A new report from Mintel examines the effects of the recession and current trends in makeup and cosmetics sales.
Since 2008, women have been maintaining a more natural look for makeup, which may translate into fewer product purchases in the cosmetics category overall, as women use less makeup overall, shying away from heavy eye shadows and lipsticks while also gravitating toward neutral tones. Even the decision to move toward neutral tones speaks to less purchasing, since much of cosmetics usage and purchase is predicated on the plethora of colors available, for any occasion.
The United States continues to struggle with the recession, which is affecting even stalwart categories such as personal care, and the color cosmetics market has been feeling its effects, with increased sales only in the eye makeup segment. Economic pressures are likely to continue to depress category growth, at least in the short term, as women trade down to less pricey makeup options and choose to go with a simpler look.
A new report from Mintel Oxygen examines the following market topics:
- How and why the economic downturn has affected even sales within personal care, a category previously resistant to economic downturns.
- The negative impact on sales of women’s desire to sustain a more “natural” look, particularly with regard to color cosmetics.
- An assessment of new product activity across all segments of the category, which includes eye, face and lip makeup.
- How and why drug stores continue to dominate sales.
Mintel Oxygen—a division of consumer, media and market research company Mintel International—is an online platform, designed to provide easy and fast access to the company's smart consumer and market insight. More than 600 report titles covering U.K., European, U.S. and international consumer markets are added to Mintel Oxygen every year.
