NPD Report Shows More Women Going Without Makeup; Focusing on Skin Care

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According to beauty industry trends highlighted in a newly updated study, Makeup In-Depth Consumer Report by market research company The NPD Group, Inc., recent shifts in makeup usage point to alternative areas of interest among makeup users. Overall, usage of makeup products among 18–64-year-old women is down five percentage points in 2010, relative to 2008. Among women who do wear makeup, a growing number (up 1%, equivalent to about an estimated, additional one million women, based on projected population taken from the U.S. Census) are wearing only one makeup product per given day.

But although overall makeup usage is down, an area of growing interest is makeup products with skin care benefits. An overwhelming majority, almost nine in 10 (86%), of makeup-users have used a makeup product that contains a skin care benefit in the past year.

According to the report, moisturizing (54%) and SPF protection (51%) are the most cited skin care benefits that the makeup products women used contained. These were followed by oil-free/won’t clog the pores (32%), reduces wrinkles/fine lines (30%), and natural/mineral-based (27%).

About six in 10 women who used makeup with skin care benefits are using these types of makeup products in addition to using skin care products with the same benefits. Nearly two in five of these women are using makeup products with skin care benefits instead of skin care products with the same benefits.

"As consumers seek to simplify their beauty routines, the opportunity is ripe for products that provide the benefits of both the makeup and skin care categories. In the past few years a greater number of makeup products are incorporating skin care benefits that consumers would previously seek to get from a skin care product. From protective benefits to increasingly advanced anti-aging ingredients to the more specialized focus of anti-acne and redness reduction benefits, more and more makeup manufacturers are offering consumers a wider variety of skincare options today,” said Karen Grant, vice president and global industry analyst, The NPD Group.

“While the beauty industry continues to look for new opportunities, this convergence of makeup and skin care is a burgeoning platform to build upon. Our younger consumers are still learning and experimenting to determine what works for them and our older consumer are facing the ever-changing needs of their skin along with the need for a pragmatic, time-saving approach to beauty. Understanding the way consumers are now approaching their beauty regimen and where their needs cross categories will help guide us in re-engaging both the younger consumer and older consumer,” ended Grant.

This trend is also highlighted in Skin Inc.'s "Fall 2010 Cosmetic Color Trends" article, which ran in the September 2010 issue.

About the report

The Makeup In-Depth Consumer Report is an update to the report released in April 2008. The age group for the study done in 2010 was expanded from women 18–64 to be inclusive of women 65 or older. The study was fielded March 10–31, 2010. A nationally representative sample from NPD’s Online Panel was used to target women aged 18 or older. The report measures female beauty consumers’ brand awareness and usage of makeup products to uncover patterns in consumer behavior.

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