According to a new report by Mintel, British Lifestyles, beauty has been on a rising tide ever since the beginning of the new millennium. Categories associated with pleasure, fun and indulgence showed the highest levels of growth, compared to the functional day-to-day products.
- Indulgence. Being seen as indulgence, facial skincare benefited, growing almost 70 % in 10 years (2000 – 2010) and driven primarily by interest in anti-ageing. Anti-ageing moisturisers, targetting particular concerns ie. wrinkles, make up nearly 40 % of the total category sales.
- Shopping from Home. More consumers are turning to the internet for advice on skincare products. Recent study by MyFaceBody, the online and TV beauty guide, has found that 55 % women aged 35 – 50 purchase beauty and skincare online. Online retail can offer a variety of choice, competitive pricing and information better than high street retailers. With a growth of interest in beauty blogging it seems that buying high quality skincare products for specific skin issues, such as acne, sun damage and anti-ageing will boom on the internet.
Please remember that 50 % of women misdiagnose their skin type. Go for the internet bargains but have a skincare consultation first to avoid expensive mistakes. Also, try before you buy – try the testers/get samples from a local beauty counter.
- Unconscious fantasies. Our mind desires – both conscious and unconscious – can help to identify future skincare trends. The trends agency By Lude uses psychology and anthropology to understand our psychological functioning and collective fantasies. These techniques go beyond the consious data used in traditional market research eg. questionnaires and observational data.
- Autumn-Winter 2011/12 Season. They forecast a preppy “back to school” feel with a Northern twist – milky skin and translucent make-up. We should want to go back to thick walled glass bottles and creamy white contents, reflecting our unconscious need to be protected and cocooned.
Source:
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Market-Trends/What-the-recession-has-meant-for-online-beauty-retailing
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Market-Trends/Strong-growth-seen-in-skin-care-category-Mintel
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Market-Trends/Unravelling-the-unconscious-mind-can-highlight-future-trends-says-agency
“Cheating generates anxiety. People buy on emotion…” by Van Cleef & Arpels. “We want to show the emotion beyond the product.” by Gucci.
Authenticity is of the essence in premium skincare… Understanding a brand and traslating it into a product… A brand that is unique, conveying timelessness and elitism.. by Coty
Mintel market research shows that a premium skincare consumer increasingly demands trust, reliability and protection, looking for nostalgia and quality ingredients to shield them from the cold outside world.
An on-going challenge for the skincare industry:
To produce products with meaningful, visible benefits whilst navigating the demands of the regulatory authorities, the hype of marketing and the quest for profitability. Only a few brands have been able to do that so far.
Independent Review of the Best Products on the Market – FaceWorkshops Product Review blog coming soon…
Source: http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Luxury_heavyweights_agree_value_of_authenticity_and_emotion_in_recession/57919?dm_i=8EU,BA1H,XKU64,VLPS,1
I was invited to give a talk on facial skincare to the skincare industry last week and when preparing for the talk I came across a few insights that are worth sharing:
Understand the importance of Night Care. Although more than 8 in 10 British women use face creams daily, only 3 in 10 apply a night cream every night. As this is something I come across also in my private consultations, I would like to encourage you to use an appropriate night care if you want to see results!
Invest In Your Face. Modern skincare is effective – a good routine can deliver benefits comparable to the benchmark dermatologist treatment. The Brits spend about half on facial skincare compared to the French and yet they feel “they spend lots of money”. Learn to enjoy using your skincare products and make them a pleasant part of your daily life.
Slow Down. Long working hours in Britain and the fact that 3 in 10 women are losing weight have an impact on premature lines and wrinkles. Fast paced lifestyle and quick-fix solutions are not beneficial for your face in the long-term.
Synopsis – Multi-tasking Moisturisers: Meeting Consumers’ Needs?
Skin concerns change during our lives and factors including age, health, hormonal influences, lifestyle and even seasons play a significant role. Market research indicates that skincare products are still unable to be truly multi-tasking and fully meet complex consumers’ needs, even with currently available advanced technologies. Understanding the physiological changes going on in our skin that underpin these concerns is essential for formulating clinically and commercially successful skincare products. Focusing on facial moisturisers, this presentation will explore the latest understanding of consumers’ needs in line with the British ageing narrative and scientifically proven claims of chosen marketed skincare products.
