Hands & Feet - Hand over foot

A testament to its staying power, it seems the hand and foot care market will remain polished and preened in the current economic turmoil as consumers continue to seek out the smaller luxuries in life

The number of products on the market dedicated to hands and feet has increased considerably in recent years. Manufacturers are not only extending the amount of ancillary products that cater for the hands and feet from existing ranges, but they are creating entire collections dedicated to combating the problems specific to the different kind of skin found in these areas. As manufacturers successfully win the battle to reverse the signs of facial ageing in order to quell the consumer thirst to maintain a youthful look, it is only a matter of time before the focus rests on the hands, an area that is said to be a true indicator of a person’s age.

A helping hand

According to Euromonitor, hand care has seen a percentage growth across all of the Big 5 countries from 2002 to 2007, with France seeing the biggest boom at 16%, followed by Italy at 12.3% and Germany at 11%. Albeit smaller, Spain (8.4%) and the UK (3.2%) also posted growth, proving that this category is one with potential and has a loyal contingent of followers. In the German market alone the amount of products available have soared over the past year with a key trend in the category being anti-ageing related products – a trend that is noticeable across Europe. In fact, this trend helped boost the hand care category to make it one of the most successful within the German body care category last year, holding a 13.3% market share overall. Many large multinationals are launching hand care products as part of their existing body care ranges in a bid to crack what is still a relatively small industry sector, but one with plenty of room to grow.

Charles Cawthray, ceo of The Beauty Partnership says: “Without doubt there is clear evidence at both retail and professional salon level that both women, and more recently men, are taking more care of their hands. On the high street hand care has gained momentum through top-end brands such as Molton Brown offering luxury hand washes and lotions as part of its range, but more recently many other high street outlets have now offered their own label versions as well.” As consumers requirements of their hands increase, so do their expectations of products. “Consumers look for a variety of things in the hand care market. This variety ranges from simple hand nourishment or nail nourishment to exfoliation and moisturisation,” says Cawthray.

Hitting the nail on the head

A large part of hand care obviously includes nail care. Manicures are no new phenomenon and European women have been attending spas and salons for decades, maintaining perfect nails with treatments ranging from the old favourite French manicure to bold and daring colours. These colours are constantly evolving and are updated each season as manufacturers the world over pay particular attention to the colours and trends on the fashion catwalks and create nail collections to suit.

While other industries anticipate a slowdown of custom over the next year, as the recession continues to grip Europe, there is hope that the nail care market will escape the same fate as consumers continue to indulge in the smaller luxuries. Thea Green, founder and owner of UK nail company Nails Inc says: “People are continuing to visit Nails Inc for manicures and pedicures rather than, for example, buying a new expensive coat or sofa. Nail care is very important to our customers and allows them to treat themselves without having any credit crunch guilt.” In fact it seems that the crisis could actually be pushing forward new innovations and trends with the rise of the express manicure being a direct result of the need for frugality. By catering for the consumer who doesn’t have the time to spend an hour having their nails done, the express manicure allows for a quick overhaul of the nails without the time constraints that come with a normal manicure. “People’s lives are busier than ever and it can sometimes be hard to plan ahead,” says Green. “Nail Inc’s 15 minute manicure is a bespoke service – it’s designed for women on the go. This type of woman wants fabulous looking nails without breaking the bank.”

Like many avenues of the beauty treatment industry, manicures have predominately been a pre-book industry, although this has recently given way to another interesting trend – walk-in clients. It this type of consumer that is most likely to be looking for services such as the aforementioned express manicure. Lena White, UK distributor for salon brand OPI, says of the trend: “Appointments still take the lion’s share at 90%, but with 10% of all bookings being walk-ins it’s an important sector. These clients are often after a quick file and paint, which is affordable and often taken on impulse. Time is also an important factor so these manicures are often offered in department stores.”

And it’s not just women that are enjoying these treatments. As with all areas of the C&T market, men are sitting up and starting to pay more attention to their grooming routine than just a quick shower and shave of a morning. “Men are more aware of these treatments and are increasingly venturing into salons and spas,” says White. And Green agrees: “Male grooming has definitely become more popular and we have seen a marked increase in the number of men visiting Nails Inc to have treatments.”

Best foot forward

And if the manicure sector has a dynamic future ahead of it then it seems that its sister market, foot care and pedicures, is set for similar success. With foot care often deemed the poor relation to manicures, due to its somewhat seasonal nature, it could be mistaken as a C&T sector to overlook. However, more and more consumers are paying attention to their feet in terms of both nail care and medicated foot treatments. Victoria Batey, spa manager for Champneys says: “We have found that pedicures have been more popular than manicures, regardless of the time of year, in the town and city spas. Certainly on the high street, it doesn’t seem as though it is just a seasonal trend, this is probably due to more people going on hot holidays in the winter.” Pedicures, both medical and cosmetic, are on the rise and salons and spas are increasingly being inundated with appointments, both walk-in and pre-booked. Evolving from just a summer fad, although there is obviously a boom in bookings at this time of year, many foot care brands are enjoying success all year round and are creating new products to cater to this passion for feet.

Nail care is obviously included in this category, with many cosmetic pedicures given by spas such as Champneys and The Sanctuary focusing on the nails, while also giving the foot a treat with a scrub and polish. “Nail art is becoming more popular, especially on the feet, thus giving women more confidence in showing their feet,” says Batey.

OPI, Nails Inc and Ciate are all nail favourites for feet while many companies create own brand foot skin care products to complement the pedicure. Champneys has a successful product range sold through Sainsbury’s, Tesco and the Champney’s spas, which includes the Deeply Moisturising Softening Foot Butter and the Instantly Reviving Foot Soak and also foot treatments dedicated to men. German brand Art Deco also enjoys success through it’s nail division, a popular arm of its portfolio with German and European consumers alike.

Another element of the foot care market that is gaining more recognition is medical pedicures, or medi pedis. A pioneer of this form of treatment is Margaret Dabbs. A former surgical nurse, Dabbs is now spreading her love of all things feet across London and has contributed to foot care becoming so fashionable. Following her success in-store at Harrods, Dabbs has now opened a new walk-in salon in central London where she maintains a key focus on medi pedis, while also offering extras including nail painting. “I’m sure we’ll see more walk-in trade due to the new accessible location. And I don’t think we will see a loss of revenue in these hard times. People are aware that foot care is vital,” says Dabbs. “I think the gap between cosmetic and medical foot care is being bridged – many consumers are increasingly interested in health and well being for the feet. And this doesn’t just concern women, in fact 25% of my foot clients are men.” As more consumers wake up to the delights of having medically sound and cosmetically beautiful feet, it is obvious that this niche market will start to expand, although Dabbs warns getting into the industry in the first place may prove more difficult, and even more so in the troubled economy of late. “It was very hard to get into this business and to build up a client base, and it will no doubt get harder in the current climate.” But with many hand and nail brands performing star turns in the face of financial turmoil, it could be one of the few markets to come out on the other side unscathed.