What Québec Wants

Take a beauty pill

There's a new treatment that claims the way to look more youthful on the outside is to start with the inside.

Innéov Fermeté is a little red pill that when taken daily supposedly provides the necessary nutrients to prevent wrinkles. It contains a compound found in tomatoes which, it is claimed, protects old skin cells and promotes the growth of new ones.  

It is among an emerging class of so-called cosmeceuticals - beauty treatments that claim to work from inside the body rather than being applied to the hair or skin.

Because Innéov Fermeté is taken daily as a sugar-coated pill, its makers hope that it will be viewed as a lifestyle product, like a vitamin supplement, rather than as a medicine.

It is on sale in parts of Europe and South America and a launch is planned in the UK, although a date has not yet been confirmed.

But with a price tag of £25 for a ten- day supply, it is likely to be beyond the budget of most Britons, particularly as the manufacturers say it will take around three months for any effect to be noticed.

Source: MailOnline

Quebeckers and looking young

The benefits offered by Innéov Fermeté are likely to be sought by women in Québec if and when it is sold in Québec. According to PMB 2009, women in the province are more likely to say they feel their confidence is greatly enhanced when they know they look their best and to say they like to change their appearance with cosmetics.

For more on Québec women and beauty, read this previous post.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Ask Canadians to rate how attractive they are and Quebeckers are more likely to rate themselves an 8, 9 or 10 than Canadians in the ROC. (35% compared to a 30% national average, 32% in BC, 30% in Ontario and below 25% in Alberta, Man/Sask and the Maritimes.)

Then ask Canadians to rate how attractive their significant other is and 52% of Quebeckers rate them an 8, 9 or 10, in line with the national average.

What does that tell us?

Canadians overall are more likely to rate their significant other as attractive than themselves.

Quebeckers look pretty good - as far as they're concerned and/or aren't shy about saying so.

By the way, this 2007 survey from Harris/Decima also shows that men are more likely to rate themselves above an 8.

Hairy subject

Quebeckers are significantly more likely to say the ideal hair colour of their mate is black or sandy blonde. Canadians in the ROC are more likely to say brown. These are the findings from an Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of the Canadian Newspaper Association in February 2008.

I can’t say why. If anyone can, please tell.

Ultra-thin models in Quebec

A follow-up to my previous post about ultra-thin models.

Quebec's minister of culture, communications and the status of women revealed plans yesterday to forge ties with the fashion industry to tackle the issue. A committee of between 25 to 30 people from different parts of the business will be formed to work in tandem with the province on drafting a charter by next spring. For more on this, read this CP story

Laundry, fashion and anti-aging

“It’s sort of an anti-aging line for clothes, using ingredients derived from Pantene hair products and Olay skin care.”

That’s how Procter & Gamble describes its new Total Care Tide and Downy line of products that draws on technology from its beauty products to let clothes keep their shape, colour and new look longer through repeated washing.

The company is also testing Tide Dry Cleaners with three stores set to open in Kansas City in September. For more on this, read this article in USA Today

Quebec women, clothes and laundry

The benefit of keeping clothes beautiful longer would likely resonate well with women in Quebec. While we often think of women in Quebec as being generally more fashionable than women in the rest of Canada, this doesn’t necessarily mean that “trendy” is more fashionable. In fact, women in Quebec are significantly more likely to agree with the statement “I prefer to buy clothes that are classic and timeless in style” – 66% in Quebec agree compared to 51% in English Canada. (Source: PMB 2008 among women 18+)

They also seem to take better care of those classics to ensure they stay beautiful; 34% used detergent for fine fabrics in the past six months compared to 26% in English Canada.

Fast fashion in Quebec

Spain-based retailer Zara is well known for its ability to go from design to delivery in 15 days. And this growing interest in inexpensive, “disposable” clothes is also finding its followers in Quebec. 3.6% of women in Quebec shopped at Zara in the past year while 3.8% did so in English Canada. (PMB 2008)

Montreal, Paris and beauty

Paris Hilton was in Montreal last weekend to promote her new line of footwear at a downtown Browns Shoes store where she also declared Montreal “ a beautiful city”. If you’re interested in Ms. Hilton's insights into her life, politics and her friend Britney, read Mathew Hays’ article in the Globe & Mail - Entertainment

Paris Hilton’s declaration that the city is “beautiful” must make the folks at Tourism Montreal very happy. The organization is launching a new campaign to promote Montreal to Torontonians, New Yorkers and Bostonians. Unlike the usual tourism ads where “beautiful” refers to landscapes, landmarks or architecture, this campaign seems to emphasize the beautiful latte-sipping people of Montreal with gorgeous shoes. A contrast from the bland, grey folks you presumably find in Toronto, New York and Boston. It’s an interesting departure from the typical “Paris without the jet lag” ads attempting to convince the same target that a weekend in Montreal is like a weekend in Paris.

Is this a cliché about Montreal or is there more “beauty” there?

Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I won’t answer. But survey data paint an interesting portrait of Quebeckers and the importance of looking good.

An Ipsos-Reid survey from 2004 revealed that 75% of Quebeckers agreed with the statement “I’m high maintenance, I constantly make an effort to look and smell great” while only 38% of Canadians in the rest of the country agreed. Data from the Print Measurement Bureau supports this finding: 18% of Quebec women “don’t feel complete without perfume” compared to only 12% of women English Canada.

77% of women in Quebec agree with the statement “I always make the time to shop for clothes that are exactly right for me” while 56% of women in the ROC do so.

If looking young actually looks better, Quebec women are more concerned about looking younger. Almost twice as many women in Quebec (36% vs. 19%) agree with the statement “I want to do everything I possibly can to look ten to fifteen years younger.”

Yet it seems that Quebec women aren’t significantly more interested in cosmetic surgery than women in the rest of the country. An Ipsos Reid survey conducted for CanWest News Service in 2007 indicated that the provinces and regions where having plastic surgery is most desired were: British Columbia and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (24%), Quebec (21%) and Alberta and Ontario (20%).