US website Glossy has reported that fast-fashion brands are likely to try and claim a stake of the predicted $US90 billion beauty industry worth by 2020. Brands such as H&M, Topshop, Forever 21 and Boohoo all have makeup ranges and will play an interesting part in the industry's development over the next few years.
Forever 21 was the earliest adopter of beauty debuting its makeup and skin care products - Love & Beauty - back in 2009. It has since invested in a free standing beauty boutique concept called Riley Rose which will open at 13 locations across America by early 2018.
Topshop followed in Forever 21’s footsteps when it debuted its beauty and skincare range in 2010 which is now available in all of its stores. H&M launched its full cosmetics line in 2015 having only sold the occasional lip gloss and nail polish at check out lines in preceding years. The newer line is now available in 70 stores and online.
“We saw a lot of demand via social media and customer emails for shoppers to be able to get everything they need for a complete look, in one place,” said an H&M spokesperson over email to Glossy. “That total look includes beauty products.”
Boohoo was the latest to announce an entry into beauty. Boohoo Cosmetics launched in September of this year with just 10 products but the retailer expects that number to increase rapidly (in line with the clothing line that debuts 200 new products a day).
Boohoo vice president of marketing said that launching cosmetics was a way to open up an entirely different influencer category for the company to work with…a way to tap into beauty bloggers.
Along with establishing a presence in a whole new category, these brands are also creating a good and easy add-on to their fashion lines with products that have a good margin, says RSR Research retail analyst Paula Rosenblum. And on whether Zara might take a stab in the beauty? “Their dominance [in the space] may be causing them to just stick to their knitting,” she says.
