US - Keep it clean

The face of cosmetics and toiletries in the US gets more beautiful every year as cleansing routines become increasingly sophisticated. TNS Worldpanel's Erik Glebinski gives an insight into how cleaning up America means big business.

In 1987, market information group TNS launched a research tool in Great Britain that allowed manufacturers to examine the marketplace for the toiletries and cosmetics industry around the country and in 2005, the service moved to the US. The product is a panel-supported database that allows insight into consumer product purchasing and usage behaviour, covering the categories of face and body cleansing, skin care, hair care, shaving, deodorants, fragrances, oral care, and make-up.

This article touches on key insights into the US market database in a selection of the toiletries and beauty categories, specifically looking at the trends for both men and women with regard to their beauty and skin care routines.

Battle of the soap suds

Women in the US continue to be more sophisticated in their facial skin care routines than men. The core facial skin care product for men is still bar soap, with 54% of men using it on their face in an average week compared to only 36% of women. Women instead have adopted increasingly complex regimes, adding products such as facial cleansers, facial moisturisers, anti-ageing ranges, lip care and acne/blemish treatments.

For American women, the use of bar soap as a facial cleanser is undoubtedly becoming less common. A large proportion move from bar soaps to more involved face care regimens when they enter the 18-24 age bracket - where only 18% of women use bar soap.

However, in the upper age brackets the incidence of face soap usage tends to rise once again - 43% of women aged 50-64 and 51% of women aged 65+ use bar soap on their faces. Conversely, younger women tend to use facial cleansers to wash their face. Nearly 70% of women using facial cleansers are under the age of 50. Only 35% of African-American women use facial cleansers compared to 47% of Caucasian and 48% of Hispanic women. The strength of facial cleanser sales in younger women can be attributed largely to the desire to treat or prevent acne/pimples - a concern more associated with this age range.

The declining trend in bar soap use by US women highlights the comparability of the US market to that of Great Britain. Over 54% of women using bar soap in Great Britain are over the age of 45, with usage at 60% for the 55-64 age group and 74% for the 65+ age group. However, when comparing the US and British markets, we see there is still strong overall bar soap usage in Great Britain with 47% using bar soap on the face compared to the 36% in the US.

As with women, bar soap usage on the face is becoming limited to older men with 71% of men aged 50-64 and 76% of American men aged 65+ using bar soap on the face in an average week. Male usage of bar soap is more comparable to Great Britain than figures for women. Usage of bar soap among men in Great Britain is slightly higher with 62% using compared to 54% in the US. Growing usage in Great Britain is due to the fact that over 80% of all men aged 45+ use bar soap on the face in an average week, much stronger than in the US. Usage for men under the age of 24 is similarly low across both the US and Great Britain with 40% incidence, indicating a shift to more complex routines for the youth of both countries.

Only 14% of men in the US use a facial cleanser product in an average week. However, over 20% of men aged 18-34 use a facial cleanser, making them the main target age group for manufacturers. Controlling oil, shine and spots are the chief aims for men, despite a relatively low overall incidence.

Facial moisturisers and anti-ageing products for women have been a main focus for manufacturers with a plethora of NPD in recent years. As women in the US adopt more complex facial washing and skin care regimes these products will continue to be a focal point for continued growth in this segment.

All washed up

Body washing and skin care sales paint a similar picture with there being notable differences between the habits of men and women. The core product in the body cleansing and skin care category for men is again bar soap (with 64% penetration), though body wash penetration is noteworthy at 42%. While a majority of men decline to use a bar soap replacement on the face, many have introduced body wash into their regular routines. Fundamentally, this can be explained by the fact that men tend to use body wash purely for washing, while facial cleanser use is driven by more specific reasons, like preventing acne. Women, on the other hand, are strong users of body wash (59% penetration) and body moisturisers.

For women, bar soap on the body is again a diminishing category. The incidence of bar soap usage increases with age - 53% of women aged 50-64 and 58% of women aged 65+ use bar soap on the body. Significantly lower usage is seen in women aged 18-24 where only 37% use bar soap on the body in an average week and there has been strong transfer to body wash.

African-American women are the most frequent users of bar soap with 62% using it compared to 50% of Caucasian women and 44% of Hispanic women. In Great Britain, bar soap incidence has declined steadily in recent years from 81% using it in 1995 to 54% in 2005. Using these figures to forecast future trends in both countries, we can expect a further shift away from bar soap towards body wash as women become more sophisticated in their body washing habits.

Washing figures for men are a little more clear. Bar soap remains the stronger product in all age segments, although the 49% of men aged 18-24 using body wash comes close to the 52% using bar soap. Men over the age of 50 are much more inclined to use bar soap with 73% using it compared to 34% using body wash. The higher use of body wash in the younger markets may be due to the well publicised fashion fragrances. Bar soap usage in Great Britain mirrors that of men in the US with 64% using bar soap on the body. Usage in Great Britain is again strongest among older men, with the lowest penetration in the 17-24 age group.

Nearly all Americans brush their teeth on a regular basis but many have added mouthwash and dental floss to their routines. Of all Americans, 35% use mouthwash on a regular basis and 25% use dental floss. While incidence is lower than manufacturers may wish, users of both mouthwash and floss tend to employ these products on a daily basis. The use of both mouthwash and floss increases with age. The strongest segment for mouthwash is the 50+ age segment with 40% using it, and the strongest age range for dental floss is 35-64 (29%). As the US population ages, specific targeting for ancillary oral products may prove to be a potential opportunity for manufacturers.

Men and women in the US are more sophisticated in oral care than Great Britain, backing the American stereotype of greater involvement in oral care. Only 17% of men and women in Great Britain use mouthwash on a regular basis and only 9% use floss.

A pretty picture

More American women wear make-up than any European country. Of the female population, 80% use some form of make-up (face, eye, lip and nail). This high use is fairly level across all age segments. Over 75% of teenage girls use make-up products, mainly focused on a small set of entry products, including foundation, mascara and lip gloss.

Not only is overall incidence of make-up greater in the US than in Great Britain but women wearing make-up use it more often in the US than in Great Britain. Also, US teens are decidedly quicker to adopt make-up than British teens. It should be noted that the number of youth-targeted make-up products clearly shows the importance of the segment in the US to manufacturers.

Additional noteworthy findings deal with the market strength of direct selling brands, specifically Mary Kay and Avon. This information is traditionally hard to assess as information is not obtainable through retail outlet sales figures. Of all make-up usage, Avon and Mary Kay represent over 15% of occasions. Avon shows strength across all age segments, while Mary Kay is second in overall share in the key 25-34 age segment.

Compared to Great Britain, men and women in the US are by and large more refined in their toiletry and cosmetic usage behaviour, using more varied products and penetrating age segments earlier. It is clear that men and women in the US and in Great Britain are trending away from certain products and it will be interesting to see if these trends continue as newer product categories such as anti-ageing products and body wash reach maturity.