Turning Around Sun Protection Growth with Added Benefits

The process of developing white spaces to drive growth in the beauty industry, particularly in mature countries challenged by the economic slowdown, increasingly involves incorporating claims from other categories in order to introduce new groups of products with added benefits. Sun protection is a claim increasingly used by products in categories other than sun care. Sun protection claims are most widely used for anti-agers but are also visible to a lesser extent in facial foundations. An interesting question is, with overlapping claims, how are these categories juxtaposed?

Sun protection in anti-agers and facial foundation impacts sun care in developed countries

The increasing incorporation of sun protection benefits in anti-ageing facial moisturisers and facial foundations is impacting growth for sun care as a separate category in developed countries. From 2012 to 2014, sun care growth declined from 3% annually to 1% annually, while anti-agers’ growth slowed from just over 3% to 2.5%. Both product areas are seeing sales growth slow but sun care slowed at a faster rate in comparison to anti-agers. Sun care is finding it more difficult to cope with competition from anti-agers due to anti-agers offering both sun protection and more specialised anti-ageing solutions such as lifting, firming and regenerating. In contrast, the anti-ageing benefits offered by sun care primarily include protecting skin from sun damage, which in turn helps to delay the ageing process. Anti-ageing sun care thus focuses more on the preventive side rather than addressing consumers’ current ageing concerns. In facial foundations, BB/CC creams meanwhile also claim to provide sun protection as part of a total skin care solution, thus offering convenience and a time- and money-saving option.

Sun care offers coverage and anti-ageing benefits

AsBB/CC creams and anti-agers dampen growth rates for sun protection with overlapping claims, sun protection is extending its benefits beyond traditional boundaries by incorporating facial make-up coverage, anti-ageing benefits and hydration. For example, Vichy Capital Soleil Beautifying Sun Protection Compact is a sun protection range that also provides facial make-up coverage. Sun care could go even further and target offerings on the basis of skin types.

Future growth prospects for added benefits in sun protection

To optimise returns from the combination of added benefits, sun care needs to customise its offerings based on national preferences. In Brazil, there is for example a higher penetration for facial make-up, with players thus likely to benefit from offering tinted sun protection. In Asia Pacific, the most successful combination is in contrast likely to be sun protection with anti-agers, while segmenting offerings on the basis of skin types could also prove successful given consumers’ preoccupation with skin care.

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