It’s not a factor for me to buy/not buy typically, though there are a few names that are questionable, and I’d always rather something that isn’t problematic.
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Not too important, but I have occasionally purchased an item for the name if I like the color too, but I don’t think I’ve ever not purchased a product because of it’s name.
I guess I’m old because I will ? one hundred percent avoid products that have smutty names like “orgasm” or “sext”
I also really hate names like “burnt orange” or “dark midtone green” but I won’t avoid them. It’s just lazy IMO.
Kelly, I’m like you on the childishly class-less sex names. For crying out loud, most women spending a lot of money on higher end cosmetics like Nars (and they’re not the only ones, as we know too well) are way past the age where giggling over “dirty words” is part of their lives. I’m looking for more sophistication than that! BUT – what I find so refreshing about the Lorac eyeshadow palettes is the fact that they DO use names like “Light Brown”, “Cool Grey”, “Beige”. I love names that actually TELL me what the colour is, rather than names like Papillio or Samael…what the heck shades are THOSE???
I agree Kelly and maybe it is an age thing but I don’ appreciate the immature, and frankly sexually overloaded names either. There’s no need, I just thought I was alone in this.
Totally agree on the lewd names. I realize sex sells and that they’re [hopefully] tongue in cheek, but I resent feeling like a marketer’s “mark” when I see sexy color names.
Also, my 14 y.o. daughter plays with my makeup and I find it embarrassing when she sees my Nars blush and UD palette names. I’m sure she hears worse at school, but I’m her mother! She doesn’t want to know I know those words!
Agreed. Smutty/slang names are a turn off. I’ve stayed away from a few other brands altogether because I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing my nieces’ cheesy makeup with names like DGAF or DTF or Thrust or Smashed or Netflix and Chill or whatever. I have all of UD’s Naked palettes because I’m a sucker for neutrals and palettes, but some of the names are a huge eyeroll.
It only carries any weight with as far as the company’s reputation for producing high quality products. But never as some kind of status symbol or whatever. We all come on here to learn more about a said product or brand, and we get to witness first-hand how many times a Dior or even a Tom Ford product doesn’t always cut it and may do quite poorly. Conversely, an out of the blue, brand new budget brand ala Colourpop can come along and give the higher end brands some heavy competition because they can churn out mostly great products for under $8 a pop! A great product is a great product. Period.
Oops!!! I really read that question all wrong!? Sorry!!!I mistook it for a “brand name” instead of a “product” name, my bad!?
Yes a PRODUCT name can definitely sway me, but typically it’s that if I find the name either too offensive because of it’s being overtly sexual, demonic, drug-related, or ridiculously juvenile, I will pass it up. If it’s a name that I’d be embarrassed to tell someone if they asked “I love your lipstick/ blush/eyeshadow, may I ask what it is called?” , then there may be a problem if I have to say “F-Bomb”, for instance.
Although this is FAR more difficult when it is say, a few eyeshadows in a large palette! Because yes, one of my favorite e/s palettes ever has a few with questionable names. But ONLY a few.?
Lol Nancy. I thought the same thing!! Heheeeee. No worries. 🙂
I really don’t pay attention to the name of a product. It’s the color that matters to me. If I want to repurchase the item, then I look at the name. But I grew up in an old fashioned household, went to Catholic School and sex wasn’t a normal topic to talk about. L. With my two kids, my daughter will be 25 years old and my son will be 23 years old in April and May, I didn’t raise them as strict as my sister and I were raised. I wasn’t overly lenient either! Being newly 46 years old, back in my day..Madonna was really putting the sex out there. L. (Lol. Back in my day!). I think someone or something, as we are really talking about, can keep it classy and elegant sexy without over doing it. Imho. Sex sells, just look at some of these TV commercials. A name of a product isn’t a big deal for me, but some of these commercials are! 🙂
Honestly, UD’s product names were one of the reasons I decided I was outgrowing the brand. A lot of their products are drug references of the sort made by my dumb brothers when they were even dumber teenagers. Even rolling with the whole Naked thing, it gets pretty cringe-worthy. I’m an adult woman who doesn’t need to chuckle over the notion of a “Walk of Shame.”
I wonder how many teen ColourPop fans are aware of where The Rabbit got its name…
I agree with this. I will buy something with a trashy name if there is not a similar product out there, but I will avoid it if at all possible. I am a grown woman. I am not going to purchase something with porn/drug names. It is just icky to me…as the grown woman just says icky!
Yes! I was thinking about this a few weeks ago and thought the same thing!
