Glansaol, a new US-based prestige beauty and personal care company formed through a partnership between industry veteran Alan T. Ennis and Warburg Pincus, a private equity company, announced three acquisitions: Laura Geller New York, a prestige color cosmetics brand known as the pioneer of the "baked" makeup category; Julep, a prestige color cosmetics and skincare brand; and Clark's Botanicals, a premium skincare brand. Glansaol’s owners aim to make it a global company through acquisitions, building a portfolio of premium and complementary brands. [ Image credit: Neil Guegan ] 

Persistence Market Research believes that the $54 billion male grooming category will grow at a CAGR of 8.4 percent through 2024, and Europe, with almost 40 percent of the global market, will stay the most attractive region for the category. Germany, France, and the UK account for half of the European sales. Shave care and fragrances will be the top segments in North America, and China will drive growth in Asia. Global growth is being supported by e-commerce, which will account for over $12 billion of the additional sales through 2024. PMR expects global sales of men's shave care products to be more than $40 billion by 2024, hair care products will represent about 10 percent of the category, but men’s toiletries will lose share. PMR believes P&G will remain a dominant player globally, with over 10 percent share, but local players will “collectively dominate” with nearly one-third of the market, and this will encourage acquisitions by global players.

Sephora is looking to revamp its fragrance business, building its strategy around engagement and education. Fragrance is an underperforming category at Sephora where it accounts for about 10 percent of sales, lagging behind beauty and skincare. CEO, Calvin McDonald, recognizes that Sephora’s current offering fails to differentiate and that the category generally has been “commoditized by discounts.” Working on the insight that buying a fragrance is both a bewildering and personal experience, Sephora is looking to engage and educate consumers so they feel empowered to buy. Online it has buying guides to help consumers clarify their perfume profiles and in-store it has set up demonstrations.  “We know that finding a fragrance is a personal experience, but it needs to be simplified and smart as it can be an overwhelming selection process,” said Brooke Banwart, VP of fragrance merchandising at Sephora. The company has been experimenting with “InstaScent” stations (previously called “Poof”) that let customers smell isolated notes to figure out which elements of fragrances they prefer and to learn about different “scent families.” The approach is similar to its beauty strategy where it uses video tutorial stations to help customers experiment with and perfect different makeup looks. 

 

Fragrance generally looks set for a shift to demystify and simplify purchasing, with valuable lessons likely available from other categories such as wine that has for years worked to make buying fun (and not stuffy) and shows ongoing innovation with different ways to purchase.  

Kao Group has published its 2030 vision, together with mid-term goals for the four years spanning Fiscal 2017 to 2020. Kao says it wants to combine profitable growth with making a contribution to global sustainability. Its 2030 vision covers a “distinctive corporate image”, being a highly profitable global company, and providing strong stakeholder returns. Its financial objectives include exceeding JPY2.5 trillion in net sales, with JPY 1.0 trillion from outside Japan, an operating margin of over 17 percent, and a return on equity of more than 20 percent. Its medium-term (K20) goals include a commitment to “fostering” the corporate image (one that embodies the concept of Kirei, a word that evinces attributes such as health, purity, beauty and fairness); a commitment to profitable growth, including net sales CAGR of +5 percent and an operating margin of over 15 percent; and a commitment to stakeholder returns, including continuous growth in cash dividends, improvement in employee benefits and conditions, and measures to tackle social issues, as well as benefiting customers.

Aldi, the German discount supermarket, is launching a new anti-ageing skincare line in the UK, called Lacura VITACELL. It’s aimed at competing with premium skincare products, and contains Complex TCR3® to prolong the life of skin cells, as well as stem cells from sea plants to promote skin elasticity and structure. The products will be on the shelves as a Specialbuy in early February 2017 with limited supply.

A review of how L’Oréal Paris in the UK leveraged relationships with video bloggers underscores the benefit of a shrewd but straight up approach. A few months ago the company worked with five vloggers that combined have 5.5 million views with the aim of working with Kristina Bazaan, the brand’s global digital influencer, to boost the brand and maintain its position as the ‘go-to digital beauty brand.’ Rather than work with one or two vloggers that have wider reach, working with the five members of the Beauty Squad allows L’Oréal Paris to better reach a range of ages and ethnicities. Also, while each vlogger has a smaller base, they are selected for their knowledge and expertise. L’Oréal hopes that by building long-term relationships and seeking honest and comparative reviews it will manage to convince consumers over the long haul.  

