Colour cosmetics worth £2bn in 2017

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Colour cosmetics worth £2bn in 2017

 

New research from Mintel has revealed that sales of colour cosmetics are set to reach £2bn in the UK in 2017, increasing by 7.2% from £1.8bn in 2016

Showing no signs of slowing, Mintel predicts that market will soar by 36% to reach £2.5bn by 2021.

Mintel’s new report found that 83% of UK women wear make-up, with the most purchased products over the last 12 months being mascara (57%), lipstick (49%) and liquid/cream foundation (46%). Overall, the face and lip sectors saw the biggest rise in sales in 2016, with face colour products up 10% to reach £580m and lip colour up 11% to £304m.

Tiredness is the leading factor encouraging women to reach for their make-up bag, according to Mintel, with 41% wearing cosmetics to make them look less tired. 39% said they use it to cover blemishes, while 25% use make-up to look more youthful. Emotional reasons also play a key part, with 64% of women who wear make-up claiming it makes them feel more attractive, compared to 16% who feel more professional and 15% who feel empowered by wearing make-up.

While many women favour a natural look, others have embraced specific trends, with 29% of women having tried the eyebrow defining trend and 27% showing interest in trying this in the future. Meanwhile, 24% have experimented with nail art and 20% with facial contouring. However, 69% of women say that make-up trends are time consuming, while 72% say the end result can look unnatural.

Roshida Khanom, Associate Director, Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, says: “Colour cosmetics remains a transformative sector, both with regards to appearance as well as emotional wellbeing. With confidence rating higher than attractiveness as an emotional impact of wearing make-up, brands should use it as a tool for revealing inner beauty and focus more on strength and empowerment.”

She adds: “With too much choice and too little time, consumers are looking for shortcuts to help the decision making process. When it comes to make-up trends, there are more opportunities for sales assistants to showcase new styles, either on themselves or on customers. Shoppers can also be encouraged to try products on a mannequin in-store, for example, to enable them to see what a trend would look like and practice it before buying into it.”

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