Indies Continue To Find Success in Beauty: NIQ

Indies have quickly risen to be a strong segment in the beauty space, representing $30.5 billion in sales and capturing a 32% dollar share of the category, according to NIQ.  Indie brands are outpacing the growth rate of the total beauty and personal care market. According to NIQ's data, indies are growing 15.7% year over year versus 9.9% for total beauty and personal care.

What’s behind all of the strrong and continued growth?  Consumers are looking for products that cater to their specific hair type or skin concern, and indies are answering the call. In fact, 15.1% of consumers stated they shop online for beauty products to get hard-to-find items. Indie brands help fill the space left open by mass-market brands. They have a more dynamic operation and can cater to consumers’ changing needs and what is trending. This speed to market is an advantage indies have over larger brands, asserts NIQ.

Consumers also want to choose brands whose values align closely with their own. According to NIQ, consumers are looking for beauty products with claims such as vegan (up 12.5% in dollar sales), biodegradable (up 11.1%) and plastic-free (up 1.3%). Whether it is sustainable packaging or ethically sourced ingredients, indies often have clearly defined social responsibility practices that consumers are looking for, according to NIQ’s team.

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