Source: http://www.bacsnet.org/uploads/attachment/538/multitasking-cosmetics.pdf
- Many US consumers are skeptical about the role of skincare in preventing skin ageing. But there is a sizable gap between opinion and practice! While there are no guarantees, US women buy the products anyway with the hope of achieving visible results. They adopt the “it’s better to try something than do nothing approach”! Even in the recession, they are reluctant to cut back on their favourite anti-ageing products.
Consumer Beliefs On Skin Ageing
- 69 % believe skin ageing is about genetics rather than the strength of their skincare routine.
- 78 % cite sunscreen as an effective anti-ageing strategy.
- 80 % identify diet and exercise as the most important factors associated with skin ageing.
Consumer Beliefs On Skincare
- 24 % say they have used anti-ageing skincare products in the past year
- 39 % are concerned with ageing but have taken no action to prevent or reverse it.
Consumer Biggest Ageing Concerns
- 48 % overall face
- 41 % the eye area
- 31 % the neck area
To boost consumer confidence in anti-ageing products, the industry should emphasize that their claims are substantiated by clinical trials but skepticism is still prevalent in the anti-ageing sector.
Source: US Mintel Market research for The Rose Sheet, Elsevier Business Intelligence. March 2011.
Traditional market research conveys less useful information than customer insights. I read market research with interest but believe that our habits cannot be described with a simple yes or no. Also when discussing their skincare routines with my clients, I need to know more about their lifestyle to understand what skincare products would work well and why.
Kline Group’s new research claim to go deeper than ever to uncover consumer expectations and insights on skincare products that ‘counter what manufacturers have long believed about their audience’ using a new methodology, based on cognitive sciences and cultural anthropology. They also considers the accuracy of the consumer responses and their contradictions - these often underline weak signals or emerging trends.
“If I had an opportunity to talk to this skincare company, I would tell them that I wish they would invent “…a skin care product that is a combination of Neosporin, Clearasil, and covering makeup.”
These types of responses go much further towards discovering the type of skincare solutions consumers are looking for, while also being specific about the reasons for wanting them.
Innovation is important, but not paramount: the research concludes that innovation is actually not that important to all consumers, it has to be balanced with stability and reliability. Innovation is expected to go hand in hand with environmental and social awareness but consumers find the sustainability often lacking! What matters most to you?
FaceWorkshops Skincare Surveys
We carried a skincare survey on Beverley highstreet (2/3 of the group were women aged 40 – 70 years) to investigate the skincare choices of the local population. The results are worth publishing:
- 70 % said they were quite happy with their facial skin
- 60 % had dry skin type
- 80 % of participants were concerned about lines and wrinkles, followed by sagging (40 %), dry skin (25 %) and lack of radiance (20 %).
- 58 % used a single skincare brand; L’Oreal and Nivea were mentioned by 62 % of participants, followed by Boots and Olay (12 % each).
- 29 % were confused by the vast skincare choice on the market.
- magazine editorials and in-store promotions were the main factors persuading them to buy skincare (75 %)
Comparing these results to a shorter survey among the staff of a local blue chip company (2/3 of the group were women aged 40 – 60 years) shows interesting trends:
- only 30 % said they were quite happy with their facial skin – 70 % were not really happy!
- 60 % of participants were concerned with uneven or oily T-zone and enlarged pores.
- 40 % used a mass-market skincare brand (Nivea, Simple, Boots, Olay); 60 % used a premium brands (Clinique, Elemis, Estee Lauder, Clarins, etc.)
- magazine editorials and price were also the main factors persuading them to buy skincare (40 %)
- These surveys indicate that women in the commercial environment are more concerned about - and less happy with – their skin simply because they are more in a spotlight. Appearance matters at work.
- They are using more premium brands – and spending more money on skincare – but their purchasing decisions are also influenced by editorials and price.
- The second group participants were slightly younger but also work-related stress might explain the T-zone related concerns as opposed to wrinkles and sagging mentioned in the highstreet survey.
Please comment on how these trends compare to your own approach to skincare.
Source: FaceWorkshops, MR 4/07 and MR 10/04.