As the end of the year approaches, it’s time for predictions for the coming year, and Kantar Millward Brown have weighed in with their thoughts on how companies  will have to market to Generation-Z, the post-Millennials group. This group wants creative content led by mobile, and marketers will have to create strong brand experiences for them, including sophisticated and brand-centric programmatic targeting, rather than more intrusive media that risks ad blocking. Kantar Millward Brown provides six takeaways: brands will re-think for the digital space, emphasizing issues such as authenticity and transparency; brand experience is increasingly key; content marketing will gain momentum, particularly on mobile, with marketers innovating and experimenting in content and formats; advertisers and their agencies will need more sophisticated and blended targeting approaches to drive brand effectiveness; the advertising industry will be forced to respond to ad blocking; and advertisers and agencies will be given more opportunity to leverage media synergies.

Euromonitor reports that the number of hair and beauty treatment establishments globally is up 14% on 2011 and the company expects a 14% CAGR over the next five years with the number of establishments to exceed three million by 2019. A growing number of these upscale treatment centers offer their own skincare ranges, raising challenges for established prestige and luxury products.  Dr Gabriela Mercik, who has both a treatment center and a skincare range, believes that in the next 5-10 years technology and digital information will play an ever greater part in skincare solutions:"Soon we will be able to implement a tiny chip into the skin which will measure our skin’s hydration levels as well as record any sun damage. This information will then be used to create our very own personalised skincare which will be blended to work according not only to the time of day but also to where we live and the overall state of our health."

Online sales for Ulta Beauty continue to grow strongly –Q3 online sales rose 59.3% from $46.2 million to $73.6 million, and now comprise 6.5% of total sales, up from 5.0% last year.  Some two-thirds of traffic is coming via mobile and the company is seeking to play to this with the launch of Glam Lab, an iOS and Android app that lets shoppers virtually try out products before buying them. Users upload a selfie or choose a model with a similar complexion then choose the products and shades to test.  “It’s a great thing for millennials who wanted to have a more interactive experience,” said CEO Mary Dillon.  Hints of the company’s intent came clear in October when it filed a trademark for Glam Lab that would be a multi-platform application that would include augmented reality.  

 

 

 

Beauty and personal care brands and companies continue their drive into prestige, tempted by stronger growth rates and the lure of greater profit margins. In the US, for example, sales of prestige beauty products grew at 8% in Q3 2016 about two or three times the growth rate of the wider market.

 

We previously set out L’Oréal’s strategy to push into prestige: the company is continuing to acquire prestige brands, push high-touch channels and invest in innovation, strategies that are yielding superior financial performance – its L’Oréal Luxe division is growing at 7.1% versus 4.5% for the Group as a whole and has shown a growing profit margin for each of the last four years. 

 

Many other companies are playing to the trend: Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford launched premium make-up, bath products, and nail polishes, Unilever established a prestige skincare division based on the acquisition of four prestige companies and Shiseido’s prestige business grew 18.1% in H1 2016.  

 

But in a sign that the trend will endure, prestige is driving growth in emerging markets too. In India, the premium cosmetics segment, for example, is growing at 24% and companies there are jostling for position. 

 

An interview with Fabrizio Freda, CEO of Estée Lauder Companies, gives some insights to its India strategy. 

The company’s approach looks to be working. Its Indian brand portfolio — MAC, Estée Lauder, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and others — is growing ahead of the market and Freda believes demand will continue to grow and be stable: “People may not be able to invest in a big luxury item but they can still afford a lipstick. And also the desire of quality cosmetics is growing so much in the world that it limits volatility.”

Beauty brand Philosophy will shortly launch its first concept store in the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, New Jersey. The company hopes its WellBeing Beauty Workshop will be experience-rich and engage consumers across all senses: "the environment invites you to mindfully engage the senses on an individual level through touch, sight, sound and scent.” In addition to a discovery station where shoppers can touch, test and sample Philosophy skincare products, the store will have personalized consultants and a conversation station to promote Philosophy’s ethos and community. A cornerstone of this is the company’s ‘hope & grace’ initiative and its commitment to support mental health and well-being, as well as its undertaking to contribute 1% of sales to the hope and grace fund.  

Following its recent restructuring, Avon’s broad strategy continues to clarify. In its latest investor presentation the company emphasized its three-pronged approach: drive out costs through improving its operating model and supply chain (target savings of $350MM), strengthening its balance sheet and investing in grow ($150MM allocated to media investments and social selling and $200MM invested in IT and service model evolution). The company is strongly focused on beauty (74% of sales) and intends to concentrate on 40 brands centered in skincare, personal care, fragrance and color. To boost sales, Avon is promising to invest in innovation, improve representative engagement and leverage social media in selling, which it sees as strongly synergistic with its direct selling model. 

