That is so last year!” Similar to the fashion arena, each season we see new beauty trends popping up and overtaking last year’s offerings. Constant innovations and exciting developments push the industry to higher levels, and these are the hot trends on the beauty retail scene in 2011.
Prestige versus mass-market
In the beauty market there is a wide range of price offerings, and this year it seems people are opting for more mass-market brands. There has definitely been a shift in consumer spending from prestige to more generic,” says Priceline buyer cosmetics Susie Bearzi. She adds that as the prestige houses discount their products to become more competitive, shoppers are questioning the price and value of prestige brands. Consumers are becoming more comfortable with generic offerings as they adapt quickly to market trends while maintaining a price advantage.
Myer cosmetics national buyer Frank Kavanagh says shoppers are looking for brands which are a bridge between supermarket brands and upmarket brands. One of the bigger growth categories came from mass rather than prestige last year. Mass grew at about 4 per cent and prestige cosmetics were down about 1.5 per cent,” reveals Kavanagh.
Despite these figures, shoppers still like to pick and mix between prestige and mass-market. Research has found that customers are not brand loyal, they tend to trial across all brands, both prestige and generic. It’s very common for a woman to have a Chanel lipstick and a Maybelline mascara in her beauty bag,” reveals Myer luxury cosmetics and fragrances buyer Cynthia Brock. David Jones general manager merchandise Stephen McDonald says today’s customers are very savvy and opt for products that meet their needs. They will shop across brands within our own portfolio and will buy from prestige and non-prestige brands in the same visit.” McDonald also says David Jones has noticed a trend towards niche brands and brands offered in limited distribution channels that make the customer feel they have purchased an exclusive product.
Make-up
There are three main trend areas that have cropped up this year: mineral make-up, nails and lips. Mineral make-up has gone from a trend to become a part of the mainstream make-up offer,” says Brock. McDonald agrees, revealing, Sales and launches of mineral make-up and foundations has increased season on season and remains strong.”
McDonald says demand from consumers to gain more from their products has led to brands stepping up to the challenge by adding skincare benefits to make-up items. Some of the latest launches include foundations that over time reduce dark spots or have anti-ageing benefits.” The idea that customers are after more bang for their buck was supported by Bearzi who reports, we have seen a shift towards brands and products with added benefits and active ingredients – products that deliver more than just their traditional use as customers are continuing to look for additional quality and value when purchasing products.” Bearzi also revealed that Priceline has seen a strong growth in sales of brands and products that feature natural ingredients.
Nails
Nails have been another key trend this season, with nail polish coming in a range of unusual finishes such as suede, matte, crackle and shatter that have proven to be popular. People are definitely getting more experimental with their nails, I think it’s becoming much more a part of fashion in general,” says Adore Beauty founder Kate Morris.
Trends in nails include shatter colours from OPI, nail art in the form of nail apps (stickers) and metallic finishes from brands such as Chanel,” says McDonald. He also revealed that nails provide people with an entry point to designer brands such as Chanel and Dior with David Jones seeing a fantastic growth here.” Bearzi revealed that Priceline has also seen a big growth in nail enamels this year as they are an affordable purchase that allow customers to keep up-to-date with fashion trends.”
Lips
Lips have also been high on the agenda when it comes to beauty retail buying. We’ve seen the return of the matte lip – either in dark or bright shades – very much inspired by the catwalks,” says Morris. The new matte look is achieved with a velvet texture and is not as dry and powdery as it was the last time matte lipstick was on trend, according to McDonald. He also reveals that, many brands have been inspired by the runway and introduced pop colours for lips such as orange, pink and fuchsia and there is a definite trend to a bold deep-red lip.”
Colour
Top colour trends for the season also reflect the catwalks. Mainly colour clash (bold brights), safari style (natural tones, khaki and bronzers) and Riviera (classic nautical stripes, bright red lips, clear eyes),” says Brock. Tangerine and coral have been very popular for both lips and cheeks, according to Morris.
Skincare
When it comes to skincare, it’s all about serums, skin whiteners and products that replicate salon results. For the last six months, and what we’ve seen for the next six months, serums are the stand out trend. Serums are targeted to individual skincare needs and most come with strong performance claims to back up their effectiveness,” says McDonald. Brock reveals anti-ageing serums have also done well for Myer.
This year has seen customers looking for skincare that replicates salon results at home. This has led to the popularity of Clarisonic which deep-cleanses your skin daily; customers are seeing this as a good investment instead of having to have facials every month,” says Morris. She also says Adore Beauty has seen an ever-increasing demand for products that whiten the skin or remove dark spots and even out skin tone.
