Ingredients grab attention of ethnic personal care shoppers

Skin care brands that contain such ingredients as shea butter, olive oil and tea tree oil could be missing an opportunity among ethnic consumers, according to research company Mintel.

In Mintel’s “Blacks and Personal Care – U.S.” report dated March 2011, the research company found that just one-third of African-American adults use body and facial care products that are designed specifically for ethnic skin, despite the fact that a variety of brands exist. Mintel believed that the findings suggested that specially designed skin care products are not as important to ethnic shoppers as are other factors like the ingredients.

For example, shea butter is an ingredient that is recognized as a natural and very effective moisturizer that can help battle dry skin. Not all lotions or body washes that contain shea butter are designed specially for African-American consumers, but such products are likely very attractive to this consumer segment.

In light of the findings, Mintel suggested that skin care products already containing such ingredients as shea butter, olive oil, cocoa butter and tea tree oil could be attractive to African-American consumers.

“Marketers should ask themselves, ‘In what way does [my product] address the personal care issues of African-Americans?,’ including dry body skin, oily complexions, irritation and allergic reactions, razor bumps, body acne, scarring, hyper-pigmentation and others,” the research stated.

With regard to anti-aging products, products that claim to offer a more even skin tone and firmer skin, and that correct deep wrinkles — all without clogging pores — likely would appeal to this segment, Mintel added. Those issues typically faced by aging African-American complexions include loss of elasticity, deep expression lines, hyper-pigmentation and other blemishes, dark circles around the eyes, and pouches under the eyes.

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Ethnic Beauty Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.