By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY: Braun has announced more details about their new range of high-end epilators. Talking to Current.com.au, Braun group business manager George O’Neil revealed both the release schedule and the price points of this new range.
Known as the Braun Silk-Epil Xpressive range, the three new models will ship to retailers in August, in preparation for what Braun expects will be a very busy Christmas season in the epilation category.
At the top of this new range is the RRP $179 model, which features 40 tweezers. An in-built massage system reduces pain, as does Braun’s head design and ‘hair lift system’, which guides hairs individually into the tweezers, reducing the pain caused by two hairs being epilated at once.
This is Braun’s first cordless epilator, keeping the German manufacturer in line with their competitor Emjoi. It runs on a lithium ion battery, which Braun claims has a faster charge then their rivals and a battery life up to 60 minutes. Other features include a light to guide users; a pivoting head; shaver, underarm and beginners cap; and a washable head.
“Our product is proven to remove up to seven times more short hairs, at 0.5mm lengths, than wax,” said O’Neil.
The second tier in this range is RRP $159, as is not cordless. Its features are similar, except that it does not include a head for shaving. The third product is RRP $139. This is also a mains-operated epilator and includes less caps again.
Braun’s figures show that epilators only have a 6% penetration rate in Australian homes. This equates to enormous opportunities for retailers to stock a product that is yet to reach the potential it has shown overseas. O’Neil puts the lack of penetration down to ignorance in the market of epilation and misconceptions about the pain caused by epilation.
For this second factor, innovations in research and development have sought to reduce the pain. In order to introduce epilation to the marketplace, Braun is currently working on promotions and marketing to support the category.