Derm Visits, Spas, Web Surfing Offer Growth for Skin Care

Trips to the dermatologist and website surfing are proving to be the primary avenues of growth for the skin care market, according to a new study by Kline and Company. The firm notes that as the Great Recession, which resulted in sweeping changes in consumers’ spending habits fades from memory, the professional skin care industry shows signs of recovery with an estimated 5% increase in overall sales.

Dispensing physicians continue to be the primary source of growth for the industry. The channel is expected to post another strong year in 2015 as companies and consumers spend more on marketing and products, respectively.

Spas are recovering, as more consumers return to these venues to spend on skin care treatments and their favorite products. Spa sales are also posting healthy gains, and the number of day spas has increased 15%, as several of the small, independent outlets that had gone out of business return or are replaced by new entrants.

The greatest increase for the market is in digital sales, which are up more than 10% in 2014. For example, market leader SkinCeuticals has embraced this portion of its business through partnerships with select websites as well as continuously enhancing its own brand website, according to Kline. In the future, it is likely that more companies will look for ways to use the internet to their advantage by means of strategic alliances and partnerships.

Some marketers embrace the opportunity to partner with e-commerce sites like dermstore.com that afford a more content-rich experience for visitors. In fact, the website is staffed with aestheticians who are well versed in all of the lines and various skin care issues they solve. As long as consumers seek convenience and easier ways of procuring their preferred products, digital sales will continue to grow. During the next five years, this channel will grow at a similar pace, if not faster. This is underlined by the ongoing trend of leading brands to implement specific staff to grow the digital segment of the business.