Italian skin care sales are recovering despite market decline

According to market researcher Canadean, despite the Italian skin care segment expected to face a small decline in value growth up to 2017, skin product sales will nevertheless be slightly more positive in volume.

The recent report reveals that with the country being in a recession since 2011 and GDP having severely fallen since 2007, consumer spending has been heavily impacted in terms of both essential and non-essential items including that of skin care products.

In this instance, Canadean says fragrance is also feeling the impact but should nevertheless grow both in value and in volume, but not by more than 2% until 2017.

Pressure on value growth

According to the market researcher, skin care will continue to remain the largest sector in the health and beauty industry in Italy up to 2017, however, it is forecasted to rank only eighth for growth amongst the nine other categories in the sector studied during that period.

Slow economic recovery and reduced consumer spending is therefore expected to put pressure on value growth for all major categories in the sector.

With skin care products, the decline is likely to be minimal at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of -0.1% by value up to 2017 and growth by volume is expected to be slightly positive and forecasted at a CAGR of 0.6% for the same time period.

While facial care, the largest category both by value and volume share in 2012, is expected to maintain its stronghold over the market and witness a volume CAGR of 0.6%, but a slight negative value growth at a CAGR -0.1% up to 2017. 

Canadean says the rest of the segment is split between body care, make-up remover and hand care, with the latter forecast to witness stagnant value growth and a small volume CAGR of 0.7% up to 2017.

Breakdown of the effect on the fragrance sector

With the fragrance sector's 60% share of the overall cosmetics segment, the female fragrances category is projected to show the slowest growth, just meeting average growth with a value CAGR at 0.7%.

The market researcher notes the male segment as expected to perform slightly better in both value and volume terms, with CAGRs of 0.9% and 1.5%, respectively. "The category commanded just above a 38% share in both volume and value terms in 2012."

Finally, unisex fragrances are predicted to be the best performing category, although possessing a much lower market share, with 1.5% for both value and volume in 2012.