At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, sales of hand wash and hand sanitising products skyrocketed as everyone took measures to protect themselves from the virus.
The constant need to stay sanitised has caused many people to experience skin dryness and irritation on their hands.
This caused an increased demand for hand caring products and drove brands to develop new products like hand sanitising creams and hand serums.
Malaysia-based cosmeceutical brand B&B Labs, for instance, were challenged to solve the growing concerns while bringing new value to consumers.
“With the onset of this pandemic, hand care is experiencing its golden age or renaissance period now. It has become a top priority in personal care. Brands that didn’t have hand care products now see the importance of having one as this sector continues to grow and become a big revenue contributor because of the demand in the market,” said CEO Julius Lim.
In November 2020, the brand launched a skin microbiome-friendly hand care range to keep up with increasingly discerning consumer needs.
“We saw the opportunity to introduce a more premium line of hand skin care that not only did the basic jobs of cleansing, sanitising and moisturising but also added in additional functional active ingredients like prebiotics, antioxidants and pure essential oils to give the hands the extra anti-ageing care it deserves like what we would do for our faces,” said Lim
Taiwanese ingredient firm Corum has observed more manufacturers like B&B Labs tapping into skin care and believes the hand care category will be heavily influenced by skin care now that more people are paying attention to their hands.
“Consumers are now paying attention to the skin care needs of their hands. This is where we are now and will be post-pandemic. Studies published back in 2006 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons told us that the appearance of hands reveals our age… That makes hand care undoubtedly important, especially for women,” said Snow Hsieh, international sales manager, Corum.
Furthermore, with the emphasis on product safety and performance in recent years. We can expect the hand care category to come under more scrutiny like skin care.
“Safety remains the first concern for consumers and we think the regulation and surveillance on ingredients and formulas will become more stringent on the aspect of safety and toxicology. In addition to safety assurance, we think consumers today are also looking for clinically-proven effects,” said Lisa Lien, marketing manager, Corum.
To learn more about the future of the hand care category and how our experts believe it will evolve post-pandemic, check out the video above.
