During the broadcast for the Cancer Fighters Foundation, one of the charges, while reading the list of donors, mistakenly translated the name Eveline Cosmetics into “Ewelina Kosmetyczna”. Viewers quickly picked up on this mistake, which went viral. At the same time, the amount of the donation attracted attention – PLN 1.2 million, one of the highest in the entire collection.
Several hours after the end of the stream, the brand made a move that no one expected. In social media and online store, the official name was temporarily changed to “Ewelina Kosmetyczna”. As company representatives later explained, it was a conscious communication decision: a quick entry into the viral community and an attempt to extend interest in the charity event.
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From a family business to a global exporter
Eveline Cosmetics has been operating on the market since 1983. It is a family enterprise, founded by the Kasprzycki family, from the beginning associated with the production plant in Lesznowola near Warsaw. In the 1980s, the company started with basic makeup products – mainly lipsticks and mascaras – when, after the period of shortages in the Polish People's Republic, Polish consumers began to expect greater choice and aesthetics known from Western markets.
Already in the mid-1980s, the company began its foreign expansion – initially to the markets of Eastern Europe, including the USSR, and then to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, some Arab countries and Asia. Today, the brand is present in over 80 countries around the world.
The key strategic decision was to remain an independent entity, outside the structures of global cosmetics concerns. This meant less capital, but at the same time great flexibility and full control over products, prices and communication.
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The pandemic has changed the focus
— The company's main sales market before the pandemic was export. Then these proportions started to change in favor of the domestic market – says Monika Wasilewska, Marketing and Media Manager Eveline Cosmetics.
According to the company's declaration, a few years ago foreign sales accounted for approximately 70 percent. revenues. This includes: this model allowed for financing investments in laboratories, technologies and logistics, while maintaining production in Poland.
Covid-19 and the rapid development of e-commerce on the domestic market have reversed the previous proportions. Poland has become the main source of revenue for Eveline Cosmetics. The company has built strong own online sales channels and effectively leveraged its position as one of the most recognizable cosmetic brands in the country.
According to NielsenIQ data, Eveline Cosmetics currently ranks first in Poland in terms of sales value in the makeup category in the drugstore channel – including: in the foundations, mascaras and powders segments.
Everything under one roof
One of the foundations of Eveline Cosmetics' competitive advantage is the concentration of key processes in Lesznowola: from research and development, through production, to logistics. The brand has its own R&D laboratories that create formulas in accordance with international GMP and GHP standards. This model shortens the time to market products, which is crucial in the beauty industry – which operates in the rhythm of short trends.
Brand transformation
Recent years have brought a clear change: the brand has changed the aesthetics of its packaging, places greater emphasis on technological details and appears more and more often in industry plebiscites. Eveline Cosmetics is no longer perceived only as “cheap color cosmetics”, and has started to function as a full-fledged player in the beauty trends segment. Digital communication played an important role: extensive social media, cooperation with influencers and educational content.
In this context, the image of “Ewelina Kosmetyczna” – a homely, but global company behind it – played particularly well.
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Spontaneous rebranding
However, “Ewelina Kosmetyczna” is not the result of a mistake on the Łaganga stream, it already has its own history. — This name was used jokingly among our clients, influencers and in company conversations. We have a lot of sympathy for her. Its use was something natural for us, explains Monika Wasilewska.
However, market experts point out that such a far-reaching viral entry always carries risks – from misunderstanding on foreign markets to accusations of instrumental use of charity threads. This time, the community's reaction was clearly positive.
