Brow guru credited with sales spike
The spike in eyebrow makeup sales can be traced to a petite Romanian immigrant who became Beverly Hills’ most sought-after eyebrow guru. Although Anastasia Soare’s Anastasia Beverly Hills products aren’t available in mass, her magic with brows is credited with waking up the entire category.
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The quest for the perfectly manicured brow created by her golden ratio technique has filtered to mass, where IRI just reported a 47% jump in eyebrow makeup sales for the 52-week period ended May 15.
To be sure, Soare isn’t the first eyebrow expert to boost the business; Ramy Gafni did the same several years ago. But Soare has been the most prolific at using social media to spread her message. Her platform of choice is Instagram — the perfect showcase for brows. Soare’s daughter Claudia, president of Anastasia Beverly Hills, convinced her mother to try Instagram. “I realized after a few months that this is the best platform for my company,” Soare said. She’s surpassed 10 million Instagram followers thanks to her updates. She posts every two to three hours, necessitating up to four outfit changes per day.
She said it is worth the effort. “I used to go to Nordstrom and touch 100 people a day. I put a post, and I will get 100,000 comments,” she explained. It is no surprise to her that women are flocking to eyebrow products. “It is the one element in your face that will change everything. It’s one feature on your face that will bring balance and proportion if it is shaped correctly,” she explained.
It didn’t take long for mass market brands to jump onto the budding eyebrow craze. The growth numbers are impressive. Maybelline’s Eyestudio Brow Drama is posting anywhere from 85% to 160% gains, depending on the SKU. L’Oréal Brow Stylist Designer Eye Brow Makeup contributed 108% sales leaps. NYX, which had been out ahead of many mass brands, still managed to post strong sales in 2015 with an almost 30% jump. According to buyers, L.A. Colors has an emerging kit, offering a 13-piece brow collection for $5.99.
For retailers, brow artistry is just the beginning of a category experiencing robust sales. Overall eye, in fact, was up 12% in dollar volume. Eyeliner dollars are turning up as consumers use newer liners for a cat eye style. Mascaras, always a strong contender, churned out a 15% increase, fueled by new technologies and better brushes that complement newly arched brows. While brow kits are mostly on off-shelf promotional displays now, retailers plan to integrate them into planograms.
The wardrobing approach to eye wasn’t wasted on Revlon as it looks to ride a sales wave created by its Love Is On campaign. Rite Aid recently erected an endcap, called the Eye Zone, devoted to several eye products, including Revlon’s Color-stay Liquid Eye Pen and Photoready primer.