BW Confidential - Issue #2 - May/June 2010 - (Page 26)

Insight: skincare Trends Fast forward An analysis of the major trends and directions set to drive the skincare market Exotic appeal Exoticism has made its way into skincare with more brands focusing marketing messages on ingredients from far-flung places or rare plants and fruits. “There is a strong trend toward the idea of a global bazaar, where consumers want to have something exotic or an experience from somewhere else,” says US-based The Benchmarking Company founder and creative director Alisa Marie Beyer. For example, Eclos, a skincare line formulated with plant-based stem cells, has the rare Swiss apple Uttwiler Spatlauber as its key ingredient. The company says that the apple is so rare that only 20 trees that grow the fruit exist. It also claims that once punctured the apple heals itself, a self-renewal property that rejuvenates aging skin. Similarly L’Oréal-owned Kiehl’s came out with its first ‘natural product’, which centers around the Açai berry (although this berry is now used by many skincare brands), while Australian brand Jurlique’s Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator is based on indigenous Australian extracts of Desert lime Quandong and Wattle. Skincare brand Sunday Riley (pictured) also bases its NV-5 Ageless Complex on a blend of five Native American botanicals. Nature meets science A profusion of ‘natural or organic’ skincare products has hit the market in recent years. Many of these products have been criticized for ‘smelling bad, being ineffective and simply not producing results’. As a result, the counter-trend is now to combine synthetic actives with a more natural positioning, which has led to the terms ‘naturaceutical’ and ‘botaniceutical’. US-based MD Skincare, founded by Dr Dennis Gross, a clinical dermatologist, has come out with a natural slant for its new bodycare range, called Beauty In Toxic Out Natural Beauty Collection (pictured). The line claims to be vegan friendly and free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and petroleum. Another US brand Suki Skincare (pictured) also says that its vision is to create ‘natural cosmeceuticals’, and that it combines organic actives with cosmeceutical-grade ingredients. With consumers growing more skeptical of the organic and green trend, some brands are also stating bluntly that their products are not 100% natural. Make-up brand Face Atelier, for example, clearly says in its marketing literature that “there is no such thing as natural, purely mineral or organic cosmetics“ and adds that “without some chemical additives and preservatives, make-up would have the shelf life of milk.” Sustainable skincare It’s clear that the consumer is more concerned about what they are buying and if their favorite brands use sustainable practices. However, beauty is behind when it comes to communicating on this front, especially compared to other industries such as food (fairtrade coffee and the like have been around for years). Analysts, however, say beauty brands will need to do a better job of marketing themselves as sustainable companies, and that skincare is a category where this can be easily done. UK-based Ren, for example, highlights the fact that it uses Fair Trade Moroccan rose extract in its Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish and that it donates 2.5% of company profits to campaigns that support environmental issues. Another example is Alaffia, whose products and entire concept is based on fair trade, handcrafted Shea butter; the brand’s tagline is ‘sustainable skincare’. 26 May-June 2010 - N°2 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #2 - May/June 2010

Couverture
Comments
Contents
Update
- Brand and retail news recap
Take note
- Market facts, figures and trends
Launches
The latest fragrance, skincare and make-up launches
Best of BW
- Market highlights
Interview
- Clarins Fragrance Group president Joël Palix
Insight : skincare
- Category overview
- Industry viewpoint
- Trends
Wellness
- Training in spas
- Spa case studies
Market watch : Asia
- Regional analysis
- Japan
- China
- South Korea
Focus : Fragrance creation
- Fragrance regulations
- Perfumer roundtable
Radar
- Six up-and-coming beauty brands
Travel retail
- Asia regional roundup
- Interview with Korea duty-free
Last word
- Morning Star equity analyst Erin Swanson on beauty’s threats and opportunities

BW Confidential - Issue #2 - May/June 2010