If there is one word in beauty products that encapsulates the latest trend, it’s “clean." Consumers want products that are free of chemicals, haven’t been tested on animals and are packaged and sold responsibly. When shoppers are considering buying a product that goes on their skin, changes their appearance, and can be absorbed into the bloodstream, they want to know what’s in it, where it came from, and how it’s made. This is especially relevant because of recent news about expired, counterfeit, and low quality products from Amazon Marketplace.
Recently, Asian beauty giant Shiseido purchased clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant. The new brands in the beauty landscape that are all about clean ingredients have been on the radar of the bigger heritage brands. In 2017, Estee Lauder acquired Two Faced, an indie brand focused on clean ingredients. Unilever, who was rumored to be in the bidding for Drunk Elephant purchased Tatcha, also a clean skin care brand in June of this year. Skincare is where it’s at in the beauty biz right now. According to recent research from The NPD Group, skincare sales of prestige brands were up 7% Y/Y in Q2 of 2019. In the same period, makeup sales declined by 4%. In 2018, the skin-care category grew by 13 percent.
While clean is the new buzzword in beauty, expertise still matters. Do the associates on the floor know: