Innovation is the single biggest driver in the mature $64 billion U.S. beauty market. Consumers crave newness and, more than ever, demand value-added products that are not only “new and improved,” but truly deliver results. On May 15, 2015, CEW hosted its 21st Annual 2015 Insiders’ Choice Beauty Awards to recognize some of the industry’s most innovative beauty launches from 2014. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at a few award winners that had a positive impact on the beauty market.
Kao’s Jergens brand was among the winners with its BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream. Kao and the Jergens brand have a long history of bringing innovation to the beauty market, as Kline has reported over the decades in its Cosmetics & Toiletries USA continuing annual service. Jergens was the brand that first got Americans using body washes in 1994 with its Refreshing Body Shampoo that was packaged with a unique sponge. Kao introduced us to pore strips with the 1997 launch of Bioré Pore Perfect Cleansing Strips. Other innovations include Jergens Shave Minimizer (2001) and Jergens Natural Glow (2005). This 2014 launch extends the prominent BB cream trend into body care.
Foreo Luna T-Sonic Cleansing and Anti-Aging System took the award for best new Skincare Tool. According to Kline’s latest Beauty Devices study, Foreo was the fastest growing brand in the cleansing segment due to its aggressive distribution strategy. In 2014, Foreo expanded its distribution into prestige retailers, such as Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Ulta, and Sephora, as well as several online retailers.
In the $12 billion facial treatments category, the acne aids segment experienced the strongest growth, with an increase of 5.1% during the year, which is considerably faster than the category average of 2.2%. Growth was driven by continued increases from both ProActiv and XOut, along with new entries from Estée Lauder and Murad. Estée Lauder’s Clear Difference Targeted Blemish Treatment took CEW’s award for best new Acne Treatment. Estée Lauder’s recently acquired GlamGlow also snagged two awards.
Crest took the Iconic Beauty Award Mass with its Crest 3D White Whitestrips. Crest was the pioneer of the whitestrips category in 2000, and this new launch was one of the largest ones in 2014, helping Crest advance its sales and further solidify its dominant #1 ranking, according to the latest edition of Cosmetics & Toiletries USA.
Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream won as women’s prestige scent and the whole Daisy franchise helped parent Coty maintain its second place ranking among the marketers of women’s fragrances, according to the latest edition of Cosmetics & Toiletries USA. Dior Homme Eau for Men took CEW’s award for best Male Scent and was one of the top men’s fragrance launches in 2014.
Living Proof Curl Conditioning Wash was the recipient of the Hair Shampoo/Hair Conditioner award. This sulfate-free, non-lathering conditioning wash that cleans the hair while conditioning is one of the many products contributing to the co-washing trend that Kline reported on last week with results from its Kline PRO product-level database.
It is exciting to see so many innovations propelling the industry forward. Congratulations to all of the winners!
