In this Issue

The lip segment is on the upswing with the shining star proving, once again, to be lip color. Lipstick continues to be the darling of the segment much to the detriment of lip gloss and lip treatments.

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

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble in August launched its Clearblue Advanced Pregnancy Test with Weeks Estimator — the first and only pregnancy test that also provides an estimate of time since ovulation for women testing pregnant. The introduction will play brand dividends — before the new product’s sales could be tracked, Clearblue pregnancy test kits were already up 23.6% to $39.5 million, across U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 8, according to IRI.

The U.S. men’s grooming category is expected to see growth through 2017, albeit perhaps at a slower rate than previously predicted due in part to a tapering of new product launches and increased market saturation in such categories as shave. There’s no doubt, however, that men are increasingly stepping out of their comfort zone to embrace beauty routines.

Chances are, if a person doesn’t have diabetes, then they personally know someone who does. According to a recent poll conducted by Research Now, 75% of those surveyed reported they either had diabetes or knew a diabetic.

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

You could call it a who’s who of the industry.

With a record-breaking crowd expected on hand, The Drug Store News Group has assembled an all-star lineup of some of the leading retail merchants and marketers in the industry for its 15th annual Industry Issues conference next month. All that and brand-building genius and TV celebrity Daymond John of ABC’s “Shark Tank” will deliver the exclusive lunchtime keynote.

NEW YORK — Keeping counterfeit and diverted drugs out of the U.S. drug supply chain will require closing vulnerable regulatory gaps that risk letting them in, according to a new report by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Anti-aging products, once the darling of the facial skin care category, have experienced a slowdown in growth since the recession — due, in part, to an influx of new products and likely some cannibalization from such multitasking products as BB creams. Meanwhile, skin care staples like facial moisturizers and cleansers have moved into the lead.

While the boom in generic drugs now looks set to wane, another segment of the pharmaceutical industry is rapidly rising and presenting new growth opportunities for pharmacy retailers: specialty drugs.