A Wren Says

A couple years ago, I was browsing Sephora, desperate for an option to soothe my perpetually dry lips. The Beauty Advisor suggested a product from Cay Skin. The lip balm was the same that she was wearing on her still glossy, fully moisturized lips. Sold. Bought. And I loved it, until I lost it. I would later discover it in the pocket of a jacket that I ran through the dryer. The tip of the product had fused shut, and the product at that point was already unusable due to the high heat and the soap of the previous wash cycle. I was crestfallen, but I moved on.

This year I finally got a replacement. It came with me on my beach vacation. Its SPF  was there for me for long days in the sun and trips to the grocery store. And then when I went to squeeze a bit on to my lips one day, nothing came out. There was still a lot of product left, it just would come out. I check the packaging for a clog. Nothing. But still the product wouldn’t come out. What gives?

On the product page on Sephora, there are 193 reviews referring to the packaging, going back to 2022. For three years people have been pointing out this issue. As I looked to see other bad reviews, I came across an Instagram video comparing the old version with the new version. And I let out a sigh of relief. They finally fixed the problem.

This is a reminder: Packaging matters. Too many times, I’ll see someone complaining about the price of an item being high just on account of fancy packaging. The quality of packaging can make or break perceptions of your product. I was getting ready to title this post, “Why I’ll never buy from Cay Skin again.”

I had feared the brand just was going to keep it pushing as if there was no problem, but is seems they have shifted the design to eliminate the problem. Now, I wonder if they are willing to offer affected customers a refund or new version for free.