Chain Drug Review, June 4, 2018

BEAUTY CARE REPORT New entries offer mass appeal to multicultural market NEW YORK Rhiannas Fenty Beauty opened the floodgates for multicultural beauty products In all fairness there have been mass market lines for women of color for years but the dollars racked up by Fenty have put a new focus on the need Fenty Beauty sold in the U S at Sephora USA Inc is selling faster than Kylie Cosmetics which racked up an astonishing 420 million in only 18 months according to published reports Several new brands created by women of color are expanding in the mass market Theyll join lines that already have established a strong following for their wide color ranges including wet n wild Milani NYX Professional Makeup Black Opal and L A Colors Gaining traction is The Lip Bar which was created by a former Wall Streeter Melissa Butler who wasnt happy with the status quo When her naturally positioned color line didnt get investment on Shark Tank she pledged even harder to get noticed And in a twist she says exposure on Shark Tank helped people learn about her lineup Shes now in Target Corp stores and says shes on the hunt for more distribution Makeup Geek is another brand gaining traction as retailers and consumers look for broader choices It was created by YouTuber Marlena Stell and has attracted consumers who like the bold pigments Cashmere Nicole had a dream to build a business to be a good role model for her daughter She created a beauty collection called Beauty Bakerie that garnered attention when Beyoncé tweeted about one of her products Lip Whips Last year she also attracted the eye of Unilever Ventures the venture capital and private equity arm of Unilever which plunked down 3 million in funding to help her extend her reach The female founders of the multicultural beauty brands explain that heritage brands offering a variety of shades still dont hit the mark with darker skin tones In particular there are issues with undertones that need special colors for the proper impact There are established companies that have a loyal following with women of all complexions Black Radiance for example has taken over as the top ethnic makeup brand according to Markwins Beauty Brands global president Stefano Curti The brand has had eight years of double digit growth according to the company Curti points out that everyone who works on the brand is African American and is dedicated to a purpose behind the brand beyond products The brand for example is a sponsor of the Rose Lupus Foundation Weve connected digitally and socially with many brand ambassadors and spokespeople Curti notes More Hispanics are also gravitating to the line he adds Realizing the assortment in hair was meeting needs Target made the bold move to add eight brands The chain has enjoyed success in hair for multicultural shoppers who over index in the category and it is now broadening its reach in color cosmetics The Lip Bar Makeup Geek Coloured Raine Everyhue Beauty Hayleys Hue Noir Violet Voss and Reina Rebelde are the launch lines Next up suggests Richelieu Dennis the founder of Sundial Brands are opportunities in skin care formulated for multicultural women And his New Voices Fund is helping entrepreneurs across several categories get businesses off the ground to serve consumer needs Hollywood elite helping bring focus back to nails NEW YORK Cardi Bs talons which take three hours to complete are creating a buzz The Kardashian Jenners appear to be back to bold nail looks with Kylie Jenner posting holographic nails on Instagram last month Kim Kardashian also donned a French Manicure at the Met Gala that could signal a renaissance for that classic The most recent New York Fashion Week had many designers option or graphic nail art And experts say that it appears Meghan Markle chose a popular drug store shade Essies Ballet Slippers on her wedding day So is the nail color business back in the black The most recent numbers say no with sales still down in all segments with the exception of artificial nails But the declines are less severe than the same period last year and an informal survey of mass market buyers noted an uptick in purchasing during the recent spring months At least some of that can be traced to efforts behind the market leader Sally Hansen Late last year the Coty Inc owned brand unleashed its biggest overhaul in years It included a new logo and tagline and an all encompassing ad campaign This marked the first time the company put marketing muscle behind the brand as a whole rather than a launch Part of the campaign included a diverse group of women of several generations using Sally Hansen items Bringing some freshness to the brand is Celia Tombalakian vice president of global and U S marketing for the brand who shifted from Elizabeth Arden Beyond color Sally Hansen is going harder into the nail care and tool business two segments that are showing growth An example of the innovation it is bringing to the category is new Big Polish Guards Cuticle Protectors that wrap around cuticles to prevent polish from getting on them Beyond Sally retailers are scooping up sales with valuepriced lacquers such as Poparazzi at CVS Pharmacy and P2 at Walmart Nail colors that are part of the Vanessa Hudgens collection from Sinful Colors are also now sold at retail and feature names inspired by festivals There is also swelling retailer interest in nail polish with fewer chemicals At this point retailers say there are few options for the mass market However there is chatter of lines in the pipeline The industry also established a national nail polish day in June to bring awareness to the power of a good manicure with the summer months approaching While retailers wait for the color to return they are extending the offering of artificial nails a category that has stayed in the positive sales column throughout the downturn in color and is currently producing increase in the double digits Kiss Products is looking for incremental sales with the launch of imPress artificial nails for pedicures The collection of 16 designs bows first on Kiss website and at Walmart Fragrance market not smelling as sweet as in the past NEW YORK The fragrance industry remains challenged at mass despite upticks in the prestige sector of the category NPD Group Inc in fact revealed that U S prestige fragrance sales jumped 8 for the first quarter of 2018 Sales in mens and womens in mass doors however remain in the negative ledger There is no such thing as a grand slam home run in fragrance anymore remarked John Burgfechtel a board member at Sheralven Enterprises Ltd You have to go with base hits Rather than walk away from fragrances a category that mass merchants once dominated in units chains are looking for ways to keep the business afloat That includes going deeper into lighter sprays such as the portfolio from PDC Unilever InStyle and Elizabeth Arden But there are also opportunities to get mid tier premium scents especially to offer around holidays InStyle in fact produces proprietary brands for chains and as a category private label fragrances rose 23 in mult unit doors as tracked by IRI for the 52 weeks ended April 22 Sheralven also offers a fourpillar solution to help mass stay in the business For one thing it sets up an e commerce platform for chains to still nab fragrance sales It helps retailers reduce inventory but increase assortment Burgfechtel says Also a budding portion of its business is private label fragrance collections Among the logos are B U M Equipment and Nicole Miller Walgreens will offer a set from the designer nameplate during holiday he says Notably IRI numbers show the Tova fragrances created by Tova Borgnine soaring more than 48 in the most recent data from April According to Burgfechtel Sheralven has taken over the distribution of the iconic line Prior to going wide the fragrance was a staple on QVC Looking to leverage its strength in color cosmetics the Hard Candy nameplate added a fragrance within the past year And with an eye on serving demand for better for you ingredients in fragrances Target Corp launched a line called Good Chemistry While traditional fragrances sag retailers see interest in home fragrance NPD said home scents sales rose 68 led by candles diffusers and other home ancillaries 36 Chain Drug Review June 4 2018