The German electronics manufacturer’s unusual move of signing a brand ambassador for its female range shows the company is gearing up to make the most of positive consumer response seen to clear links between personal care devices and beauty.
Brands getting beautiful
The success of at-home beauty devices increasingly relies upon electronic companies forging links with the beauty industry, according to senior industry analyst for research firm Euromonitor Oru Mohiuddin.
“As part of exploring additional growth opportunities, alignment between beauty and appliances has been gaining greater momentum in recent times, driven by both beauty and electronic appliance manufacturers.”
According to Euromonitor, rival manufacturer Clarisonic’s robust growth following its acquisition by L’Oreal offers evidence of the success of pairing up with beauty, with sales increasing dramatically from 128,000 to 1,700,000 units between 2007 and 2012.
Braun’s celebrity brand ambassador move, more typical of the cosmetics and fashion industries, signals an novel example of a company from the devices sector seeking to identify itself with beauty.
Specialisation
The future of devices lies in diversification of the products’ functions, according to fellow Euromonitor analyst Nicole Tyrimou.
Personal care devices now cover such varying applications as pore minimisation and cleansing to whitening and even specialised eye care devices.
“Launches like Tria Beauty’s anti-ageing skin rejuvenation laser, the first of its kind, indicate how the beauty devices industry is firmly moving from hair removal and facial cleansing towards anti-ageing and more salon-style treatments,” Tyrimou notes.
Europe set to grow?
To date, Europe has lagged behind the US and Asia regions for uptake of at-home beauty devices, according to the Euromonitor analyst.
“While the US is considered by many an important market for beauty devices, over in Asia the predilection for skin care and the popularity of techno gadgets have fostered a range of devices,” she observes.
However, the recent focus on brand identity by Braun suggests Europe’s brands are rallying to take advantage of the growing global trend too.
Tyrimou notes that Harrods’ development of a dedicated devices section has similarly “raised awareness of these products among consumers”, indicating the sector is ripe for growth in Europe.