StarMedia, L'Oreal launch Web site for Latinas

Today's launch of Cadamujer.com in Mexico will be followed by unveilings in Brazil and Argentina in coming months, the company said.

Cadamujer, which translates to "every woman," will provide news, shopping outlets and community services focused on Latin women, the company said. Those who visit the site will have access to L'Oreal makeup products, including those by Lancome, Maybelline and Biotherm. Advice on hair and skin care also will be available.

Cadamujer joins several other Web sites targeting specific ethnic groups. Just last month, two former lawyers from New York launched a site for Latinas called HolaMujer.com, a bilingual network that also offers news on beauty and health and information about community services.

Forrester Research analyst Ekaterina Walsh said she doubts such sites will survive in the long run.

"They have to specialize even further, get more nichey--not just cover Latinas," she said.

Peter Blacker, senior vice president of global sales and strategies at StarMedia, said his company's site will do more than just target Latin women.

"We are going after the over 6 million Latin women who are online today," he said. "On the one hand we offer a global community, but if you're Argentine, you'll get news from Argentina, and if you're Brazilian, you'll get news from Brazil."

He said he believes StarMedia's partnership with L'Oreal sets Cadamujer apart from other Web sites.

"L'Oreal shares our mission of empowering Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiences by providing women with a reason and a place to go online to exchange ideas, purchase products and access information relevant to their lives," Fernando Espuelas, chief executive officer of StarMedia, said in a statement.

StarMedia's online properties include LatinRed, OpenChile and AdNet. The company was founded in 1996 and has operations in six South American countries, Spain, and several cities in the United States.