Quality

Avon has established itself as a quality skincare provider by offering three separate skin and beauty product lines, each with their own core focus. Avon ANEW, a line of products aimed at fighting the outward signs of aging, represents the company's newest skincare brand. This Avon skincare brand alone has an international market value of $1 billion, with 2,400 containers of product sold each hour through online and offline retailers around the globe. A subcategory of Avon ANEW, entitled ANEW Clinical, offers at-home alternatives to costly and invasive dermatological procedures. Avon Clearskin is a separate product line specifically aimed at treating acne, while Avon Solutions, a third product line, is designed to enhance natural feminine beauty through a combination of science and nature.

Avon's approach to product quality is extremely rigorous. Ingredients are thoroughly reviewed by Avon's toxicologists to determine their safety before they're included in a formulation. The company then uses effective preservative systems to formulate products while ensuring the absence of bacterial contamination. Routine manufacturing quality control procedures help to ensure that each product consistently meets the company's exacting specifications. The product is then tested for compatibility with various skin types to ensure that it won't cause irritation. All finished products are tested for their compliance with safety regulations in the countries in which they'll be sold. Even the packaging is carefully designed and constructed to maximize safety and compliance - for example, products with low-viscosity hydrocarbons are always cased in child-proof packaging.

Avon's quality can also be found in the design of the company's website. The "About Avon" section of the site is among the most extensive company descriptions found anywhere in the skin and beauty industry, with detailed descriptions of the company's dedication to corporate responsibility, environmental sustainability and a number of philanthropical causes including breast cancer research, domestic violence prevention and emergency relief funds. The Avon online product catalog is incredibly easy to navigate despite containing over 1,000 items, allowing you to search according to brand, product line, skin concern, best sellers, top rated, new products and more. It's also possible to search the catalog according to keyword.

Ingredients

Avon makes a point of offering full ingredient lists on all of their product pages, found under the Ingredients tab immediately adjacent to the product description. A list of active ingredients is displayed initially, with a full list of ingredients available by clicking "Read More." The active ingredients are listed with their percentage values, such as the following for Avon Solutions Total Radiance Day Lotion:

• Octinoxate: 7.5%
• Octisalate: 5.0%
• Avobenzone: 2.0%

This makes it remarkably easy to compare products based on their active ingredient concentrations, a provision offered by very few other skincare product websites. In addition, Avon's willingness to reveal complete ingredient lists speaks to their dedication to product accessibility, as it allows those with allergies or aversions to certain ingredients to make the most informed skincare shopping decisions possible.

With that said, it's worth noting that Avon is not a strictly all-natural skincare product manufacturer. The products can and often do contain artificial preservatives, colorings, fragrances, emulsifiers and other chemical additives. In addition, Avon does not explicitly state the source of their ingredients, though they do abstain from animal testing and thoroughly verify the safety of all ingredients before including them in their product formulations.

Clinical Studies and Research

Avon works with an international team of scientists to research ingredient formulations and develop cutting-edge skincare products on a continual basis, constantly refining their product line as new scientific data and breakthroughs become available. Much of Avon's scientific research is conducted at its Global Research and Development Center, located in Suffern, New York. Over 350 scientists including chemists, biologists and other researchers work in this 225,000 square-foot facility to create Avon's advanced skincare product line. In addition to the Global R&D Center, Avon maintains seven additional research facilities around the world, including their most recent laboratory in Shanghai.

Although many of the product pages found at the Avon website briefly allude to the results of clinical trials regarding specific Avon products, the full versions of these studies are not published on the Avon website. Typically, the results are expressed qualitatively instead of quantitatively, making it difficult to determine the exact percentage of test subjects that experienced positive results. However, the Avon website does describe how the company's scientists actively participate in professional organizations to evaluate the latest information regarding ingredient safety and efficacy, and how both internal and independent experts in various scientific fields are consulted in regards to product effectiveness. Still, it would be preferable to see additional objective data regarding specific products posted directly on the Avon website.