Since companies are always trying use some sexy or controversial name, I’m rarely offended by the name to skip the product, but I sometimes think companies have gone overboard with names that seem to be some version of nude, naked, sex, sex acts, curse words, trendy words, etc. I swear companies must be pouring through the thesaurus, trying to find a thousand synonyms for “nude”. And Kat Von D generated a lot of controversy with her lipsticks in Underage Red and Lolita. I get it, sex and controversy sells, but sometimes it feels like too much. But I have to admit, I did get a really good laugh out of Tarte’s Manbun lippie, and that name does stick in my mind amid hundreds of new lippies, so maybe Tarte’s strategy is working on me.
Sometimes I don’t like the names of products, but it’s not really important to me. I’m more interested in how good the product is. The exception would be something really offensive, like a derogatory racial term or something. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a product name that was so offensive I wouldn’t buy it.
On the other hand, a name I love makes me even more likely to buy. But usually a great name on its own usually won’t be enough to make me buy a subpar product.
I usually don’t care, but if a name is really gross or embarrassing it might influence my decision to not get a product. examples that come to mind are the tarte lip paints (the lavender is pretty but do I want a lipstick called yaasss?), kat von d’s underage red (I know she says it’s about going to concerts when she was underage but in a line that also has a lipstick called lolita … yikes), and tom ford lips and boys (I just think it’s weird). I own colourpop feminist and it’s a very pretty shade but brands trading on female empowerment stuff while also basically selling you products to improve your appearance always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. and recently I was looking at some of the jeffree star lipsticks and he has a lipstick called abused which is really not cool.
if I really like the name of a lipstick, it might make me want to buy it more, but only if I like the color too. I own the yaoi lip tar mostly because the name cracked me up.
hmm I didn’t realize I had so many opinions on product names until just now
I’m very attracted to makeup products that are named Fig and Chestnut… If I’m considering buying a product, and a shade bears one of these two names, I’m very likely to pick it. It’s a weird obsession, I know…
On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever been put off by a product name so much that I changed my mind about purchasing it. There was the MAC x Rodarte collection debacle a few years ago, and I would have boycotted it if it had been released with such product names, but I can’t think of any other time when I thought a name was really unacceptable.
How do you feel Tom Ford’s Traceless Foundation Stick on your face? and what shade you are, it oxidized? Thank you for your time.
I sound like an investigator, but I did not want to bore you with a long text…sorry
Thank you again! I’m looking forward for your review!
If I review it, I will post on the blog! I don’t know whether the shade I purchased is a match yet, sorry! I have only worn it a handful of times and not for testing yet.
I’m not the type of person that refuses to buy a product because of a name. I am more likely to be drawn to something because of a name, but I still wont blindly buy it simply because of a name, it’s just more appealing and I need to actually like the product itself too!
NARS Orgasm, Deep Throat, Marc Jacobs Lolita, etc…. I know these are some top offenders but none of these offend me, I have yet to be offended by a product’s name. I do however, love the name from Estee Lauder “Bronze Goddess” because I would love to be one 🙂
I guess the product’s name is not that important.
I don’t choose my products by name, but if I am on the fence about getting something, the name can make or break the deal.
It’s a plus, it gives more charm and “personality”, but it’s not because a product has my name or a name that I really like that I’ll buy it.
Same about the packaging.
It’s definitely a marketing strategy to sell more.
The quality of the product is definitely the most important.
I tend to look good in a lot of different colors though I do keep gravitating towards the same types. If I find a color or shade that has a cute name or a name I find significant to me, I’ll buy it just for the name, especially if I know it’s a good formula. For example, aside from the fact that it’s nearly a perfect nude palette for me, I mostly bought the UD Gwen Stefani palette because I’m a big fan of her and No Doubt
Well, maybe it was a factor when I was younger. I recall purchasing NARS Orgasm blush and hoping that my mum wouldn’t see it. ?
Now I would say that I haven’t come across any names that have put me off buying something. However, if I love the name of a product then I sometimes find myself trying to talk myself into getting it! The last time I did that was a while back but it was Dior Rouge Dior Nude lipstick in Swan. I just thought the name was cute and even though I swatched it and thought it would be too light for my lips I bought it anyway…
…luckily for me it turned out to be gorgeous on and it’s now one of my favourite nude lipsticks! It could so easily have gone the other way though. I have an aversion to someone else applying lip products on me so I almost never try lipsticks on in store. Mostly just seeing it on the back of my hand I can judge pretty well whether or not it would suit me.
