There’s no escaping the trend that featured strongly at this year’s in-cosmetics Barcelona show: the Asianification of beauty. I’ve selected this, along with two other major trends, as my key highlights from the Marketing Trends presentations.
The Asianification effect: multifunctional vs hypersegmentation
Beauty rituals are changing and reflect a world in which consumers are looking to balance work, leisure and sleep. It’s definitely not a case of 'one size fits all' as Mintel data revealed differing beauty habits by region.
“Convergence is the use of multifunctional products that knock out 3-4 steps in skincare and haircare routines, saving time, money or for greater efficiency,” explained Vivienne Rudd, Director of Innovation & Insight, Beauty & Personal Care, Mintel.
“Divergence is the trend towards hypersegmentation, where consumers add in additional steps to their routine. Most consumers blend both approaches to create a curated regime.”
The most hypersegmented beauty market is South Korea ('the incubator for beauty inspiration'). Here, consumers often incorporate between 8 and 12 skin care steps, including new concepts, such as double cleansers, boosters, essence and emulsion - often ending up with a BB or CC cream.
Japanese women follow a similar pattern, but a small consumer group has reverted to just two steps: cleanse, followed by moisturising with olive oil.
The Chinese are still at the expansion stage, according to Rudd: “They like richer textures, as the climate is different, and use rich and watery toners, serum, day cream, eye cream and BB cushion/cream. Many use a sheet mask daily, sometimes even twice daily for extra hydration and whitening.”
Whereas Asian consumers love to experiment and try new products, Europeans believe in using the same products for long periods of time.
Middle Eastern consumers and beauty
The Middle East is a complex and diverse market for beauty products, dominated by a young population eager to try new brands. Marketing consultancy, Butterfly London, described key trends in their A-Z Beauty Insights into Middle East Consumers:
• Consumption of fragrance is high with 4 out of 5 women using fragrance daily.
• Fragrance accounts for 42% of Middle Eastern beauty sales.
• The Saudis and Omanis spend the most on beauty products: Saudi girls often have several FaceBook accounts showing different personalities and looks.
• In Tehran, Iran, rich kids drive beauty product sales.
• Beauty sales in Syria are crashing.
• Beauty secrets are passed down through the generations, from mother to daughters.
• New product opportunity: hair treatment products for women who wear the veil.
Packaging innovations cross categories
The newest cosmetic packaging solutions owe much to other industries, including medicine, agriculture, car paint and food. Cambridge Consultants is adept at spotting opportunities for beauty brands, such as:
• Transdermal technology applies product using a skin patch.
• “Vortik” rewrites the rules of spraying using a novel system which overcomes problems associated with spraying creams and conventional nozzles.
• Wear technology delivers actives in fabric deeper into the skin.
• Smartphone technology can provide skin measurements, such as for ageing, hyperpigmentation, hydration etc.
“Above all, packaging must deliver an effective and enjoyable experience for the consumer,” stated Peter Luebcke, Head of Personal Care, Cambridge Consultants.