Effectiveness/Testimonials

It's easy to gauge the effectiveness of the products sold by Avon by navigating to the site's individual product pages and clicking on the Reviews tab. This will allow you to see testimonials from customers who have purchased the product, with dozens of reviews available for the company's most popular products. Each testimonial begins with a rating of 1 to 5 stars, as well as a description of the reviewer's location, Avon shopping frequency, age group, skin tone and skin type. By revealing these details, Avon's testimonials make it easy for customers to determine whether they're likely to share a given reviewer's experiences with a product, subsequently simplifying product selection. The reviews also include a brief review summary describing the product's results. Ratings are averaged and placed at the top of each product description for at-a-glance assessment.

Overall, Avon's products garner plenty of praise from customers, with many reviewers experiencing noticeable results with products despite the relatively low price of Avon's skincare formulations. Negative reviews are present as well, though they're few and far between for most products. In fact, Avon's decision to publish negative testimonials is an excellent service to customers, as it allows shoppers to hear a range of opinions regarding a specific product before making their own informed decision. Avon also enhances customer convenience by allowing shoppers to sort the testimonials according to rating, length, helpfulness, date or other parameters. This option is best utilized for products that contain too many reviews to read in a single scan.

Customer Support

Avon handles customer support primarily through an email web form. This form, which is located under the Assistance link in the site's top navigation menu, requires you to enter your name, email address and a description of your inquiry. Avon makes every effort to field customer support emails in a timely fashion via a team of trained skincare experts. As an alternative to the web form, you can email Avon directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . It's also possible to contact the company via toll-free phone using one of three 1-800 numbers, each of which are dedicated to general customer service, product information and website technical assistance. Unfortunately, the company does not offer live chat support at this time.

Avon also handles customer support through an extensive FAQ section with overviews of the company's policies pertaining to shipping, order tracking, accounts, products, ordering, website navigation and more. A quick perusal of the FAQ section can mitigate the need for a direct support inquiry.

Other customer support provisions offered by Avon include a Skincare Quiz asking you to asses your skin tone, firmness, lines, wrinkles and discolorations. Following completion of the questionnaire, Avon will recommend a complete skincare regimen including a cleanser, AM and PM moisturizers, eye system and other treatments. This feature makes it easy to receive customized product recommendations without calling customer support.

Product Return Policy

Avon maintains a 100% satisfaction guarantee for their products, allowing consumers to return inadequate goods. Returns can be made by sending the item back to a return address on the back of the invoice order sheet. If the invoice order sheet is missing, you can call 1-800-265-AVON to receive more information regarding returns. Returns result in either an exchange or a refund minus the cost of shipping and handling depending on the nature of your request. Unfortunately, the Avon website does not specify how long customers have from the time of purchase to determine whether a return is necessary.

Cost

Avon regularly offers some of the lowest pricing available on premium skin and beauty goods. Most of the company's retail prices are already comparable to the competition, and virtually all of the products are subject to online sales of up to 60% off. This allows you to obtain Avon's skincare products, including those contained within their professional-grade ANEW Clinical line, for as little as a quarter of what you might pay to a competing manufacturer. Low pricing would mean little if Avon's products were ineffective, but in fact, the opposite is true as numerous testimonials attest, making the products an exceptional value. You can view a full listing of all on-sale products by clicking the Skincare Specials link found in the Avon website's left navigation menu.

The Avon online product catalog also includes a number of special offers which can be found immediately below the thumbnail description of each product. Examples of typical offers include $10 gift cards and/or heavily-discounted travel bags with the purchase of select products. "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" offers are also regularly posted on a rotating basis. The best way to be notified of these deals is by signing up for the Avon email newsletter, a free subscription service that also includes notifications of new products.

Avon charges a flat fee of $5.95 to ship orders via standard ground shipping. The company also offers expedited shipping including 2-3 Business Days ($15.90) and Next Business Day ($20.90). Avon also offers free shipping promotions on occasion, most of which require you to place an order of a minimum qualifying value.