Sales of the U.S. cosmetics and toiletries market have topped $42 billion at the manufacturers’ level in 2014, and, for the fifth year in row, the market posted revenue growth, according to the soon-to-be-released data from Kline’s Cosmetics & Toiletries USA report. Upward growth is driven by the consistent healthy performance of all product classes, with oral care, hair care, and makeup occupying the top spots in terms of growth.
The makeup products class witnesses another strong year of sales, guided by the eye and face makeup categories. Face makeup is driven by multi-functional foundations, providing advantages such as full coverage, moisturization, concealing, anti-aging, and SPF protection while the eye makeup category benefits from the growing demand for eyebrow products, eyeliners, and mascaras. This year, lip glosses experience a dip in sales with consumers shifting their preference back to the pigment-rich lipsticks, available in newly improved long-wearing and lightweight formulae. Although experiencing a drop in sales for the second consecutive year, the nail polishes category is offset by the introduction of gel polishes from leading marketers, such as Coty, Revlon, and L’Oréal in the second half of the year.
Supported by a stellar performance of the lip balms category, the oral care product class showed its best face in 2014. Growth in this category was driven entirely by EOS (Evolution of Smooth), which has skyrocketed to the #2 spot in the category due to its attractive packaging and appealing flavors.
With almost 3% growth, the hair care product class is dominated by shampoos and conditioners. Cleansing conditioners, also called co-washing, a product type popularized by direct marketer Guthy-Renker with its Wen brand, has gone mainstream with mass companies such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and L’Oréal beginning to offer them. Oil-infused hair care product lines enriched with various kinds of oils, such as argan, Moroccan, kukui, and coconut, are also gaining popularity.
Skin care continues to be the leading product class in terms of sales value, backed by the positive performance of skin care products for men and hand and body lotions. Men prefer skin care products that address specific skin care concerns and require products that function effectively and provide quicker results. To address these needs, several companies use minimalistic packaging designs on such products. Within the hand and body lotions and sun care categories, spray-format products are gaining popularity due to their easy application process, product packaging that allows for an even spread, and claims of a quicker absorption rate.
To learn more about the cosmetics and toiletries market in the United States, refer to Kline’s forthcoming report–Cosmetics & Toiletries USA. Focusing on key trends, developments, challenges, and business opportunities, and offering information such as trends, market sizes and shares, competitive assessment, and forecasts for 25 major product categories and detailed profiles of about 30 leading marketers and 150 smaller players, the report is the industry’s standard. The data pertaining to calendar year 2014 will be released later this week in Kline’s interactive online database.
