootheriser is a hit, there’s little doubt that more similar skincare products will follow. Its success will be based on quality to at least some extent, of course, but Heineken’s brand power is a force to be reckoned with, and other beer companies and major consumer brands will be paying close attention to see if it’s worth their while to jump into the skincare game.