So yeah, names aren’t really a factor for me but I have the odd moment where I may want to buy something that I love the name of! How embarrassing. ?
It’s usually not a big deal for me, though I definitely think that poor choices are made by cosmetic companies sometimes. One that comes to mind for me (that I own) is UD’s “Backdoor” from the Smoked palette. Especially because of the color. It’s just… icky.
Backdoor is in my Vice LTD palette! Worse still, it makes for a great dark brown smokey eye when I use it with Chase, Last Sin and *ahem* Deeper! EEEWWW!?
When asked, I just say “Oh, just a bunch of browns from and UD palette.” and leave it there.?
The thing is though, edgy is Urban Decay’s image so names like “Backdoor” is pretty fitting for their image.
No one would argue that UD is edgy (Beauty with an Edge, no less!) and I own plenty of their products. Cheeky, risqué or sexy names don’t bother me, in fact I find them very amusing. But when you name a *brown* eyeshadow after that particular sex act, it’s not edgy, it’s just kind of weird.
Not important at all. I don’t think so much about it.
it’s not important but it’s more convenient than a number that you might forget. it’s marketing , sometimes when nail polish have good name and the color pleased me, i want to buy it . But in general even if the name is so so it doesn’t matter … except for instant deep throat by Nars … it’s .. not possible at all !
Not very! Although there are a few products with names that make them awkward to use in conversation to anyone other than a makeup fanatic who’s already familiar with some of the questionable names. I can imagine clients who might not want to have to say that they’re wearing a certain name!
So long as the name doesn’t promote violence of any kind whether intended or not, does turn me off. Otherwise I’m ok with anything really.
I do not have any kids and as a former rider (notoriously potty mouth’d peeps who like to pepper their speech with the F-bomb) and now farmer, there are days when my mouth could challenge a drunken sailor. Hairball can be quite the pro as well and has unknowingly startled senior citizens into forming that perfectly horrified O with their mouths while jokingly dropping his characteristic vitriol to me passing in the aisle of the grocery shopping. I can still picture the moment, the lady’s face.. with Harald laughingly oblivious… Seriously though, I’m far more offended by people’s poor behaviour to one another than I am by bad suggestive puns and crude sexual innuendo. Bring it on. I might even get a groan laugh out of it.
Ah yes, we senior citizens can come out with a few ourselves at times, but for the majority of us we were raised in a kinder, gentler world where swearing wasn’t accepted.
As for names of products, I couldn’t care less : )
LOL.. we usually choose our moments a little more carefully, but he was in rare form. 😀
I do worry about certain names and will not buy a lipstick called “sin”, much as I love the colour, what if someone says to me “whats on your lips, it’s lovely” and I have to answer “sin”.
I also have a problem with “perversion” (notice a theme here?) “fire down below” and “pervette”.
I care about certain names, for example sometimes I’m more likely to buy a product if I like the name especially with nail polish. As much as I love NARS there are some products I refuse to buy (Orgasm, Deep Throat, related names) but I love some of their product names too such as Dragon Girl and I bought that velvet matte lip pencil because of the name
this is such an interesting question ! i usually don’t get a product based on the name but if i get a laugh out of it i’m there’s a bigger chance i will buy it, especially if the color’s nice too
I have a pretty thick skin. I don’t get offended by much. But what does offend me is when several products have different names. There are like three beauty products with the name Yass, which is an annoying name to begin with. I would imagine when developing a new product, a quick google search would be a no-brainer.
I don’t care at all about product names, but Tarte’s Lip Paints have such cringe-worthy names. Like seriously, “Manbun”, “YAASSS”, and “Bae”!? WTF is that!? Same on you Tarte, for using such ridiculous social media terms.
I’m not bothered about product names per se, it’s the brand names I find offputting – Jelly Pong Pong (who wants to buy from a smelly brand, lol?), Makeup Geek sounds REALLY nerdy, and as for Pupa – that’s Polish for backside, for heavens’ sake!!
I generally don’t care about the names, but I can decide on buying a product over another if they are dupes, same quality, and one has a cool name and the other doesn’t. Same thing if one has a trashy name and one doesn’t.
Also, I hate hate HATE names/numbers. Inglot and Make up forever have those kinds of names and I hate them, because I don’t remember numbers as well as names.
It actually influences me quite a bit. If it has a problematic name, I won’t buy it. And if it has a name that I really like, I probably will. I’m a sucker for some of OCC’s names (NSFW, Yaoi, Electric Grandma, etc) and indies always have the best fandom themed names. If someone came out with a history-themed collection with cool names, I’d totally be more influenced to buy it even if it was a product I wouldn’t normally check out.
