Changing routines during a year of disruption
For brands in the health and beauty sector, 2020 brought a range of challenges and opportunities. Some health and beauty categories were among the best performing in FMCG, and others were among the worst.
Consumers prioritised feeling good over looking good during a year which saw their usual routines disrupted. Beauty, along with many toiletries categories, was impacted as our personal care routines altered during a year of lockdowns and restrictions. Widespread working from home and more limited socialising options meant there were 190 million fewer weekly personal care occasions triggered by leaving the house compared with 2019. Oral care, as a core hygiene product, was not as affected by this drop off, and Colgate remains in the top spot in our ranking.
Two key themes sum up the consumer trends driving the market; health and hygiene. Given the pandemic, hygiene was the number one priority for many. As a result, liquid soaps and hand sanitisers were stand-out categories in FMCG. This is reflected by Carex, at number four, being the fastest-growing brand in the ranking. The brand’s success is a result of tapping into this new need and increasing its presence to reach more consumers [see brand focus].
As the dust settled after the initial lockdown, focus shifted towards health and wellness. Brands like Centrum and Bassetts increased CRPs as more of us looked for vitamins, minerals and supplements to support our health aspirations.
As shoppers became more mindful about their health and personal care consumption, sustainability remained high on the agenda. Dove, in third place in the ranking, has committed to reducing plastic waste across its range and introduced a plastic-free Beauty Bar, launched 100% recycled plastic bottles and trialled refillable deodorant formats.
Moving forward sustainability will continue to increase in importance, and we can expect brands to launch refillable products and push for awareness of their efforts in this area on packaging and in communications campaigns.
For beauty brands, many will seek to re-engage and excite consumers through NPD, offering the opportunity to experiment and feel good about themselves after a challenging period.
Carex has been the standout health and beauty brand this year, climbing 12 places in the ranking, and is now the fourth most chosen brand. Growth has primarily been driven by shoppers prioritising hygiene in a year where COVID-19 has upended our lives. The brand already had a strong presence in hand sanitisers, which stood it in good stead for the pandemic environment. In the face of a global shortage of hand soap pumps, Carex reacted quickly by packaging soaps in shower gel or refill packs, which were already manufactured, to ensure shelves remained well stocked during this period of heightened demand.
Register for the webinar where our experts go into more detail on the brands successfully tapping into the consumer trends at play in the market.
