Innovation

Kenvue, formally the healthcare consumer division of Johnson & Johnson, is an American healthcare company and proprietor of many household name brands including Neutrogena, Aveena, Tylenol, and Listerine. Kenvue prides itself on the importance it places on its consumers and the ingredients going into its products. Kenvue Brand Manager, Sophie Brown said, “We are very focused on making sure that we care about the consumers and that we’re providing them with products that have ingredients that they can rely on and they can trust,” Kevnue is sustainable for several reasons: science-backed formulas, sustainable packaging, and reworking traditional product designs to support a more sustainable model. Their general practice and innovation are their science-backed products. From Neutrogena hydro boost cream to Zyrtec, these products are tested and re-tested in the in-house laboratories to ensure they are safe for everyday consumer use and that consumers can trust the ingredients. This is a sustainable innovation because it builds trust between the company and the consumers, ensuring happy and returning long-term customers. Kenvue also prioritizes sustainable packing for every one of their products. Brown spoke a little bit about the process of designing new products. After the product is designed and tested for safety, one of the next steps is to work with the packaging team to find the most efficient and sustainable packaging. One of the company’s methods of creating sustainable packaging is to reuse packaging for multiple shipments as well as using different materials. Another way Kenvue innovates for sustainability is by reworking product design and figuring out how to make consumers’ lives easier while also being more sustainable. For example, Kenvue is currently working on designing refill cartons. The goal here is to sell larger cartons of products such as Aveeno lotion and have consumers refill the smaller containers they already bought from this refill container. Everything Kenvue does is accompanied by its values of trust, sustainability, and professional development.

These innovations emerged from the company's values and acknowledging its responsibilities to consumers. Brown stated, “I wanted to work at a company with a mission and a purpose…that’s shaping peoples’ everyday lives.” Sustainability is a huge part of Kenvue’s mission and it is embedded throughout a company-wide level to where all employees place an importance on it. Thibaut Mongon the CEO of Kenvue holds a “consumer-centric mindset” which is one of the driving forces behind these successful sustainable innovations. From leadership to entry-level positions, Kenvue has a clear mission and purpose of trust with its consumers and creating healthy sustainable products that benefit its customers. It is this company culture and understanding that allows these sustainable innovations to flourish.

The innovations that have come from the company are because of the sense of purpose the company has to serve its consumers. The main value the company sees is the concept that the consumer has their products on their shelves and uses them every day. This innovation stems from the idea that they have the purpose of serving them products that serve for the better good whether for the individual consumer or the world that they live in. The individual benefits from the innovation of the ingredients in every single product. The world that they live in has benefited from the sustainable efforts the company makes from the start of production all the way to the packaging that makes it to the shelf and the life after the shelf. This purpose to serve the consumer has created the innovations they have today.

Inspiration

Kenvue’s strive to make their products more sustainable can be seen through every aspect of the redesigning process of their products. The inspiration for focusing on how sustainable Kenvue can make its products stems from the growing concern for the Earth. Consumers are looking to big companies, like Kenvue, to make efforts to address these concerns and start implementing sustainability efforts within their companies. In light of their concern for their consumers and their impact on the world, Kenvue has placed a huge importance on making their products more sustainable. This importance can be found throughout the different departments when creating products, like implementing environmentally friendly ingredients and sourcing sustainable packaging. Some companies are simply having campaigns that provide the illusion that they will be more cognizant of their impact on the world, however, Kenvue is changing their whole company makeup to address this issue. “[It] is something that the company cares about,” says Brown, and it is evident through their products.

Although growing concerns for the Earth is a strong motivation for Kenvue to address their impact, they were also motivated to continue being a company their consumers can trust. They never want their consumers to doubt the ingredients in their products or if they were ethically made. To fully understand this motivation, Brown mentioned how Neutrogena, one of Kenvue’s brands, is creating more sustainable packaging for its products. Instead of making their consumers constantly have to replace their products, Neutrogena is releasing a larger format of their products that are also refillable cartons. Brown explained that by redesigning the products customers will only need to refill the larger formats of their products, which will consequentially help cut down Neutrogena’s and their customers’ waste. There are more products that Kenvue is beginning to explore and try to make things like packaging more seamless and sustainable. Brown acknowledged that since sustainability is something consumers care more about, it can be seen as a marketing play for companies. She assured us that Kenvue is not one of those companies and that it is something they “care about and want to take a stance on … [and] actually back up claims that [they] have on sustainability.”

Overall impact

Kenvue’s mission is dedicated to total health for individuals at every age and stage of life, for communities around the world, and for our planet. Kenuve’s portfolio of everyday products touches consumers at all stages of life; from Baby Johnson to Neutrogena to Listerine. With their innovation of greater sustainable packaging, consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions as to which products will not only benefit themselves but also the environment in the long run.

One of the main reasons most Americans say they don’t recycle in the bathroom is because of their lack of awareness and lack of knowledge about what is recyclable. With the How2Recycle label on Kenvue’s products, consumers are able to educate themselves as to how their products can be recycled. In addition, with higher awareness brought to refill packs, their business has been able to benefit from subscription-based purchases.

“It’s beyond a marketing play. Sustainability is something that consumers care a lot about…It’s important to make sure that we can actually back up our claims that we have on sustainability.” As Kenvue makes its steps towards a more sustainable portfolio, its brand Neutrogena is already advancing forward with 75% of its bottles being recyclable, and with Baby Johnson, their gift sets for example are made of 75% recycled content.

Business benefit

Kenvue’s scientific-backed products and sustainable packaging are the innovations that we are focusing on in this paper. There are a variety of benefits that these innovations can benefit Kenvue as a business. To start, it is important to be able to instill a sense of trust in your customers. Selling science-backed products allows your customers to know what they are buying while feeling comfortable that the products they purchase will be effective. When companies make it clear that they are transparent with their products, goals, and sustainability efforts, it increases customer retention while creating a reputation that, if upheld, will only lead to more profitable returns for Kenvue. Throughout the competitive industries that Kenvue is in, it is important to stand out from your competitors. In the beauty and medicinal industry, consumers are often left comparing products that insist they both have the same effect. This leads to a shift in buying power towards the consumer. With Kenvue establishing the idea that all of their products are science-backed, with sustainability in mind when creating their products and packaging, they are able to differentiate themselves from their competitors, leading to more profit and customer loyalty.

Social and environmental benefit

Kenvue is a very large company, with popular brands in many different industries across the world. Whenever you have a large company, it is easy to manipulate consumers to believe in whatever it is you hope to convince them of. Reversely, these companies have a platform to provide truthful products while educating their customer base on how they can better improve their lives and the environment. For instance, Kenvue's “How2Recycle” label on their packages will be constantly seen by millions of people around the world, leading to increased knowledge of how to properly dispose of recyclable material. These efforts lead to lasting changes in consumer behavior, as well as benefit the environment by leading to less waste being produced from Kenvue’s packages. Socially, Kenvue influences the idea to encourage doing research on products before you purchase, making sure you are comfortable with the ingredients of your products, and how they are sourced, made, and packaged. In a time where online retail is bigger than ever, it is important to know the brand behind the product you are buying, so you can ensure the best possible outcome for you or whoever you are purchasing for.

Interview

Sophie Brown, Brand Manager