Facial skincare outperformed other beauty categories last year but salons and spas could lose out in 2011 as consumers replace treatments with salon-style retail products.
Facial skincarewas one of the strongest beauty categories in the “big five” European countries last year, reaching a market value of €6.2bn (£5.4bn), up from €6bn (£5.3bn) the previous year, according to market analyst Mintel.
However, Mintel’s senior beauty analyst Vivienne Rudd warns that “consumers are simultaneously reining in their spending on salon treatments”, adding that “products positioned specifically as salon alternatives could continue to pick up sales as a result.”
Mintel also suggested that the “masstige” sector of the beauty retail market could be hardest hit as shoppers trade down to cheaper alternatives.
Rudd added: “The luxury end of the market should be less badly affected: its audience will not suffer so much from the austerity drives and the sector generally reported a strong performance in 2010.”
Among European consumers, the top skincare need in 2010 was to address fine lines and wrinkles with 44% of UK consumers and saying they worried about it. A high number of Spanish (53%), French (48%) and Italian (46%) consumers also sais it was a concern, though that dropped 33% among German consumers.
Mintel’s research also shows that French women spent the most in Europe on anti-ageing skincare in 2010 at €32 (£28) per head in 2010 on anti-ageing products, followed by Italians with €17.5 (£15) then British women at €15 (£13).
Rudd added: “anti-ageing skincare market is well placed to withstand the economic pressures of the coming years. While per capita spend may dip slightly in 2011, manufacturers will drive their new product development programmes to encourage consumers to keep up their anti-ageing regimes.”
