A renewed focus on personal care is driving recovery and value growth – particularly in Asia and Latam.
The overall trend for face and body care is recovery and value growth. Body care has performed particularly strong, rising 10% over the last two years. Face care declined (-4%) in 2020 but bounced back in 2021 (+4%).
When it comes to usage, the overall trend is fairly flat - Europe has still seen decline, though to less severe levels than in cosmetics and haircare. The US, meanwhile, has seen 14% growth since 2017, and Brazil has seen an impressive 50% growth.
One result of the pandemic was an increased focus on personal care. Functional categories tend to be more resilient in times of crisis - and while occasions for going out might have fallen, face & body care are consistent whether or not someone is staying in or going out.
Across most markets we’ve seen a value growth in skin moisturising between 2019/2020 v 2020/2021 as people become more conscious of certain skin conditions – something we will explore later on in the report.
Brazil has seen a strong spike in body wash occasions between 2017-2021. Weekly occasions went from less than 100,000,000 to just under 200,000,000 by 2021 – a rise of 100,000,000. Brazil has traditionally been a bar soap reliant market but has now added in body wash. At the same time, bar soap hasn’t declined – meaning Brazilians are likely using both in many cases.
When we look at the reasons for using bodywash, ‘feeling hygienic’ is the strongest reason for use, having risen from 29% of occasions in 2017 up to 46% in 2021.
Skin condition awareness among females has grown consistently globally except for Mainland China. Skin conditions might include wrinkles, blackheads, spots, or a number of other specific areas.
In Mainland China, however, awareness of skin conditions has fallen from 87% to 85%. This fall could be linked to improved air quality following lockdowns, leading to less congested skin and fewer reported conditions as a result.
The importance of naturally produced ingredients has grown consistently around the globe. In France, 23% stated it was a reason for purchase of face & body products in 2017 – a figure which rose to 32% in 2021.
As a result, the Derma sector has seen value growth over the same time period. Natural and vegan products continue to grow in popularity as the world becomes more conscious of the ingredients in, and sustainability of, what they’re buying.
Consumers who are environmentally cautious are also actively seeking out more natural and Derma brands. In both France and China, a number of the top 10 over indexed brands amongst Eco-Actives are natural or Derma focused (As shown on the next page).
And we already know that environmentally conscious shoppers are willing to spend more, so long as the product offers sustainable or naturally-focused benefits.
Derma is gaining global attention as the view of Beauty evolves beyond the skin deep perception of the past. Consumers are now concerned with a more holistic view of Beauty – one which shifts the focus from Care to Cure. Derma’s heritage in pharmaceuticals makes it a prime target for those interested in using the right ingredients to truly look after their skin.
In Asia in particular, Derma has become a driving factor behind the premiumisation of skincare products. For example, in South Korea, we can see roughly 59% market penetration for Derma, meaning it has been embraced by a significant degree of the female population. Meanwhile in all other markets, the Average Price Index is significantly higher, indicating Derma’s ability to command a premium.
