Is Your Base Oil Plant Healthy? Kline and SBA Consulting Launch New Base Oil Study
Kline, a global market research and management consulting firm specializing in the downstream petroleum and specialties sector, and SBA Consulting, which focuses on global analyses of the base oil market, announced a new joint initiative to analyze the financial performance and survivability for base oil plants with the launch of a client-confidential study called the Base Oil Plant Health Check.Continue reading
Top Trends of Cosmetics and Toiletries
Drawing upon on our new and exciting feature, a complimentary highlights report that comes with subscription to our annual Cosmetics & Toiletries USA report, we’ve selected several trends to watch out for as we enter 2016.
- The rise of consumerism and expression of individualism
The beauty industry projects a further rise in consumerism and expression of individualism. The unique needs of consumers are addressed by marketers who offer personalized solutions and custom-made products.Continue reading
I&I Cleaning Suppliers Can Help Fast-casual Restaurants Such as Chipotle Improve Food Safety
The recent food poisoning outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants across multiple states has caused hundreds of consumers to become sick from E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella poisoning. Initially, in October 2015, the problem was thought to be contained to 11 restaurants in Washington and Oregon. The restaurant chain proactively closed over 40 locations in those two states to deep clean, sanitize, and restock with all new ingredients. Since then, there have been 11 additional states where people have reported illness after eating at Chipotle restaurants, including over 140 cases of norovirus, mostly among college students in Boston, MA. The problem is so widespread it has triggered a grand jury subpoena and a federal investigation lead by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Continue reading
Digital Media, Gummy Product Forms, and Mergers Impact OTC Cost Structures
The OTC industry continues to consolidate and transform itself with companies merging or acquiring/divesting brands. Recent examples include the merger of Bayer’s and Merck’s OTC businesses, the joint venture between GlaxoSmithKline’s and Novartis’ consumer health units, and Sanofi’s upcoming acquisition of Boehringer-Ingelheim’s OTC unit. With acquisitions come synergies, such as more media buying power, widened retail distribution, and competitive strengths across more OTC categories. However, mergers and joint ventures can also lead to increased costs of raw materials, packaging, and processing to manufacture a larger array of products. Increased marketing expenditures in support of newly acquired brands also impacts profitability, with the longer term goal of increasing sales and market share. Sales growth of acquired brands can help offset additional costs in cost of goods sold (COGS) and marketing. Continue reading
An Overview of the Chinese Finished Lubricants Market
The Chinese economy’s slowdown and reorientation has significant implications for the lubricants market in China, as well as the global market overall. The efforts to improve China’s air quality will accelerate the use of high performance lubricants while demand growth in other segments will slow down.
In 2014, China’s consumption of commercial lubricants declined by over 3% due to the industrial segment’s poor performance. Although we estimate a slow recovery through 2015 and possibly 2016, the government is continuously creating policies to stimulate the economy; furthermore, consumption is expected to grow slightly starting in 2017. Continue reading
Kline’s Index of Base Stock Production and Re-refining Cash Margins Indicates a Downward Turn for Profitability
In January 2014, Kline, a worldwide consulting and research firm serving the needs of organizations in the lubricants and base stocks industry, introduced its monthly Base Stock Margin Index, a characterization of recent cash margin contributions in the U.S. base oil market over the past 24 months.
The Index estimates cash margin contributions associated with U.S. Group II base stock production. It simulates EBITDA before the deduction of corporate SG&A expenses for typical VGO-based virgin base stock plants and RFO-based re-refineries. Continue reading
What’s the Current Pulse of the Professional Skin Care Markets in Europe and the United States?
Drawing on our freshly published Professional Skin Care: U.S. and Europe reports, Kline’s professional beauty and personal care experts answer five essential questions regarding the current state of this market.
1. What are the most important changes you have seen in the professional skin care market in 2015?
The professional skin care market in the United States continues to consolidate with Unilever acquiring Dermalogica and Murad, two leading brands in the spas and salons channel. A new online platform called RegimenMD is launched, helping plastic surgeons and dermatologists legitimately sell their products online and simultaneously eliminate online diversion.Continue reading
The Top Five Biggest Trends in the U.S. Beauty Devices Market
Over the past few years, the beauty devices market in the United States has made some bold moves. Since 2010, when we first started covering this market, its size has almost doubled! Today, beauty devices is the fastest growing beauty and personal care market and continuously surprises us with its high-speed developments and vibrant opportunities.
With the publication of the latest edition of our Beauty Devices: U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities report, let’s take a look at the top five biggest trends that took hold in 2015 and will continue to gain steam through 2016:Continue reading
Best of 2015 from Kline’s Beauty and Personal Care Research
As we take flight into 2016, this is the perfect time to reflect and evaluate what’s happened and will continue to develop in the world of beauty. In 2015, we brought you an array of new trends and data from large and important markets, such as natural personal care, professional skin care, salon hair care, professional nail care, and more. We also expanded our portfolio with three new studies covering promising and fast growing markets, such as professional ethnic hair care, sexual wellness products, and pain management devices, as well as a number of mini reports covering hot topics across the globe.Continue reading
You’d Better Watch Out, You Might Want to Cry—NYX is Coming to Town
NYX, the now L’Oréal-owned mass cosmetics brand that has taken the beauty market by storm, opened its first retail locations in Arcadia and Torrance, CA, in October. The brand has already opened a third location in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and plans to open at least two additional locations in California before the end of the year. Major plans are apparently in place to transform the chain into a national retailer in early 2016, as initial signage has popped up in malls around the United States indicating that NYX is “coming soon,” potentially disrupting the beauty retailing landscape in a major way.
NYX had already altered the mass beauty market by covertly acquiring a cult-like following via a modern twist on grassroots marketing: putting free products in the hands of beauty vloggers.Continue reading
