Nail care polishes up; the eyes still have it
Tracking all of the latest trends within beauty can be about as simple as herding cats, but there undoubtedly are some niches within beauty that are making waves at food, drug and mass.
It is no secret that nail color is hot — red hot. Yet, nestled within the nail color segment is another rising star for the mass market. Enter at-home gel polish. Gel manicures are one of the more popular salon services in the professional market, and now beauty mavens can create the look at home — for a fraction of the price.
According to data provided by Pacific World, gel polish sales are expected to hit $27 million in 2012 in the mass market and, by 2016, are projected to exceed $300 million.
Looking to leverage the popularity of salon gel manicures, Pacific World and several other manufacturers have launched at-home solutions for the mass market. Pacific World recently launched, under the Nailene brand, its new SensatioNail Invincible Gel Polish, which works with an LED light. It is a collection of at-home gel polish products that provide users with up to two weeks of damage-proof wear.
“The introduction is definitely surpassing our expectations out of the gate, so we will be expanding distribution throughout the world,” said Mike Matulis, SVP sales and category management at Pacific World.
Red Carpet Manicure recently launched its at-home LED gel polish manicure and pedicure system. In addition, CCA Industries has its Nutra Nail Gel Perfect UV-free gel color.
Another innovative product making major waves in nail color is Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects from Coty Inc. The brand recently teamed up with pop star Avril Lavigne to launch a limited-edition collection of edgy Salon Effects real nail polish strips designs.
However, the eyes still have it, especially when it comes to lush lashes. Thanks in large part to celebrities, who have popularized false eyelashes and lash extensions, faux lashes are no longer a faux pas.
“The retailers are realizing that over in the [United Kingdom] and other global markets; those retailers have lash bars and have education. They go from your traditional standard lashes to the glitz and flair,” Matulis said.
According to data provided by Pacific World, sales of false lashes and adhesives are up 26.5% to $68.8 million for the past 52 weeks at food, drug and mass (including Walmart panel data and the dollar store channel). Pacific World, which currently markets Revlon-branded false lashes, is looking to bring its Eyelene lash brand to the U.S. market in 2013. Eyelene currently is sold in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Meanwhile, the U.K. brand Eylure recently teamed up with popstar Katy Perry to launch in the United States a line of false lashes, available at Ulta.
On a separate note, Bio-Oil, a cult skin care product hailing from South Africa, is driving incremental sales at retail by being merchandised within various departments in the store — skin care, first aid, and hand and body — and by offering various product sizes, including a new 6.7-oz. bottle. Year-to-date, Bio-Oil point-of-sale is up 19% compared with 2011, and is registering sales of $4.5 million.