In this 2020 round-up, we’ve highlighted our biggest stories on the beauty trends that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this 2020 round-up, we’ve highlighted our biggest stories on the beauty trends that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, CosmeticsDesign-Asia reported that the novel coronavirus outbreak would have lasting impact on the beauty industry when it comes to digital strategies, cross-collaborations and sustainability.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in January severely affected every aspect of the global economic structure. Experts predicted that the pandemic may throughout the year or longer.
Players in the beauty and personal care industry were facing pressure to adapt rapidly in the wake of the pandemic.
These changes brought about by COVID-19 were expected to have a long-term impact on the beauty industry.
The market was set to see a boom in conscious beauty, with one firm believing that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a clear and lasting impact on the emerging trend.
Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia in April, DSM said it has identified conscious beauty as one of the major trends in the market.
Fabrice Guillemard, lead marketing manager, personal care & aroma ingredients, APAC, defined it as consumers making smart choices in their beauty and personal care products.
“In today’s digital and information-savvy world where so many misleading, contradictory or not scientifically proven information is available, it becomes a challenge to know what and who you can trust and where to find the real truth.”
Chinese consumers were expected to shift their attitudes towards beauty products that promote health on the label following the COVID-19 outbreak.
That was according to a new report from Euromonitor which tracked how COVID-19 was impacting the FMCG and service industries, including beauty and personal care, in China.
In 2019, China’s beauty and personal care market reached around CNY470 billion in retail value with a CAGR of around 9% over the past five years.
However, Chinese economy had been one of the worst-hit globally as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In April, ingredient firm Azelis said that beauty products considered safe, trustworthy and comforting would see a sharp rise in demand in the aftermath of The COVID-19 pandemic
The ongoing COVID-19 developments had impacted the global economy in various ways. Most notably, it has influenced the consumers’ spending habits and purchase decisions.
Jacqueline Hoe, business development manager personal care, Azelis Asia Pacific, believed the impact of the outbreak would have clear and lasting change across the beauty and personal care landscape in Asia Pacific.
“The ongoing pandemic is causing drastic disruptions reshaping the personal care industry. Our sales, marketing and laboratory teams are working together to assess the trends that will emerge and the impacts that we will face,” she said.
A March report by Kantar Worldpanel predicted that China’s hair care category would bounce back the fastest compared to skin care and colour cosmetics in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
At the time of publishing, the hair care category was experiencing sluggish demand due to the major disruptions the epidemic has caused to daily life.
For instance, more people were opting to work from home and avoiding crowded places. In some cases, there have been mass quarantines.
These factors have causes Chinese consumers to decrease their frequency of hair washing.
In March, Chinese E-commerce giant, JD.com along with its big data research institute, revealed the five major trends driving the domestic cosmetics markets in its latest report.
It came as the market in China grew at around 11%, far outstripping the global increase of 4%.
The firm’s beauty report outlined several trends, including the fast-growing popularity of facial essences, the domination of K-beauty brands and the growing us of cosmeceuticals among consumers.
Additionally, it also highlighted that online channels were growing faster than offline channels and consumers in Shanghai spent the most on cosmetics.
In June, we reported that beauty brands that were looking into South Korea’s post-pandemic personal care market could tap into upcoming trends triggered by the COVID-19 crisis.
South Korea saw the disease explode in the country in February, making it the worst-hit country outside of China then.
While the situation quickly stabilised, Christine Kim, CEO of K-GMP believes the effects of the outbreak had a lasting impact on the country’s beauty market.
During a webinar hosted by Chemlinked, Kim said one of the biggest changes among consumers was the perception of safety.
In May we reported that luxury cosmetic brands would need to stay fluid in the face the COVID-19 pandemic to make up for the lack of advantages in the challenging market.
In the last few years, consumption upgrading was a key driver for the overall growth of the cosmetics market
According to a 2019 Mintel survey, 38% of women used more premium products to ‘improve skin’.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it said we were likely to see a reverse effect and a decline in the prestige sector.
Personal care conglomerate Proctor & Gamble (P&G) reported that while organic sales rose 1% for the third quarter of fiscal 2020, its net sales and earnings dipped due to the impact on its prestige brand SK-II.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the obsession with health and protection would drive the demand for beauty product that can protect and strengthen the skin’s defences.
This was the view of beauty marketing intelligence firm Beautystreams, whose EVP of business development Jayanne Jin said consumers would seek products that can enhance their immune system from a holistic approach.
Jin elaborated: “They will seek products that will enhance their immune system via a holistic approach. Food and traditional Chinese ingredients like ginseng as well as good old vitamin C enriched formulations promote better immunity system will transition into beauty products.”
The spotlight on the health crisis had also pulled focus towards science in beauty industry and consumers were now looking towards science and expert opinions as trustworthy sources.
The founder of a Singapore-based fragrance firm told us in May that the functional fragrance trend was set to boom as more consumers prioritised their inner well-being in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jason Lee is a former Givaudan executive that founded the fragrance label SIX that offers a range of genderless fine fragrances and home fragrances.
Since Singapore entered its ‘circuit breaker’ period on April 7, Lee observed change in his sales patterns.
Before COVID-19, the demand for his perfumes and home fragrances would be relatively balanced.
