retail

Prestige Beauty Products Are Hot Again

BeautyProduct

Following strong sales in both January and February, the NPD Group reports that high-end beauty products continued to perform well in March, too -- up 2% from the same month a year ago. Sales of prestige fragrances fared the best, with dollar sales up 6% for the month. Year-to-date, the Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research company says, sales of total prestige beauty products are at $1.98 billion -- an increase of 5% from the first three months of last year. Fragrances' dollar sales are up 6%, makeup 5% and skincare 6%.

"Consumers of these products are in an optimistic mood," Karen Grant, VP/global industry analyst for NPD's beauty sector, tells Marketing Daily. "They're kind of settled. The sky didn't fall, after all -- and now there's a desire to treat oneself again."

It helps, she says, that the desire to stock up on pricier potions has coincided nicely with new fragrance launches, such as Marc Jacobs' Daisy Eau So Fresh and Gucci Guilty for women, as well as such men's offerings as Bleu de Chanel and Ralph Lauren Big Pony body sprays. "There's a lot of newness and people are wanting to spend a bit."

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She attributes some of the gains to shoppers settling into a more pragmatic idea of luxury. "People are really spending smart," she says. "It's a quality thing -- 'When I spend,' they're saying, 'I want something I really love. I need to know I will enjoy this purchase to make it worth the money.'"

In skincare, she says, Clinique's Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector continues to be a strong seller. And in makeup, women are looking for a little more whimsy: "Women love Wonder Woman. MAC came out with its Wonder Woman line and it's doing very well, as is lip color. We're seeing products with more color and drama and fun -- it's kind of a sigh of relief for the industry."

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