Skin oils slide into 2014

Whether it is rose hip seed oil, Argan oil, jojoba oil, olive oil or Kukui oil, incorporating oil into a skin care regimen is the buzz, and it is likely that the segment will gain even greater attention during 2014.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

“The oil trend is coming from Europe and Asia, so it is much bigger over there. And like a lot of trends that happen in the beauty category, they start there and they eventually find their way to the [United States]. We are sort of on the forefront of the explosion of oils in the [United States]. We should continue to see that really ramp up with more product launches in the near future,” said Gail Roddy, trade marketing director for Bio-Oil.

Monica Maloney, VP and GM for Bio-Oil, added: “The biggest [skin care] trend going into 2014 is the overall growth of oils in the market.”

The popularity of some skin care oils in the prestige market also has helped fuel growth within the segment.

Maloney acknowledges that when Bio-Oil first hit the U.S. market nearly 10 years ago, it faced some resistance given the reluctance to apply oil to the skin. At that time, the trend was oil-free.

However, consumers are increasingly discovering just how light and non-greasy skin care oils can be and are embracing the skin care benefits that oils can provide, such as improving the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone.

To further support the notion, a March 13, 2013, blog post titled “You Look Like Sisters!” by research company The NPD Group indicated that, in prestige skin care alone, sales of facial oils in 2012 grew by double-digits over 2011, and have more than doubled since 2008, according to The NPD Group/ Beauty Trends data.

“We’ve definitely seen our awareness grow, but we know we still have a big opportunity,” Roddy said.