Market analysts Trefis highlighted a Morgan Stanley report on China’s beauty products market, which the authors believe will become the world’s largest. It was L’Oréal’s second largest market in 2015, behind the US, and the company’s leadership in digital gives it an advantage in a market where e-commerce sales of beauty items rose from 3% of the total beauty market in 2010 to 19% in 2015. Online sales account for over 20% of the company’s Consumer Products division’s total sales in China. Morgan Stanley notes the growing demand for premium cosmetics by Chinese consumers online or through travel retail channels, and L’Oréal’s luxury products division is well placed to capture this sales growth. Trefis said that skin care is L’Oréal’s most valuable segment and it expects the company to expand its share in global skin care, with China playing a major part in that.

Research by Shareablee released in advance of Black Friday and the start of the biggest shopping season of the year shows Sephora is considerably outperforming other retailers on social media this year. Sephora had 2.4 million consumer interactions (which includes reactions, shares, comments, retweets, favorites) across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with engagement on Instagram especially important. This contrasts with big box and luxury retailers that all showed declines in social engagement, with Homegoods down 74%, Barneys off 50% and Bergdorf Goodman down 39% compared to last year. Shareablee CEO and Founder, Tania Yuki puts the shift down to greater consumer skepticism about retailer engagement attempts: “The consumer is much more skeptical of the retail season this year, and are rewarding only those retailers truly making an effort to be authentic and to add value to their shopping and research…”.

 

Neal’s Yard Remedies, a British beauty brand, is flourishing in Japan. It has opened 15 stores in the market, and in seven years has expanded international turnover by over 200 percent. Other British beauty brands are also growing well overseas, supported by green credentials as well as an archetypal British identity associated with heritage, craftsmanship, trust and innovation. Jo Malone London, owned by Estée Lauder since 1999, is internationally appealing because of the perceptions of “British quality, British style and the magical appeal of the British landscape itself,” according to Celine Roux, the brand’s fragrance director. Similarly, international beauty trends are being embraced by British consumers, attracted and intrigued by other cultures.

Iran accounts for $2.1 billion of the Middle East market's beauty products market valued at $7.2 billion, according to data from the Iranian Association of Cosmetics, Toiletries and Perfumery Importers. There are 15 million consumers for beauty products in the country, which means each consumer spends $140 on cosmetics each year. Data also revealed Iranians spend 4.5 percent of their annual income on beauty products, three times more than European consumers who spend $99 on cosmetics per year.

The indie beauty industry is thriving, driven by 90s brands like Urban Decay that are becoming mainstream, as well as emerging brands focused on specific areas and needs, all fueled by social media. A June report from Tribe Dynamics stated that independent brands saw double-digit growth between 2009 and 2014, over four times the pace of the cosmetics market as a whole. Big beauty companies, like L’Oreal, and other large companies with ambitions in beauty, like Unilever, are also snapping up indie brands, but there are concerns about whether these new parents will retain the brands’ independence. The Internet is intensifying customer empowerment, with the younger generations particularly skeptical of advertising claims and more willing to accept influencer opinions and reviews. In return, the brands are improving transparency and communication. The Internet is also allowing brands to sell without retailer accounts, by launching direct-to-consumer platforms and leading engagement online. Tribe Dynamics highlights Anastasia Beverly Hills as the fastest growing brand with over $10 million in sales annually. It engages regularly with over 400 influencers and is in top spot at Instagram with more than 11.5 million followers. Retailers are realizing the indie brands’ appeal, with Sephora, for example, rolling out its indie brand distribution platform, Scouted by Sephora, in 2015.

Henkel reported sales grew 3.4 percent to €4.748 billion in the third quarter of 2016, compared with the same period in the previous year. Organic sales rose 2.8 percent, with EBIT improving by 0.7 percentage points to 17.6 percent. According to the company, its Laundry & Home Care business posted organic sales growth of 4.0 percent, driven by volume increases. Also, its Beauty Care business unit reported sales expanded by 2.6 percent during the period.

Natural beauty brand Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc., named Martina Joseph as the company's new CEO. With more than 20 years of professional experience in the natural beauty market, Joseph was previously general manager for Bliss North America. Before that, she was head of North American marketing, sales, and education for Carol's Daughter, Jurlique and Nude Skincare.

By the end of 2016, the world market for perfumes is forecast to grow to $39.67 billion, according to Future Market Insights. Data from the market research firm's report, “Perfumes Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026,” revealed the global perfume market will expand at a CAGR of 5.9 percent in 2016‒2026, driven in part by growing demand from millennial consumers. Also, growth in the fragrance segment has been driven by expansions in online retail business and marketing efforts of market leaders, such as Estee Lauder, LVMH, and Coty. Demand for fragrances is also benefiting from consumers' willingness to spend on luxury personal care products.

