About Face: Sales of Facial Makeup, Age Specialist Skin Care Grow in 3Q

In the third quarter of 2017, sales of US prestige beauty products were $3.9 billion, a 5% increase compared to Q3 2016, according to new data from NPD Group.
 
“Skincare continues to outpace the other beauty categories in 2017. The big story for the third quarter is the age specialist segment, which has been declining for several years and is now experiencing growth again. Driving this turnaround are new launches entering the market that focus less on the anti-aging benefits that are inherent in these products, and instead on creating a story around ingredients, wellness, and great skin at any age,” said Larissa Jensen, beauty industry analyst, The NPD Group.
 
Total face, the largest segment in makeup, was also the one to grow the fastest in Q3, with sales up 6%. Foundation, which captures the largest share of face makeup dollars, grew by 7%. Sales of face primer rose by 16% and tinted moisturizer by 11%.
 
Lip color sales declined by 1%, while lip gloss grew by 7%.
 
Eyebrow makeup growth slowed to a 2% increase in sales compared to last year.Though a small piece of the market, sales of false eyelashes grew by over 50%.
 
In skin care, age specialist products bounced back after a double-digit decline last year, with sales up 7% in Q3 this year. Face mask sales were up 28% in Q3.
 
Sunscreen sales accelerated, experiencing a 37% increase in sales, as did self-tanning products, with sales up 13%.
 
Fragrance juices experienced a 3% growth in sales compared to Q3 of last year, with women’s sales increasing by 2% and men’s by 5%.  
 
The prestige home scents market grew by an impresisve 40%—an increase of 17 percentage points over Q3 2016—driven by candles and home ancillary gift sets.
 
“Heading into the holiday season, attention will center on makeup and fragrance – two highly giftable beauty categories that are contending for greatest dollar share during this critical time period,” said Jensen.