Australians more in love with chocolate than ever, AmorePacific expands Aritaum Beauty chain in US, the top 10 most googled celebrity eyebrows, and Chanel goes unisex and tops most intimate beauty brand survey.
Australians more in love with chocolate than ever
And not just over the Easter period, reports Roy Morgan Research. Over the past two years, the percentage of Australians aged 14-plus eating chocolate at least once a month increased from 65 to 69 per cent. Chocolate bars top the list for comfort-seeking sweet tooths (52%), followed by chocolate blocks (43%) and boxed chocolates (19%).
A rough gender equality is also present. Overall chocolate consumption by Aussie males grew from 62 per cent to 65 per cent from 2013 to 2015. Women upped their intake from 69 to 72 per cent over the same period. Cadbury is the number one chocolate brand in Australia, enjoyed by 17 per cent of the nation. When it comes to more upmarket brands, Lindt scores the number two and five rankings in chocolate bars with Lindt Dark and Lindt Milk, and the number three and four slots in boxed chocolates. All that advertising is paying off for Ferrero Rocher, the number two most bought brand in boxed chocolates after Cadbury Favourites.
According to Andrew Price, General Manager of consumer products at Roy Morgan Reserach: "Whether we are eating it for its purported brain-boosting or mood-enhancing qualities, or simply for its taste, Roy Morgan Research data shows that more of us are enjoying chocolate in an average four-week period than we were in 2013. The rise in consumption can be seen across all categories, many brands and both genders".
AmorePacific expands Aritaum Beauty chain in US
It's not only Ulta and Sephora who are duking it out for US beauty budgets. Aritaum, owned by K-Beauty number one AmorePacific, now has 70 shops across the US and Canada offering the multinational's key brands, including IOPE, maker of AirCushion, the best-selling cushion foundation in the world, Laneige and Sulwhasoo. Boasting the largest curated collection of premium Korean beauty products in North America, Aritaum's (pronounced ar-ree-ta-um) name is based on the Korean words for "beauty" and "place".
AmorePacific's revenues soared 21 per cent in 2015 to US$4.5 billion and will exceed that figure this year. Aritaum has played a significant role in AmorePacific's growth. The chain was founded in Korea in 2008, and within two years the network reached the magic 1000 shop milestone. An important part of the strategy was to build up a strong rapport with women in their 20s, and the chain developed meaningful programs to support women suffering from domestic violence and children in need.
Direct sales account for 25 per cent of AmorePacific's revenues, through a network of 40,000 independent consultants. Department stores, mass outlets and the Aritaum chain generate the remainder of the multinational's sales. Two years ago, in a bid to attract more foreign tourists, principally from China, AmorePacific introduced tax-free refunds at point-of-sale in Aritaum stores and other leading outlets - a first in the Korean beauty industry.
AmorePacific has ambitious plans to open more Aritaum stores across the US by the end of the year. Its five year plan to become one of the top 10 beauty companies in the world is also heavily reliant on travel retail. The Korean giant has just appointed Nicolas Piquereau as senior vice-president global travel retail. A cosmetics industry lifer, he has worked for the Clarins Group, Beaute Prestige International (the -owned maker of Azzedine Alaia, , and fragrances) and Guerlain.
Brow beat - Top 10 most googled celebrity eyebrows
Strong, defined brows have been trending for so long, a return to the thin, plucked variety isn't even up for discussion. But who do most women want to copy above the eye socket? According to Google, the most searched-for famous faces when it comes to achieving the right fleek are:
1) Cara Delevingne
2) Kim Kardashian
3) Kylie Jenner
4) Lily Collins
5) Megan Fox
6) Rihanna
7) Justin Bieber
8) Kendall Jenner
9) Ariana Grande
10) Angelina Jolie
Chanel goes unisex and tops most intimate beauty brand survey
Marketing isn't the same old, same old anymore. Easily the best comment of the week on the topic came from Mario Natarelli, managing partner of MBLM, the global brand intimacy agency based in New York. "We hear from clients that marketing is becoming more complicated than ever. Big data is overwhelming. Digital integration is complex. Social media is taxing. Strategy is being measured in months versus years as the pressure grows to demonstrate immediate, tangible returns."
Nowhere is this more true than in the fiercely competitive beauty industry. The way forward when it comes to selling cosmetics is to hitch your star to intimacy and opportunity, it seems. MBLM's Brand Intimacy Report 2015 says that the key markers for building relationships with customers are: positive feelings, fulfilment and nostalgia. Chanel beauty achieved the number one ranking in the health and beauty category, followed by , , , and Lancôme .
Staying relevant is also crucial. Following a spate of unisex and gender-free fragrances, Chanel "nose" Olivier Polge is keen to separate his latest oeuvre - Boy Chanel - from the crowd. The 17th juice in the Les Exclusifs collection is "really more to dive into men's fragrance...and to show how well it could be worn by a woman", he says. At heart a masculine fougere, the new fragrance debuts in Chanel's beauty boutique in the Marais in Paris this week. A worldwide roll-out to 240 doors commences in early June.
Snippets from the wires
- AmorePacific sold 33 million cushion foundations in 2015. The trend shows no sign of peaking. L'Oreal has become a leader in Western markets with launches across four pillar brands - Lancôme , , L'Oréal Paris, and Yves Saint Laurent. The Estée Lauder companies are following suit, with launches from the core brand,
- Hybrid nail lacquers combining gels and regular nail polish formulas are enjoying huge growth in the US and Europe, reports the Kline Group. Not so much in the Asia/Pacific region, says the analyst, where nail art is still extremely popular.
- International beauty brands, including come of Australia's most famous names, are flocking to "set up shop" on China's biggest e-tailing sites. The number of Chinese consumers buying international beauty products online is soaring, says Mintel. Premium cosmetics from three countries are the most favoured on China's domestic websites: South Korea (47%), Japan (29%) and France (27%).
- Makeup tie-ins with movies have become nice little earners. So it's an easy segue to extend the trend to popular TV shows. COVERGIRL has announced a makeup collaboration with the hip-hop musical drama Empire, renewed for a third season this year.
Newsletter image: Instagram.com/caradelevingne
