MARKET HEALTH

2017 has seen a growth of 2% in the UK Skincare & Suncare category, putting it ahead of the Toiletries market, which is declining at 1.6% year on year. The subcategories of Face and Lip care have both contributed positively to the rising percentage. It is good to note that generally, the category is growing because people are spending more on products, not necessarily purchasing more products or more frequently (Boistelle 2018).

Facial Skincare has continued to perform well in the UK in 2017. This has led to shopper gains particularly for cleansers, with L’Oréal, Garnier and Private Labels boasting new shoppers. As the UK population ages, more women are joining the skincare category through purchases of anti-ageing skincare products. However, overall anti-ageing is in decline, so it is products not specifying the target age that is driving growth in Facial Skincare. Innovation means there are far more products to choose from. Micellar water is an excellent example, that boomed in 2017. Also, Instagram influencers and celebrities have boosted the popularity of specific skincare products, especially face masks (Boistelle 2018).

The women’s facial skincare category saw strong growth in value in 2017, increasing by 4% to reach £1.15 billion, boosted by increasing penetration of skincare products. The market is expected to continue to grow, in the best-case by 26% from an estimated £1.18 billion in 2018 to £1.49 billion in 2023 or the worst-case increasing by 4% to £1.23 billion. Mintel expects the category to rise by 15% to £1.36 billion by 2023, however, driven by GDP and the population of women aged 16-54 (Mintel 2019) .

The teen market presents opportunities. The population of women aged 15-19 is predicted to increase by 3% in the period 2017-22 presenting opportunities for skincare targeting this demographic. Mintel’s Managing Skin Conditions – UK, July 2017 shows that 56% of women aged 16-24 experience spots, highlighting the importance of the skin concern to this demographic. Recent years have seen beauty bloggers and vloggers drive awareness of skin conditions, such as Em Ford, whose video about acne bullying went viral in 2015. Body positivity messages could impact the way advertising of spot treatment products are perceived amongst this demographic, driving the need for more realistic models (Mintel 2017).