Colour cosmetics category targets mature women with added anti-ageing functionalities
Michelle Strutton head of beauty research at Mintel has pointed out that there has been growing demand for anti-ageing functionalities in colour cosmetics as four in ten consumers now look for added benefits in their make-up.
In particular, affluent consumers aged 45 – 64 would be particularly receptive to premium products with specific anti-ageing functionality.
Likewise, she added that make-up with skin care benefits like pore-minimising and blemish reduction had seen good growth in demand in recent years.
Bias weakening market
In contrast to the focus on colour cosmetics for mature women, traditionally the market has been biased towards younger women.
This is a weakness in the colour cosmetics market, according to Strutton.
Women under 25 are the most enthusiastic about face make-up, posting the highest in both product purchases and in frequency of use. The market is dominated by marketing aimed at this demographic.
However, as women mature, both product penetration and volume begin to decline, which is presenting suppliers with the challenge of re-engaging women with colour cosmetics.
In particular, a high proportion of German women would specifically consider buying and using make-up containing SPF, which is a key anti-ageing ingredient for skin care.
As a whole, make-up saw the biggest sales in the UK with £486m (€552m) in 2010, with foundation the biggest seller in the face make-up category.
Likewise, the UK took the top spot accounting for 40 per cent of the face make-up category of the colour cosmetics market, with France and Germany coming in second and third respectively.
