UV protection face creams drive global sun care launches

The market for sun care products is rapidly evolving as new, increasingly targeted and technologically advanced products, hit the market worldwide, aimed at consumers who are more aware of the dangers of unprotected exposure from both UVA and UVB rays.

Underlining this is the shift towards face creams that, on top of providing anti-aging and moisturising properties, are also being combined with increasingly comprehensive sunscreens.

Global launches undergo pronounced geographic and category shifts​

Looking at the global launch activities one of the most striking facts is that in just three years the focus for sun care launches has undergone a significant shift, with new product activity in the world’s three busiest markets – United States, France and the UK – undergoing a marked transformation.

In 2008 Mintel’s GNPD showed that the US was the busiest market for launches, with 155 new sun care products hitting the market, compared to 137 in France and 108 in the UK.

These figures are all the more significant considering the populations of both France and UK is around the 60 million mark, whereas the United States now numbers more than 300 million people.

New launches in the UK and France eclipse the US​

But the number of sun care launches took an even more pronounced move towards the two European countries in 2011, as the GNPD records a total of 161 and 170 launches in France and the UK respectively , compared to just 131 launches in North America.

Although Mintel reported that the total number of launches declined in 2011, compared with the previous year, the market researcher’s database reveals that the products that are currently being launched onto the market continue to be increasingly sophisticated.

This is underlined by the fact that, despite the overall number of launches worldwide shrinking in 2011 compared to 2010, the number of face creams with UV protection launched in 2011 increased at well into double digit percentage figures in the five major global market – US, UK, Japan, France and China.

Two new launches underline face cream SPF trend​

Underlining this new shift towards daily use sunscreens are two global launches from the GNPD, The Verve Firm Commitment Three-in-One Daily Protection Lotion with Sun Shield SPF 45 and the Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF30.

Both of these products were launched in the US market in the past few months and both have a price tag in excess of US$40 (Euros 36), putting them in the masstige to premium end of the market.