Cosmeceuticals in the U.S, 6th Edition

In the New [ab]Normal of economic sluggishness, cosmeceutical marketers have an opportunity to shine across multiple generations, including Boomers, Gen X-ers, and increasingly, Gen Y-ers. As is the case in many consumer packaged goods categories, cosmeceutical sales suffered during the recession, but the going could have been tougher were it not for cosmeceuticals’ “little luxury” appeal and bang-for-the-buck ability to deliver curative and preventative benefits on top of cosmetic ones. This appeal is contributing to a market rebound amounting to 2% growth in 2010 and 4% growth in 2011. This upswing puts U.S. retail sales of cosmeceuticals at $9.7 billion in 2011, with ongoing annual sales gains expected to boost the market to $11.7 billion by 2016.

Younger generations have grown up immersed in marketing messages making them both appearance-oriented and aware of the importance of preventive healthcare. As a result, new marketing prospects are opening up at the younger end of the age spectrum, even as aging Boomers open their wallets ever wider to stave off the cosmetic toll of aging. Still, cosmeceutical marketers may take nothing for granted. Given ongoing budget constraints, shoppers expect the cosmeceuticals they buy to perform, and the faster the better. Thus any product with a quantifiable “instant gratification” benefit—which has always been a powerful appeal in the color cosmetics category—has an edge. In addition, with the upper end of the market rebounding the fastest, opportunity is greatest for premium mass-market and specialty or prestige channel products, expressing pent-up post recession demand.

This completely updated Packaged Facts report examines the market for cosmeceutical products within the context of broader HBC trends in new product development and marketing, segmenting cosmeceuticals into three categories: skincare, hair care, and color cosmetics. Fully exposing the driving forces behind this market, the report analyzes market size and drivers, new product introductions, and competitive strategies, as well as the social and lifestyle patterns shaping the fortunes of cosmeceutical products. Marketer and brand profiles specific to each of the three categories help to define the relationship between consumer attitudes and new product development and marketing strategy.

Key data sources include Experian Simmons Market Research Bureau national consumer surveys, covering category and brand usage levels and demographic patterns, and Information Resources, Inc. InfoScan Reviews, quantifying cosmeceuticals marketer and brand shares at the mass-market level across the three product categories. The report includes many product images, and as a special feature, late-breaking data from Packaged Facts’ own consumer survey, which was conducted online in March 2012.