Haircare, sanpro and men's grooming Print E-mail
Written by Leslie Keen   
Pharmacies may have lost ground to supermarkets and convenience stores in recent years, but sales of haircare, men’s grooming and sanpro products still bring in more than £752 million a year. [1] All three areas are led by Procter & Gamble with its growing portfolio of leading brands including Wella, Clairol, Pantene, Gillette, Always and Tampax.

Crowning glory

The image-conscious UK is in the grip of a “groom boom” according to Euromonitor International, with people spending more and more on their appearance. This greater desire to look good is partly fuelled by obsessive interest in celebrities and the cut, colour and condition of their hair.

Sales of hair products have benefited and celebrity hairdressers have carved their own niche in the market, allowing women who cannot afford an appointment with Nicky Clarke, John Frieda, Daniel Galvin or their colleagues to have the next best thing and use their shampoos, conditioners, styling products and colourants.

As customers strive to achieve the salon look at home, salon brands are becoming more widely available, says Euromonitor. Alberto-Culver, long known for VO5, has had great success with its TRESemmé brand, which has challenged established salon brands with its ‘premium-quality at mass-market prices’ proposition. Mass market shampoos themselves are increasingly offering premium features, such as colour enhancement, and are moving away from options for dry, normal or greasy hair in favour of problem-solvers to tackle issues such as frizz or lack of volume.

Euromonitor sees plenty of opportunity for increases in conditioner sales as only 30 per cent of people use these products. The convenience of leave-in products is popular with busy women and two-in-one formulas have a small but loyal following. The sleek, straight styles which have dominated for several years are beginning to lose ground to more natural looks and this may prompt consumers to change their styling products.

With an increasing ethnic population, the market for relaxants is likely to continue to increase. As the National Office of Statistics says ethnic women spend about six times as much on their hair as white women, this seems to be an under-represented and still under-developed market, which may offer an opportunity for enterprising pharmacies. As more of the 14 million women who experiment with their hair colour visit the salon for highlights and colour treatments, Euromonitor was expecting home colourant sales to dip in 2005. This may also be due to the increase in colour enhancing and preserving products, which allow women to go longer between salon sessions. Launches of products to deal with regrowth between colouring sessions may be worth watching, along with John Frieda’s Luminous Colour Glaze, which lightens hair by one shade but is gentle enough to use at each wash.

Mintel[3], in its report on shampoos and conditioners, predicts that new products will create new niche markets, including conditioners that don’t immediately wash off in the shower and more products for specific hair colours. In retail, the company sees the development of “smart shelf” technology to enable more accurate targeting of consumers in-store, perhaps with suggestions for link sales.

First class males

The growing men’s grooming market is one to keep an eye on. Sales have soared since 2000, rising from £602.9 million to an estimated £771.2 million in 20052 and almost £900 million predicted by 2010. Market leader Gillette says the trend towards spending more time and money on grooming has been fuelled by the number of well-groomed, inspirational men in the public eye and in advertising that targets men. David Beckham, for instance, has helped advertise its M3Power razor. But men buy for different reasons from women and don’t fall for hype and promises. They look for problem-solving products and are more interested in results.

ImageThe bulk of male grooming sales are still related to shaving and personal freshness, with 76 per cent of sales accounted for by razors, blades, pre-shave products and deodorant.[4] Most men still find shaving messy and potentially painful, so the promise of better performance is attractive, as are specialist brands. The wet shave market is worth £267.5 million[5] compared with £103 million for electric shavers4.

Gillette is the runaway market leader with more than one-third of value and, in a sector where innovation and technology are key, it has kept its strong position thanks to launches such as the battery-operated M3Power razor and Gillette Fusion, which has five blades in the head. Brand loyalty is strong and, as consumers trade up when a new or improved product arrives, this has meant a steady decline in disposables. Almost half the electric shaver sales take place in the run up to Christmas and as 40 per cent of these are bought by women, they need to be merchandised to appeal to female consumers.[4]


Merchandising tips from Gillette include choosing the optimum range for your customers, placing premium products above standard ones on the shelf, displaying shaving preparations next to premium system blades and creating a block of one brand. Personal hygiene is important for men and Lynx is the leader in bodywashes and gels as well as deodorants.[4] Euromonitor predicts a move towards designer brand deodorants and increasing popularity for antiperspirants.

Skin deep

Skincare, already seeing the fastest growth in the men’s market, is predicted to rise to almost £90 million by 20104. Nivea for Men and Simple for Men are already popular and widely available, and L’Oreal’s Men Expert was a major launch in the mass market. Premium brands such as Clarins and Clinique have also recognised the potential for male skincare. According to Euromonitor, we are likely to see male skincare moving from the department store to wider accessibility in pharmacies and drugstores. This may mean a chance for pharmacy to gain ground, especially at the premium end of the market.

Sanpro

There are 15 million women of menstrual age in the UK and each will use about 11,000 sanitary products in her lifetime.[7] With volume limited by the size of the adult female population and technology making products more absorbent so women need fewer, the sanpro market is predicted to fall in the next few years.[6]

Manufacturers have increased value by segmenting the market, introducing night-time products, breathable and perfumed products, and panty liners tailored to different styles of underwear.[6] Panty liners have also been adopted by the over-55s as they look for an alternative to incontinence products, although incontinence pad manufacturers have hit back, insisting that better absorption and more deodourising properties make their products more suitable for incontinence6. More than three-quarters of UK women still buy branded sanitary products. Comfort, reassurance, versatility and security are key requirements, especially as more and more women go out to work.

Tampons account for 37 per cent of volume sales and towels 41 per cent, with panty liners taking 22 per cent of the market. In value terms, tampons have 40 per cent of the market, with applicator tampons by far the most popular. Extra-thin towels take two-thirds of towel volume and 42 per cent of value6. Mintel[6] says tampons have grown faster than other forms of protection, with applicator tampons growing at the expense of non-applicator versions. This has been helped by the launch of Tampax Compak, which offers the portability and discretion of a non-applicator tampon with ease of use. Looking ahead, Mintel says innovation will remain important and increased comfort, breathability, disposability, portability, size, style and thinner products could all increase value.

References


1. Figure calculated from Euromonitor International 2006 data and percentage sales.
2. Euromonitor International data to 2005.
3. Shampoos and Conditioners – UK – June 2005, Mintel International Group Ltd.
4. Cosmetics and Toiletries in the UK (May 2006) Euromonitor International.
5. IRI data 52 weeks to December 24 2005.
6. Sanitary Protection Products – UK – February 2005, Mintel International Group Ltd.
7. Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association (AHPMA) factsheet.
 
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