Are Brits giving up on fake tan to opt for a more natural look?
According to market researcher Mintel, usage of self-tanning products has witnessed a sharp decline in the past year with just over one in ten Brits having used self-tan products, compared to 17% in the previous year.
On top of this, the use of gradual tanning products has also been on the decline, falling from 15% to 13% in 2015; as has in-salon services, such as sunbed use, which has dropped from 11% to 8%. Even spray tans have dipped to just 7%.
“The popularity of self-tanning products has declined substantially over the past year suggesting that the fashion for artificial tans is waning as people instead embrace a more natural look,” says Jack Duckett, Consumer Lifestyles Analyst at Mintel.
“This trend was highlighted at London Fashion Week SS16, where a number of shows featured models wearing more natural base make-up with a dewy sheen on natural-looking faces, accompanied with mascara-free eye lashes.”
Declining launches
All of this data has been highlighted in Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), which also finds that self-tan products accounted for a declining share of sun care launch activity between 2012-15.
Acording to this database, less than a quarter of sun care products launched in the UK in 2015 were self-tanning products, compared to over a third of launches in 2012.
Some good news…
However, it is not all doom-and-gloom as Mintel reveals that despite a decline in usage of self-tan, those Brits who are choosing to apply the product are increasingly trading up to more expensive varieties.
This has seen value sales of self-tan rise and they are expected to increase from £62 million (€86m) in 2014 to £66 million (€92m) in 2015, partly driven by a rise in unit price.
“Although self-tan usage continues to decline, the market is projected to enjoy buoyant value sales in 2015 thanks to the launch of a number of more premium variants during the year,” continues Duckett.
“A number of self-tan brands have also sought to capitalise on the increasing awareness of sun safety, promoting products as offering a safe tan.”