Natura was ranked number 19 on the Beauty Packaging’s Top 20 Companies list for 2016. In 2014, the beauty company’s net revenue dropped to $2 billion, hampered by Brazil’s higher taxes and currency devaluation. Also, the country’s cosmetics, fragrances, and toiletries market contracted by 6 percent. In 2015, overseas operations accounted for almost 30 percent of the company’s net revenue, with international operations growing 47 percent in the last five years.

Beauty retailer Ulta aims to expand its market share in the next several years by opening new stores, growing its online business, and improving store productivity. Company CEO Mary Dillon said she expects Ulta to double its share of the $127 billion beauty market in the US from the current 4 percent. At the company's latest analyst and investor day, Ulta adjusted comparable-store sales growth forecast for 2017 to 2019 from 5‒7 percent to 7‒9 percent. Also, the company raised its same-store sales growth outlook from 11‒13 percent to 14‒15 percent.

Beauty brand Revlon named singer, model, and actress Ciara as its latest brand ambassador. Named after a Revlon fragrance introduced in 1973, Ciara brings with her almost 14 million Instagram followers. Looking back at her childhood and early family life, Ciara could almost say that her coming to Revlon was a matter of fate.

Johnson & Johnson reported sales grew 4.2 percent to $17.8 billion in the third quarter of 2016, compared with the same quarter of the previous year. Operational sales results rose 4.3 percent, with the negative impact of currency at 0.1 percent, the company said. Sales in the US jumped 6.7 percent, while international sales increased 1.5 percent, showing operational growth of 1.7 percent and negative currency impact at 0.2 percent. Venezuela operations adversely affected global operational sales growth by 30 basis points and international sales growth by 70 basis points.

Sales of niche and artisanal fragrances grew 22 percent in 2015, compared with the previous year, according to NPD Group. Data revealed sales of the perfumes, which sometimes come in unconventional varieties, are driven by millennials who do not want mass-market perfumes and celebrity-driven scents. Also driving growth and competition in the market is the increase in merger deals, including Revlon Inc.’s acquisition of Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Coty Inc.’s purchase of Procter & Gamble Co.’s 41 beauty brands. Premium scents have driven market growth, with sales of artisanal products and premium fragrances forecast to grow 18 percent from its current $6.6 billion by 2020, according to Euromonitor International.

Jo Malone, founder of perfume brand Jo Malone London, will have her autobiography, “Jo Malone: My Story,” published by Simon & Schuster. For publication and release in both the UK and the US, the book's print editions will feature a page treated with Pomelo, a scent from Malone's Jo Loves collection. While the book highlights her business achievements, it also looks at the difficult times she went through, including overcoming breast cancer and being estranged from her mother.

Gender-neutral fragrances are becoming more popular, as younger consumers continue moving away from conventional “sexist messaging” previously used by marketers. With 950 out of 1,000 new niche launches aimed at no particular gender, the growing trend owes its existence to Calvin Klein's launch of the unisex fragrance CK1 in the 1990s. Strengthened by Hollywood in the 19th and 20th centuries, marketing strategies for promoting women's and men's fragrances would be considered offensive today, according to market executives, such as perfumer Ben Krigler and PHLUR CEO and president Eric Korman. Some of the popular gender-free fragrances today include Atelier Cologne, Jo Malone London, and Ex Nihilo.

French fashion brand Nina Ricci launched a marketing campaign for its Nina brand of perfume. As part of the campaign, the brand has recruited fashion model Monika Jagaciak to join her best friend and fellow model Frida Gustavsson. Filmmaker Gordon Von Steiner directed the “Nina & Luna” commercial, which highlights the models' real-life friendship as a selling point.

Duty-free sales of beauty products worldwide reached $19.8 billion in 2015, with fragrance accounting for 43.6 percent of total sales, according to Generation Research. In 2014, however, overall sales were $19.3 billion, with the fragrance segment contributing 48.7 percent of total sales, and in 2013, $17.5 billion, with fragrance accounting for 50.8 percent. Factors driving the decline in fragrance’s share of total sales included a decrease in disposable income in some markets and terrorism and security concerns. In order to deal with these factors and their adverse impact on the duty-free market, many companies are marketing products aimed at consumers who continue to travel. For example, Armani/Prive created Pivoine Suzhou, a fragrance designed for Chinese consumers. Lancome launched its Miracle perfume, which is also aimed at China’s consumers.

Karen Fondu, president of L’Oréal Paris USA, announced her retirement after 37 years with the company. The company said Fondu started at L’Oréal as a sales representative, went on to key account manager and then mid-Atlantic district manager, West Coast regional manager and then vice president of sales of the cosmetics division, She became president of L’Oréal Paris USA in 2008. Former P&G executive Ikdeep Singh will replace Fondu as general manager when her retirement takes effect at the end of the year.