The name of a product makes no difference to me at all. I’m in it for the actual product. If a product is good then that’s what I care about. And the only time a name on a product means anything is if I’m hoping to repurchase it. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
Irrelevant
The only time I ever bought just because of a name was Zoya Micky, because I had a yorkie named Micky.
I prefer shadows and blushes that have a name instead of a number, so I can remember them more easily! The more imaginative, the better! I actually like Urban Decay’s names because they are quite catchy and easy to remember, and I don’t mind the risky ones. I’m not easily offended.
I like interestingly named products. For example, the names in the Lorac palettes irk me a bit and I much prefer Urban Decay’s creative names, or Too Faced’s cute names, etc, but that alone won’t prevent me from buying a product that seems truly worth having.
On the flipside, I find Nars names a bit awkward (Deepthroat, lol), but I use Better Than Sex mascara so those edgy names like that make me laugh more than put me off.
I do not like names like Jeffree Star’s “Abused” and Kat Von D’s “Celebutard”. Since that KVD product was discontinued a long time ago, before I was even into makeup I believe (and perhaps before the r-word was well known to be offensive), I do still buy from her line. Jeffree’s name for that particular liquid lipstick (among other things / how he responded to the criticism) has put me off his line altogether.
Not at all though I have to roll my eyes sometimes, I’m looking at you Tarte! Fomo? Really?
Typically, a name doesn’t matter at all, but if I’m on the fence about a product and it has a cute name, sometimes it’ll sway the decision and I’ll buy it.
I do mind the annoying “YAASSS!” type names… and I don’t understand the ones named things like “Pride + Prejudice + Zombies”. What is that?! Was it a knock off movie of Pride & Prejudice that they named a palette after?
I hate things with really annoying cutesy names, or names that would attract a 14 year old. The super “artsy” names are kind of annoying too, the ones that NO ONE knows how to pronounce. I wish that brands would just be a little more simple with naming things, but I also see why they go all out with the crazy names, and depending on the demographic they are marketing towards.
And with the sex names… I don’t mind them. Unless it was something *really* awful, and I haven’t seen any yet. The fact that Nars named that blush Orgasm back in the day is one reason that it sold like crazy. And LOTS of women purchased it, young, old, conservative, and liberal. It became iconic because of the name, and I don’t find it particularly distasteful. But I don’t see sex as some dirty hush hush act either. I think it depends on the person, I suppose. But I bet many “shy” women got a huge kick out of buying Nars Orgasm.
I agree with you completely, especially in regards to the sex names. Personally, I never understand the people who complain when brands like urban decay give a product sexy shade names when the whole brand image is playful and edgy.
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies is a book that pairs the original classic text with a fantasy zombie storyline. It’s now a movie.
Product naming is so critical to branding, sometimes I wonder did the marketing team allocate any resources to focus groups when I see and hear the end results for a new collection. Overall, I don’t like asinine, borderline obnoxious names like ” gay ponies playing in the snow”, Smith and Cult actually have a nail polish called that, and anyone in executive management who feels that’s an appropriate or fun name for a nail polish will not get revenue from me. I also thought Orgasm was super vulgar as well, the Nars team could have thought of a sensual word, rather than the act. I think YSL are ok for names because they don’t bother to translate them, or a combination of colour and number works best for me, say beige 201 rouge g.
If it’s a hopelessly morbid (or terrible), occult inspired or a fandom related I’m all over it, but only if I already like/will use the product. Ultimately the actual product is more important.
I wouldn’t buy something that referenced a slur, sexual assault, or abuse, and honestly I’m less likely to buy from a brand that thinks it’s ok to use those names. It’s gross to use someone else’s suffering as your marketing strategy.
On the other side, a cute/fun name has pushed me over the edge from “maybe” to “I’m getting this.” haha I’m still considering buying that “Bond Girl” lipstick even though it’s not a color I usually wear 🙂
Some of the products names I find offensive, such as a Jeffree Lip gloss called “abused” and some of the others that have sexual, smutty or drug related inferences. I think that is unnecessary and demeaning, eg Nars Blush Orgasm. I think the brands can come up with something better than this. So I don’t buy the product.
Names referring to the colour are fine by me.
As I’ve stated in a reply to Kelly, I’m not on board with the overly sexualized names used by some products. I do think it may be an age thing but I find it unnecessary, but won’t not purchase a product because of it, if i I really love it.
