Health & Beauty Are One in the Same, Says Datamonitor

Good grooming and hygiene are just as important as diet, nutrition and exercise in achieving a sense of wellbeing, according to a new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor. 

“Growing concern about healthy lifestyles is leading consumers to question what they are applying on their skin.  As consumers adopt a more holistic approach to managing their health, they are looking towards beauty products in helping them to fulfil broader health ideals,” comments Daniel Bone, consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report.  The wellness market offers growth opportunities for industry players seeking to tap into the growing awareness of the link between health and beauty. In particular, the UK’s £1.1billion personal hygiene market is well placed to capitalize on the emotional dimension of wellness.

The wellness trend will have a growing impact on the UK personal care market, which is forecast to reach £6.4 billion by 2009, up from 5.8 billion in 2005. In the UK, more than three quarters of consumers report that they are conscious of health and wellness issues on a daily basis, and almost as many (68%) agree that spending time on appearance is important in achieving a sense of well-being. 

“This reflects that wellness does not just involve a person’s physical health, but encompasses the work-life quality, leisure time, exercise, personal relationships, diet and grooming” says Bone.

In particular, emotional and physical wellness concerns have increased for stress-driven consumers. While 60% of UK consumers say they are taking more steps to reduce stress, only 39% report using grooming and hygiene products to help unwind and alleviate stress.

“There is an opportunity to leverage a more emotional connection with consumers by presenting personal care products as an important component in achieving a level of emotional and physical tranquillity,” concludes Bone.

Consumers across Europe and the U.S. rated bath and shower products as the most relevant category in helping to achieve a sense of wellbeing. Bone attributes this to the fact that the need to relax and alleviate stress is overwhelmingly more important for personal hygiene products than for other personal care categories. However, he insists opportunities also exist in other categories. For example, the market place has seen new make-up lines featuring anti-wrinkling and acne-fighting ingredients and cleansing lotions with both massage and aromatherapy functions. “Consumers today demand much more from their cosmetics and toiletries than ever before. It is not enough for their products to cleanse, smell good or moisturize,” adds Bone.

The wellness trend, still widely untapped by the cosmetics and toiletries industry, has the potential to drive one of the most innovative and exciting developments in the personal care industry —Oral Beauty Products (OBPs). Industry players have responded to the health and beauty crossover by developing combination anti-aging supplements and topical treatments that. The supplements are well suited to wellbeing focused consumers seeking holistic solutions to managing their health needs because they promote the notion of ‘beauty-from-within’.

 “Oral beauty products need to be accompanied by advice and education because consumers are not accustomed to taking supplements as part of a beauty regime. However, our research shows that more than 50% of consumers indicate a willingness to try oral beauty products if convinced by the benefits,” adds Bone.