Latina beauty sector a power play for suppliers

Latinas tend to over-index on beauty products as, in their opinion, beauty means power and upward mobility, Mintel’s senior analyst of multicultural reports, Leylha Ahuile, said during a recent webinar. This is one reason why these 23.6 million beauty mavens are a sweet spot for brands.

“The majority of Latinas take great pride in looking as beautiful as they can, and this is why they over-index in their consumption of many beauty and personal care products,” Ahuile said during the June 16 “Marketing to Today’s Latina” webinar. “Beauty for both older and newer generation Latina means power and upward mobility,” Ahuile added.

However, it is important to note that not all Latinas—which by 2050 will comprise a quarter of the U.S. female population—approach beauty the same way.

According to Mintel’s research, English-dominant and bilingual Latinas consume more makeup than those who only speak Spanish, and household income also has a significant impact on makeup consumption. Latinas with a household income of $50,000 to $75,000 consume the most makeup, compared with those of any other income bracket.

While many women tend to use less makeup as they age, that is not the case with Latinas. In fact, Latinas in their 50s and 60s are 20% more likely to consume makeup than non-Latinas in the same age group. Ahuile noted that there seems to be few beauty advertisers targeting the Latinas in this age group.

Another factor that makes Latinas ideal beauty shoppers is that they are not afraid to experiment with makeup. More specifically, Latinas—especially U.S.-born Latinas—love to focus on their eyes and are high users of eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara. And when it comes to lipstick and lip gloss, they are likely to never leave home without it.

“Keep in mind that U.S.-born Latinas are likely to be English-dominant and are more likely to want to see products designed for [them], and [their] media language preferences are beginning to change. All of this impacts [their] product choices and how advertisers should communicate with [them],” Ahuile said.

Ahuile said that there is no one “Latina look” and, given the different skin tones of Latinas, a wide range of products should be developed. “It is not always easy for personal care companies to hone in on the specific needs of the Latina consumer; therefore, a wide range of products need to be developed to meet the needs of Latinas,” Ahuile said.

“What was really surprising was the high number (81%) of Latinas who would like to see more personal care products with bilingual packaging,” Ahuile added. This strong desire for bilingual packaging is more about being acknowledged and respected by the brand.