Nails as fashion accessories driving US market growth

11-Jul-2012 - Last updated on 12-Jul-2012 at 15:18 GMT

The newfound culture that has transformed women’s nails into fashion accessories is driving the US nail care market, which is dwarfing the growth rates in other cosmetics categories.

The impressive growth in mass market sales of nail care products has continued into 2012, as nail care sales grew 26 percent for the 52 weeks ending April 15, 2012, according to a new report by researcher Packaged Facts.

Fashion and innovation

The market analyst highlights the introduction of a ‘nail-centric’ fashion culture as a key driver of growth, along with a continuing flood of innovative, fashion-forward nail care products allowing consumers to imitate nail salon effects at home.

Packaged Facts also says the growing number of women who spend heavily on professional nail care services will help drive the continuing growth in sales of DIY nail care products.

The Nail Care Market in the US defines the mass nail care market on the basis of data generated by SymphonyIRI InfoScan Reviews, which track sales through North American supermarkets and grocery stores, drugstores, and mass merchandisers (including Target and Kmart but excluding Walmart) with annual sales of $2 million or more.

SymphonyIRI InfoScan divides the nail care category into the following major product types or segments: nail polish, nail accessories/implements, nail treatment products, artificial nails and accessories, nail polish removers and nail polish accessories.

Other sources

The Packaged Facts report also uses the Fall 2011 Simmons Experian National Consumer Study (NCS), which was fielded between October 2010 and November 2011, to come to its conclusions.

Experian Simmons conducts telephone and booklet-based surveys of a large and random sample of consumers who in aggregate represent a statistically accurate cross-section of the US population, with each survey involving a sample of approximately 25,000 respondents.

The Nail Care Market in the US: Retail Products and Professional Services report is also based upon data collected from a wide range of industry sources, including company websites, trade publications, business newspapers and magazines; consumer blogs; and annual reports, 10Ks and other releases from public companies.