Beauty Products That Made a Difference in 2009

WRITTEN BY: John Deputato

AUTHOR BIO: John Deputato is a senior vice president and leader of the Beauty and Personal Care, Client Team Vertical, at Information Resources, Inc. With more than 25 years experience in the health and beauty care industry, he has held a number of CPG marketing positions, including senior marketing executive for the Stetson brand at Coty and product manager for Old Spice at The Shulton Company.

After weathering the economic storm of 2009, we are now in an economic
cycle of conservative spending that will last for some time. To be successful in the beauty industry, products must appeal to their core shoppers and have a major point of difference.

In 2009, beauty sales in food, drug and mass outlets, excluding Walmart, totaled $12 billion and were flat versus prior year, according to IRI. Now, I don’t believe these flat results were reflective of a weak beauty department, but perhaps spoke to the strength of those categories in a difficult economy.While shoppers looked for ways to save money, they also searched for innovative products that could make a difference to them.

There were several products that stood out as growth drivers in 2009. These products had major points of difference and appealed to their core shoppers.

First, growth in beauty came from facial skin care, eye cosmetics, nail color and sun care products.

In facial skin care, Olay drove growth with Olay Pro-X, a line of clinically proven skin care products. Pro-X chose to aim high, and claimed to be as effective as the leading prescription brand with proven results in 28 days at half the cost. Olay Pro-X broke the ceiling for pricing standards in mass outlets.

In eye cosmetics, the mascara wars continued, with Maybelline, Cover Girl and L’Oréal driving growth with innovative new products. Maybelline’s Volume Express Colossal provided dramatic volume with a patented mega brush, and a collagen, no-clump formula.

Maybelline also took on the lengthening battle with Lash Stiletto, which was the leading growth driver in eye cosmetics with a unique advertising campaign comparing the product to the stiletto heel. What a win for women—the sexiest shoe and a mascara to match. The grip-and-extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle.

L’Oréal’s new mascara, Extra Volume Collagen promised 12 times greater lash impact with a bigger brush. It also had an elastic, no-clump formula, which also promised lengthening.

Cover Girl continued to drive growth with Exact Eyelights, promising to brighten and intensify eye color by 4 times. It boasted light-reflecting metallics and a hint of tint, specifically designed to bring out eye color.

In nail enamel, Sally Hansen timed the market perfectly with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, a product that promised a fast, flawless application that dried in 60 seconds. It has a perfectionist brush that delivers a one-stroke application.Coty capitalized on convenience in a recession-driven, do-it-yourself economy.

Neutrogena drove sun care growth with formula innovations and new products, with seven of the top 10 new items or sub brands. The line included new forms that promote daily sunscreen use and skin care benefits. Neutrogena also dominated the high SPF product segment.

As evidenced by all these success stories, having a real point of difference and thorough understanding of your shopper will be key in this new economy.

Good luck in 2010!