A bright forecast for sun care category

Drug Store News, Oct 9, 1995

The sweltering heat wave that sizzled across the nation this summer certainly brought with it a heavier-than-usual consumer emphasis on sun care products. From beaches to golf courses to amusement parks and community swimming pools, Americans could be seen coating their bodies with their favorite sun protection lotions.

While it's still way too early to project 1995 sales of sun care products, it's likely that the category's performance this year will outshine last year's 1.5 percent increase, which reflected a rise in sunscreen sales of 14.3 percent and a decrease of 10.8 percent in suntan product sales.

Clearly the shift to screening from tanning has been influenced greatly by increased consumer awareness of the need for sun protection. Schering-Plough (maker of Coppertone), Bausch and Lomb (Ray-Ban sunglasses) and the Environmental Protection Agency are all spreading the word on the dangers of UV radiation while pushing the value of a national UV index.

Schering-Plough's Suncast UV Index, launched in May, is now available to over 350 local TV stations as well as The Weather Channel, CNN and USA Today. This type of educational publicity has certainly increased the number and broadened the demographics of sun care users, even though the primary purchaser is now and always has been female.

But she's buying for more people and for more occasions than the traditional 16-week peak period from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Sun care product marketers are fueling her fire by promoting year-round sun care the same way their counterparts in cosmetics promote skin care or toothpaste manufacturers promote dental hygiene.

Consumers may not be applying sunscreen three times a day, but they are taking heed. And well they should. Routine caution under the sun helps prevent malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, cataracts and immune system damage, all of which are caused by overexposure to the sun's UV rays.

Moreover, long-term effects such as wrinkles, sagging and discoloration are also negative side effects of too much fun in the sun.

According to the American Skin Association, as much as 90 percent of these signs of aging are caused by the sun. Incidental sun exposure from watering the garden or walking the dog has presented sun care marketers with a major year-round opportunity and has also opened the door to the burgeoning sports market - not just for summer games, either. Fresh snow reflects back approximately 85 percent of the sun's UV rays.

Children's sunblock hot

Probably the fastest-growing segment in the sun care category, though, is sunblocks developed for children and babies. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 80 percent of a person's lifetime exposure to UV radiation occurs before the 18th birthday, and a single serious sunburn during the early years can double the risk of developing skin cancer.

With all the exposure to overexposure, it's no secret that the sun care market is being driven today by protective sun care products - SPF 6 and above - with exceptional growth in the higher SPF range items 15 and above - as well as by "value-sized" packaging.

Drug chain operators that are serious about the sun care category - which is purchased 70 percent of the time on impulse - should stock a broad assortment of SPFs and related products, and merchandise the section close to the store entrance and/or in the line of traffic to the pharmacy counter. In-store promotions have also proven very effective in creating the impression of equal-to or better-than value vs. the mass merchants.

The impulse nature of the category also requires a very user-friendly, easy-to-shop section, and to this point many retailers are consolidating their vendor rosters while expanding their assortments to include a wide range of SPFs. They are merchandising by brand to create a billboard effect on the shelf

Consolidation or not, every sun care retailer is faced with a huge number of SKUs and decisions. The best thing a drug chain can do to improve sales and keep its customers happy is to optimize the business vs. simply creating a planogram of best-selling SKUs. This very important category lends itself to a well-organized, basic section year-round with well-timed promotions throughout the key sun care season.

While it may be considered in many circles to be a mature category, keep in mind that only half of the people in the United States regularly use sun care products. So it is, in fact, a category with a very bright future.