Data for the U.S. cosmetics and toiletries market in 2011 has been tallied, unquestionably confirming a rewarding year. The slump is over for many in the industry, and the market records the best year in more than a decade, with sales growing strong in several categories. The winning product classes are makeup and fragrances.
There is a lot of excitement in the makeup category. Eye makeup, for example, had a rousing year. Growth of the category was driven by the smoky and dramatic eye trend, starting from the runway and promoted heavily by makeup artist lines. Eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara, used to complete the dramatic eye look, contributed to the fact that all segments in the category grew. Some brands used video tutorials to help consumers obtain the smoky and sultry look.
Eye shadows exhibited the highest growth in the category. New product activity in the eye shadow segment includes Rimmel Glam’Eyes HD Eye shadow. The bold, dual-use shadow works wet or dry, allowing one to customize the color. The shadow lasts up to 10 hours. Laura Mercier’s Eye Color formula features baked technology in shades that last all day, as well as Caviar Stick Eye Color, which offers a new technique to enhance the smoky eye look. The Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) brand had a phenomenal year, growing faster than any other brand in any of the trade classes.
The nail polishes category also had a tremendous year, up almost 30% from 2010 as consumers continued to save money by doing their nails at home instead of going to a salon. Kline saw this trend start a few years ago (see our 2010 press release), and more marketers seized the opportunity since to offer products that provided that coveted salon manicure in a DIY fashion. Also, igniting the growth in nail polishes was the plethora of bold colors, special effects, and colors containing glitter that attracted woman of all ages; from those who follow high fashion to teens that experiment regularly. Sally Hansen and Revlon brands were among the marketers at mass that helped drive nail sales – Sally Hansen, with its crackle polish, and Revlon, with its Color Stay formula.
Sales of fragrances for men and women grew more in 2011 than in any of the past five years. Whether this is really a rebound or just the category slowly inching back upwards remains to be seen, as category sales are still below that of 2008 when the recession began.
Most of the men’s fragrances category growth was from either stalwart brands, such as L’Oréal’s Acqua di Giò and Chanel’s Blu, getting stronger or expanded franchises from established brands, such as Procter & Gamble’s Gucci Guilty Pour Homme. In women’s fragrances, in addition to classics and established franchises contributing to category growth, new brands that were geared to a younger demographic of tweens and teens also helped grow the category. These include Justin Beiber’s Someday (Give Back Brands), Taylor Swift’s Someday (Elizabeth Arden), and Rihanna’s Reb’l Fleur (Parlux).
The winning trade classes overall were specialty and luxury. High-end department stores and specialty boutiques enjoyed surges in traffic and purchases in 2011, as wealthier patrons returned in droves.
For more insights get our Cosmetics & Toiletries report!
