Facial Skin Care Is Tissue Territory

Household & Personal Products Industry, Feb, 2001 by Julie Forster

THE FACIAL SKIN CARE MARKET IS one of the most significant categories of the European cosmetic and toiletries market, second only to hair care in terms of total sales. What's more, there's plenty of room for future growth. Penetration of products remains low across the board for men, and in certain product categories among women, but with the aging population and increasing exposure to skin-damaging external factors, more consumers are acknowledging that they need to adopt a skin care regime.

However, manufacturers cannot rest on their laurels--consumers want high performance products while maintaining ease of use. They also want to be able to find a product that addresses their specific needs easily and quickly when faced with making a choice from the vast selection of products in this category in all distribution channels.

The European facial skin care market put in a fairly good performance during the past year with total sales rising in France, Germany, Italy and the UK, but falling in Spain.

Fuelled by recent innovations, particularly cleansing wipes, growth in the cleanser category outstripped that of moisturizing products in France, Italy and the UK. However, in Germany cleanser sales were static year-to-year.

In the past, cleansers had always been the poor relations to moisturizers when it came to sales growth and product innovation, but the arrival of two new cleanser formats--cleansing wipes and deep cleansing strips--changed all of that. Last year we were just starting to witness the impact of the arrival of these products on the market. Figures from industry sources for 2000 would suggest that the real winner out of the two formats has been the cleansing tissue.

During the past year, sales of these tissues have grown in five key European markets. However, sales of deep cleansing strips have tailed off in some markets. Sources predict that before long, these will be a standard unit in all facial skin care ranges.

An industry source suggests that in the UK, facial washes and cleansing milks/lotions have been losing share to cleansing wipes, with lotions and milks suffering greater sales losses than facial washes. Future growth in cleansing wipes is expected to stem from added value technology, which will bring further skin care benefits to these products.

Regime Rejection?

The top-selling brands in the market boast clearly organized ranges designed to be used together in a regime if the consumer so wishes.

However, industry analysts tend to suggest that the average consumer remains reluctant to use products in that way. Instead, they buy across a broad range of brands and even mix mass and premium brands.

Not to be put off, however, analysts suggest that as consumers become more knowledgeable about caring for their skin, they are more likely to recognize the benefits of using products from the same range. What's more, manufacturers can encourage users to adopt a regime through merchandising initiatives, which provide clear indicators showing which products go together.

As usual there was plenty of launch activity in the European facial skin care market last year. L'Oreal has been busy boosting its mass market Plenitude line with a wide variety of advanced products. Aimed at women aged 60 and older, the new three-product sub-range Plenitude Age Perfect uses new skin care technology called Dermo-Peptide. L'Oreal claims that Age Perfect helps retain the moisture balance of the skin and stimulates cellular renewal.

The day cream contains hydro-fixing agents, said to leave the skin feeling comfortable and soft, Mexoryl SX, which protects against UVA rays and beta-hydroxy acid to exfoliate, leaving the skin softer and smoother. Age Perfect Night is enriched with natural oils, which are said to offer long-term nourishment, helping to compensate for loss of lipids. Age Perfect AntiAge Spot Treatment is reported to perform three complementary actions. It minimizes pigmentation spots thanks to a bio-complex extracted from the roots of the mulberry tree and Scutellaria Baicalensis, a Japanese plant. Mexoryl SX is said to help prevent the formation of new spots and to protect, the skin. Thirdly, L'Oreal claims that beta-hydroxy acid balances the complexion by exfoliating the cells that lie on the surface of the skin's epidermis.

L'Oreal also launched Plenitude Revitalift Slim Face Sculpting lotion, said to be the first face sculpting lotion containing Par-Elastyl and caffeine. L'Oreal heralded this as the first product of its type on the mass market. The product range comprises a day cream, a night cream and an eye treatment.

In the cleansing category, L'Oreal unveiled Plenitude Hydrafresh Cleansing Gels, a range of two facial washes--one for normal to combination skin and another for normal to dry skin.

Freshen Up

L'Oreal's Laboratoires Garnier division added a new sub-range to its successful Synergie franchise called Synergie Fresh. The range is aimed at women aged 18-30 and incorporates fruit waters extracted through a flash distillation process which removes the water in its purest, freshest form.