A large slice of Americans, crossing age and gender, use beauty products.  In 2007, three out of four men ages 18-64 told consumer and retail information provider The NPD Group they wear fragrance and nine out of 10 women ages 18 and older say they use skin care, makeup or fragrance. That’s a force of over 170 million beauty users in the U.S. alone, according to The NPD Group.  

Here are some facts about beauty products and who’s using them:

Fragrance

·         Over 1000 new prestige fragrances hit counters in just the past five years.

·         More men and women tell NPD they use only one fragrance today versus prior years.

·         Men’s top priority when it comes to wearing fragrance is that a woman or significant other likes it.

·         Number one reason a woman buys a fragrance for herself is that it’s an “overall great fragrance”.

Makeup

·         The number of prestige lip glosses has quadrupled since 2000.

·         Lip gloss generates close to $200 million annually.

·         Over 800 new prestige eye shadow shades have launched since 2003.

·         Growth in 2007 came from staple makeup products like mascara and foundation.

·         Mineral makeup sales have increased by over 30 times since 2003.

·         If the dollar volume of multipurpose and professional products were combined it would be the 5th largest sub-segment in makeup – larger than lip gloss or blush.

Skin Care  

·         42 percent of women skincare users 18 and older say they look for products that are made from natural/organic ingredients.

·         28 percent of women skincare users 18 and older say they prefer brands that have a physician/doctor endorsement.

·         77 percent of women skincare users 18 and older say “I don’t mind paying more for a skincare product that really works”.