Anti-pollution part 1: Asia surpasses Europe for product launches

Global market intelligence agency, Mintel, notes how Asia surpasses Europe when it comes to the number of anti-pollution products entering the skin care market.

Vivienne Rudd, Director of Global Innovation and Insight, Beauty & Personal Care, at Mintel, comments that a heightened level of awareness has successfully contributed to this: “Asian consumers have been aware of the link between pollution and skin damage for much longer than Western consumers, so the anti-pollution skincare market is much more developed in the region.”​

If we explore and select a specific market space that epitomises this impact of sharing information and guidance, it would be China. The nation, in particular, has “led the way due to the high levels of pollution in its cities”,​ Rudd revealed.

The Big 3​

In addition, Chinese consumers have revealed concerns about the level of polluted water in the country. As a result, “this has created a dynamic market where products constantly hit the market with a host of anti-pollution claims”​, Rudd explained.

Despite its phenomenal positioning in the colour cosmetics arena, South Korea, on the other hand, was “slower to come to the category and was hampered by stringent regulatory restrictions”​. South Korean brands understood the impact of this though, Rudd pointed out, and have played to their strengths, “using their customary innovative approach”.​

Another country leading the anti-pollution movement within the skin care segment is Japan. The nation is now “heavily into anti-pollution claims”.​

Consequently, Rudd highlights that the entire region is starting to build a “multifaceted anti-pollution programme based on washing away pollution, shielding skin and hair from pollution, repairing existing damage and reinforcing the skin to make it more resistant”.​

On-point marketing?​

Sharing her views of whether brands are communicating the correct messages, such as protection over profits, or whether these existing ideas and messages need to be strengthened, Rudd noted: “This lack of belief shows that brands need to communicate their message more clearly and that means they have to be more transparent about their formulations and give proof of claims.”​

Cosmetics brands also “need to communicate more clearly that pollution is more than dirt; it actually has an effect on skin and hair health”.​

The consistent supply of “credible substantiation based on data that consumers can understand and believe in”​, will enable anti-pollution products to become “staples of the market”. ​In turn, this approach has the potential to create almost as much acceptance as sun protection products.

“Currently, we are still some way away from that,”​ Rudd emphasised.

The second part of our interview with Vivienne Rudd, Director of Global Innovation and Insight, Beauty & Personal Care, at Mintel, will be published on Tuesday 19th December 2017.