Ripe for Acquisitions – Smaller Players in Personal Care Companies Post Above-average Growth

Thousands ofRipeCherry deals were announced globally through 2012, and this level of confidence and activity in M&A continues apace into 2013 as exemplified by Valeant’s acquisition of Ambi Skincare Products from Johnson & Johnson and Acne Free from University Medical. Similarly, Valeant has recently announced it is acquiring outstanding Obagi stock for $360 million. Other noteworthy activity includes Markwins International acquiring Physicians Formula for $75 million and Dr. Fresh acquiring the Reach brand of toothbrushes from Johnson & Johnson. Yellow Wood Partners private equity firm acquired Parfums de Coeur, a previously privately-held company, for an undisclosed sum. Furthermore, L’Oréal’s CEO Jean-Paul Agon announced early this year that he is willing to make an important acquisition in 2013 to maintain growth.

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Out of the Mouths of Nail Technicians

At least 30% of women visiting nail salons bring inNail_art_final their own polish, according to Kline’s preliminary research conducted in New York/New Jersey area nail salons in preparation for Kline’s new report, Nail Technician Insights.

There are three main reasons for this: polish touch-ups at home save time and money, the customers often like their color better than what the salon carries, and some women have hygiene concerns about the same brush and product being used on other women’s nails. (more…)

It’s Not Lonely at the Top: P&G’s Category-leading Brands Hit the Hardest in 2012

The latest market data just released by Kline on the U.S. beauty industry illustrates thPGat although the market grew by 3.4% in 2012, there were varying levels of success where some of the key players fared better than others.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) remains the clear leader in the U.S. personal care market, which Kline defines to include fragrances, hair care products, makeup, oral care products, skin care products, and other toiletries, such as deodorants and soaps. Via both acquisition and organic growth, this leadership has solidified over the last decade. However, 2012 has proven to be one of the most challenging years to date, as P&G’s category-leading brands have lost footing in several categories including shampoos, toothpastes, and color cosmetics. (more…)

Beauty Lessons from Cleopatra

Over the past few years in the global natural cosmetics and toiletries market, Kline & Company has seen the highest growth in natural skin care, but now natural makeup is coming into the spotlight. Previous challenges with pigment load and ease of application are falling away in place of new (and old) discoveries. Modern women may be borrowing a trick or two from Cleopatra’s dressing table as minerals such as lapis lazuli furnish high-impact colors for eye makeup. Furthermore, flowers, vegetables, and fruits are the basis for makeup product pigments and more. One company is even using an ingredient derived from a radish as a preservative! (more…)

Inside the Consumers’ Minds

For cosmetics and toiletries marketers who want to know how the tides of consumer sentiment are shifting over a period of time—for example, what products are they thinking of buying, which grooming needs are unmet, and what recent purchases are they happy with—Kline’s new Consumer Mindset Mapping service is the answer. Tracking consumers’ opinions quarterly in both China and the United States, this program utilizes state-of-the-art technology and methods for understanding subtle nuances of the effects of constant influences on human decision-making. If marketers want to stay on top of their game, they need to listen to consumers to understand why some brands succeed or lag behind and where to invest for the future in terms of research and development, as well as marketing. However, it is not only about listening, as marketers need to understand why consumers make the choices they do.   (more…)

Men Have Preferences, but They Differ Across the Globe

Male groomingWhen questioning what skin care concerns men have, a recent study has revealed that men in the United Kingdom have relatively very few skin care concerns whereas Chinese men have the most. The major skin care concerns among men in the United States are acne/blemishes, while the highest skin care concern of men in Germany are dry patches and wrinkles.
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Fall 2012 Beauty Trends

Since the change of the millennium, fashion, beauty, interior design, and other aesthetic indicators have been celebrating multiple decades concurrently. Not that long ago, trends came and went, where one era or particular look was popular for a while and then faded away. Once upon a time, each decade actually had its own distinctive look. Nowadays, one can observe strong influences from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s all in the same season’s runways. (more…)

Cosmetics and Toiletries Industry Shows Signs of Tempered Optimism

Conflicting news reports abound about the state of the luxury market in 2012, and the jury is still out on where the year will end up for the cosmetics and toiletries industry as a whole. Some reports show luxury companies like Ralph Lauren missing revenue goals and lowering EPS in the second quarter of 2012, and a cluster of such reports in August point to skittish high-end consumers putting down their credit cards. (more…)

Transcending Natural Cosmetics Go Vegan

As Kline gears up for the research for the next edition of Natural Personal Care Global Series (base year: 2012) and for Inside the Minds of Natural Consumers, a new study from Kline designed to understand consumer perceptions of natural personal care and natural household cleaning, some trends are worth mentioning. While the natural personal care market has been growing at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 13% since 2006, Kline observes that lately, natural ingredients are making an especially big splash in ethnic hair care, professional skin care, and male grooming products.

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Hispanics and Asian Americans Have High Propensity for Shopping Online

Increasingly, Americans are opening up to the idea of shopping for personal care products online. The most preferred products purchased online are fragrances, face makeup, eye makeup, and face creams.

Hispanics and Asians are two of the fastest-growing population segments in the United States. More significantly, both groups show strong inclination for online shopping, mostly due to the lower average age of these populations. More than 80% among both groups use the Internet. However, Asian Americans prefer to shop online more frequently than Hispanics. (more…)

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