I literally stay away from some of Nars products for this reason!
It’s never the main selling point for me, but if I like the color and the name of the shade is cool then I’ll likely buy it. Also, contrary to what other comments say, personally I like the more raunchy names when it fits the brand, like with Urban Decay whose image is edgy and therefore it’s fitting to have edgy names for product shades.
Not usually a factor for me either, but if a product has my name I may check it out (but not necessarily buy it) when I otherwise wouldn’t have. I’ve gotten so used to names like Orgasm or LSD that it doesn’t even phase me.
As far as individual product names: Some names are evocative and attention grabbing. I remember hearing about how the 2000 Calorie mascara name was a game changer in the industry. It’s quite brilliant. Philosophy has some evocative tempting names, too (hope in a jar, for instance).
On the other hand do find the Clinique “chubby stick” color names (e.g. Fuller Fig, Pudgy Peony) are embarrassing. I’m not sure if they’re just meant to be affectionately funny or if they are tone deaf about fat shaming, but I find them awkward and thus avoid them.
I’d like to say I’m immune to the name of a product, but I’m a sucker for marketing. Even though I resent it, sometimes.
Brand names: I will try anything once, but I will tend to generalize after one or two bad experiences. I’ve stayed away from Covergirl since some nasty powdery eyeshadows years ago. I should probably give them another try, but don’t have a compelling reason. OTOH, I’m smitten with the Marc Jacobs products I’ve tried and would definitely try more or buy online with little prompting.
I love The Balm´s products because of the name. I think fun and cute!
I’d buy a dang black lipstick if it was named after me, lol!
Pretty important. I don’t want to wear products with smutty names or references to drugs – I just find it low class and unimaginative. I suppose Pearl Beige or Cloudy Sky and the like are just as unimaginative, but it doesn’t cheapen my experience with the product like a silly trendy phrase or drug reference.
If I already like a product, a nice name always pleases me more.
But I absolutely detest names with sexual connotations (such as Nars product names). I find it sleazy and vulgar.
Yes, there are a few products that I haven’t purchased only because of the name. It’s usually because I find the name offensive, but there have been two products that have shared the names of two women who destroyed many friendships in a group I once belonged to. I don’t like having things around that constantly remind me of something so negative. I prefer names that give me some idea of what a product is like.
I don’t mind “sexy” names, but I’ve been put off from ever purchasing from Jeffree Star because of the one particular liquid lipstick name (and his reaction to criticism of it). Silly names (like the tarte liquid lipstick names) don’t appeal to me much but I also would still buy the product if I wanted it despite the name.
I prefer names that give me some indication of what feeling the color is supposed to evoke. They don’t necessarily have to use a color word, but names that bear no relation to the color are frustrating to me because I find them hard to remember. Too Faced is an example of a brand who does a good job with evocative names that aren’t necessarily color names, as is Urban Decay. I love theBalm and enjoy their product names but not their color names. The Meet Matt(e) palettes are particularly bad about this – how am I supposed to remember that Matt Lombardi is the yellowy beige and Matt Hung is the purpley taupe?
I really hate the tarte lip paint names (Man Bun, really?). When brands try to adopt slang like that it makes it seem like they’re trying too hard to be young. It just doesn’t really suit a makeup brand. Plus those words have a high turnover rate, and don’t they want their products to still be relevant a year from now?
I also hate problematic names like ‘Underage Red’ from Kat VonD. I would expect better. And of course, the sex names are pretty ridiculous. ‘Orgasm’ I kind of get because they could be referring to the natural flush you get when you orgasm, but Deep Throat? Really? So obscene and unnecessary, and I’m guessing a man named that one.
I tend to like the straight-forward names like those featured in the Lorac Pro Palette.
I don’t care so much for all my stuff to be high end. I’ll try any brand with enough research. I have my go to brands for certain things, but I’m open to trying new things. Just not my facial cleaner, dove is staple that I refuse to change, lol ?.
I don’t really allow for product name to be a criterion when I want to buy a product. However, having said that, if the lipstick had a name which I liked and the shade was halfway up my alley – I’d pick it up. To clarify, I don’t expect NARS (or any brand for that matter) to release a lipstick with my name as the shade name – My name is Kulpreet! But if there was a lipstick with my name or my pseudo name – I’d pick it up in a heartbeat! 😉 How vain am i!!
I am beyond ‘Names’ and more about quality! Gotta make my dollars work for me, big plans ahead….