The professional nail care market is feeling the heat of temporary salon closures across the world. Findings from our soon-to-be-published Professional Nail Care: Global Market Analysis and Opportunities reveal a dramatic change in the performance of leading markets covered across regions. They are:
Japan (Asia)
Japan, historically one of the most dynamic markets covered in our report, managed to maintain its course with only a slight decline of a little over 2%. The country didn’t impose mandatory, COVID-related lockdowns. Specialized nail bars and nail technicians that have a strong relationship with customers continued to operate with little impact. However, a stronger impact was witnessed in chain/franchised nail bars, which rely on walk-in customers. Despite declining sales, gels continued to be the dominant category, occupying about one-third of market sales in 2020. On a positive note, the nail polishes category rebounded after a few consecutive years of declining sales, as nail bar/salon customers looked for ways to shorten the time spent in salons.
Germany (Europe)
The German market showed continued growth over the past five years, but restrictions caused by the pandemic resulted in a dramatic decline of 19% in 2020. Salons were closed for several months, and thus, German consumers turned to DIY kits for nail care at home. The nail enhancements category was the most impacted of all, as the prolonged periods of nail salon closures resulted in consumers opting for more natural nails. At the same time, the market moved away from traditional hard gels, which often damage the nail bed, toward other types of nail enhancements.
Brazil (Latin America)
Brazil had witnessed an uptick in sales in 2019 after several consecutive years of poor performance, but it seems the glory was meant to be short-lived. The market has been strongly impacted by the pandemic, again receding to the slump with an 11% decline in 2020. The most stringent social distancing measures took place in Q2, while in Q3, professionals and consumers re-adapted themselves to salons/nail bars that slowly started reopening with less time for services, clients, and professionals.
Watch out for our next blog, drawing comparisons between the United States and the United Kingdom markets based on key findings from our soon-to-be-published Professional Nail Care: Global Market Analysis and Opportunities report. Covering the market performance of care products, gels, long-wear nail polishes, nail enhancements, and traditional nail polishes, this in-depth analysis will shine a spotlight on key changes, developments, and opportunities taking place across key professional nail care markets such as Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
