The German firm’s chief says that if there is one area where it hasn’t shown innovation depth, then it is the sun category, and that it is also probably the most difficult to innovate in and to win the consumer’s heart.
Private label pressure
The sun care category is often under scrutiny as it is an area that directly deals with consumer safety, and in Europe one of the key topics at the moment has been SPF.
“At the moment, the issue is that the currency for sun is really the sun factor. And… in some markets in Europe, particularly in Germany, but also the UK… the private labels have done a great job,” says Heidenreich.
“And obviously at much lower prices than what we offer. So that category [is] where we have to do more innovation.”
The Beiersdorf boss says that the company has a number of things in the pipeline and that it is feeling a bit more confident once these come to fruition, but that it still remains cautious.
“The overall issue of sun and the private labels is something, which I believe will continue for all our branded friends,” he says.
Weather effect
Another element that, unsurprisingly, can affect the sun care sales is the weather, and that is something that has helped with this summer, particularly compared with what Heidenreich called a ‘horrible summer’ last year.
“It’s fantastic weather at the moment in Northern Europe... And if this continues in August, there’s another level of confidence that we hit our growth numbers,” he adds.
Despite this, Heidenreich says that he remains cautious when looking at the sun care numbers for now, and that the innovations are all in the pipeline for 2016.