Cosmetics companies and direct selling through catalogs and magazines

Abstract

In the last decades of the 20th century, commercial activity has undergone various changes. Among them, we can highlight transformations that occurred in business management and store design, as well as the rise of new sales options, such as e-commerce. However, traditional commerce practices have not been extinguished and many have expanded and redefined themselves. This article focuses on such themes and presents a discussion on direct selling to consumers as an expression of permanence of traditional practices, which continue to exist alongside the modern ones. Our research analyzed companies that sell cosmetics and personal care products through direct selling. Studies by Salgueiro (2006, 2009) and Cachinho (1994, 2006) about changes in practices and approaches to doing business helped us understand the empirical data collected from interviews and by surveying the companies' informational websites. Based on theoretical readings and empirical data, the present study led us to infer that the development and expansion of capital does not depend solely on innovation. Thus, we conclude that the capital, in a contradictory way, is also reproduced through apparently modern means, which are, actually, traditional and archaic.