Personalised brand messages, nutricosmetics and social media are just some of the trends up for discussion at this year’s in-cosmetics trends presentations. Imogen Matthews reports
The in-cosmetics trends presentations are always an opportunity to catch up with the hottest trends and current issues concerning the global cosmetics and toiletries industry. This year’s three day programme (17-19 April) includes presentations from leading researchers, consultants and brand owners, in addition to two panel discussions on the in-focus theme: solar beauty. Live interviews with niche beauty brands, including Alqvimia and Pukka Skincare will also feature in the programme.
Global market trends
Leading research organisations Kline & Company, Euromonitor, Mintel and Datamonitor will each be interpreting the latest trend data.
To start Nikola Matic, project leader at Kline & Company, will discuss the opportunities in skin care for specialist actives, drawing parallels between consumer demands for skin care products and actives offerings. His presentation will contend that a growing consumer understanding of active ingredients in personal care products is driven by extensive media coverage and is compelling active ingredients manufacturers to innovate. He will provide an overview and outlook into today’s global active ingredients market.
Euromonitor’s head of beauty and personal care, Irina Barbalova will examine the implications for the beauty industry at a time when global economic growth has remained far from stable. The industry is becoming more polarised between luxury beauty and the low end of the market, meaning that the middle ground is set to face further challenges ahead. In her presentation, Barbalova will contend that as polarisation intensifies, brands will continue to innovate by not only taking a more holistic approach to product benefits and positioning but also by exploring the integration of completely novel concepts into their offering. The trends she will explore include greater interest in sustainability, salon quality features and high tech efficacy, creating further scope for product development. New personalised ways of communicating brand messages, both virtually and instore, will be discussed.
Datamonitor’s presentation will investigate a new term dubbed the ‘sensory & indulgence mega-trend’, which the company believes will provide a new opportunity in personal care at a time when consumers are looking to cut back on spend. Senior consumer market analyst Mark Whalley and analyst Michaela Peck will describe this latest new product development in the premium sector. They will provide a vision into the future to see just what indulgent personal care will look like.
Will King created his brand King of Shaves in the depths of the last UK recession in the early 1990s. Since then the shaving brand has grown to some 30 products and is available globally. One of the UK’s most creative and passionate entrepreneurs, King will discuss how men have taken far longer to wake up to the idea of a grooming routine but are now reaping the benefits of taking care of their appearance. He will describe his story of how he took on the giants in the shaving industry and created a global brand.
Natural solutions
The potential for the nutricosmetics market will be discussed by Ewa Hudson, head of health and wellness at Euromonitor. She will talk about the growing fashion for less conventional beauty solutions which has seen companies innovating in the area of ingestible beauty. Sales of nutricosmetics remain largely concentrated in Japan and China and a tough regulatory framework is presenting additional challenges for further penetration globally. Hudson will examine the lessons to be learned from the success or failure of past launches and point out the key reasons behind regional disparities.
Organic Monitor’s presentation by Amarjit Sahota and Judi Beerling will focus on key findings from their brand assessment study in which the INCI list of over 50 cosmetic products were examined and brands ranked in order of naturalness. They will highlight contentious ingredients as well as reformulation strategies.
In-focus: solar beauty
According to Mintel, the sun care category is one of the most cutting edge in beauty. Nica Lewis will talk about the new dawn for sun care, which includes nanotechnology and new regulations, as well as research into DNA repair and vitamin D deficiency. She will discuss some of the hottest issues and trends in sun protection and review the key challenges and opportunities for manufacturers today. Her presentation will include insight from Mintel’s newest European and US consumer research into sun care.
Two panel discussions on the subject of solar beauty will provide an opportunity to further explore issues regarding ingredients, formulations and technologies. The first panel will debate how to manage consumer information on sun protection in the age of web 2.0. These include issues such as dealing with common misconceptions and questions on safety issues. Sun care experts will discuss the future of nano-protection in the second panel session and how this recent breakthrough innovation in sun protection has raised concerns among consumers and regulatory bodies.
The personal value chain
Eric Vogelsberg, senior vice president M&A and corporate development practice at Kline & Company, will talk on the key underlying trends and drivers for the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) environment, which is expected to remain robust in 2012. In particular, he will discuss its impact on the personal value chain. Vogelsberg will examine how the continued consolidation and evolution of players will alter the structure of the business and competitive landscape and demonstrate how personal care remains one of the hottest spaces in M&A. Claims and clinical trials
Dr Theresa Callaghan is an expert in translating complex scientific research and clinical research findings into marketing and consumer understandable language without losing scientific integrity. In her presentation, Dr Callaghan will look at the role of marketing in cosmetic clinical trials and the impact on consumer (mis)understanding. Contending that the international legal requirement that active ingredients and final formulae require claims substantiation, she believes that neither R&D nor marketing can drop this responsibility onto each other. She will discuss how failure to capture market opportunities is often driven by cost and an unwillingness to spend, as well as the choice of clinical studies and a lack of understanding, concern over return on investment and concerns over regulatory and advertising standards authorities.
Turning trends into innovation
Antoinette van den Berg, the founder of Future-Touch has a vision of the future which she uses to translate into innovation for companies. She contends that being successful in the future starts with understanding the future – and once you understand the future you can start creating products accordingly. Her presentation will explain how she translates future trends into innovative products, new markets and new applications for the raw material industry as well as how to stimulate sales with B2B marketing trend presentations.
Social media for beauty
Social media platforms have emerged as an important tool for brands to connect with their customers and business partners. Wendy Lewis, president of global aesthetics consultancy Wendy Lewis & Co, will talk about the impact social media channels can have on beauty brands. She will discuss how the main goal is to grow your network and reputation over time by providing value and sharing information using a well thought out strategy, a substantial budget and the personnel and expertise to maintain an active presence online. Her presentation will cover getting started on Facebook and the value Twitter can add to the social media programme. She will also provide case studies on top tier beauty brands, innovative strategies, statistics and trend forecasts for the US and EU.
Continuing the social media theme, Amy Kean, head of consumer innovation at MPG Media Contacts, will be looking at how beauty marketers are now launching colourful creative campaigns. Her presentation will reveal the secrets of success in social commerce and the dos and don’ts for beauty brands. Using research, sociological thought and the latest cosmetics case studies, Kean will show how we can use the online to genuinely replicate real life social situations and provide a more dynamic, immersive shopping experience for today’s consumer.
- Companies:
- Datamonitor
- Euromonitor International
- Ecovia Intelligence
- Mintel International Group
- Kline and Company
- King of Shaves
- MPG Media Contacts
