A healthy glow for sun care sales

24 April 2006 00:00  [Source: ICB Americas]

CONSUMER CONCERNS about skin cancer and skin aging continue to propel increased purchases of sun care products. In the US, retail sales of sun-care products grew 10% (excluding Wal-Mart) last year to $432 million, according to ACNielsen. Sales volumes were up 8%.

“The market has grown and demand is increasing as consumers become increasingly more educated and concerned about the potential damage from the sun and ultraviolet (UV) rays,” says Joe Pavlichko, vice president of marketing at Croda. “Sun-care products are also becoming increasingly more sophisticated as they are incorporating elements of skin care formulation such as emollient esters for better skin feel.”

Innovation drove last year’s sales growth as well. Recent introductions include products that provide value-added offerings, such as instant bronzing effect and additional skin care benefits. Estée Lauder rolled out last year its Body Shimmer Sunscreen SPF15, which contains vitamins, rosemary, peony, hyaluronic acid and linoleic acid. L’Oréal’s new Dermo-Expertise Sublime Bronze contains alpha-hydroxy acid and vitamin E. Clarins recently launched new four facial sunscreens that include moisturizers and anti-aging benefits.

“Demand is increasing for more multifunctional sun-care products,” says Bernd Burkhart, director, cosmetic solutions at BASF Corp. “We see more products that offer anti-aging, skin-whitening and insect repellant as well as more skin-friendly sunless tanning products. Vitamins and nutritional ingredients in sun care are also becoming more popular.”

A trend that could hinder sun-care product sales, however, is the increased incorporation of sunscreen in cosmetics and other skin care products, according to one analyst. Procter & Gamble already rolled out this year its Olay Touch of Sun Daily UV Facial Moisturizer, the company’s first mass skin-care product that contains self-tanning, sun protection and moisturizing benefits.

“Trends in skin care continue to be driven by heightened awareness of UV radiation and [its] negative effects on the skin. In turn, manufacturers are responding to growing consumer demand for UV protection in products other than sunscreen,” notes Frank Feiler, general manager, Personal Care Materials at Engelhard Corp.

Euromonitor senior research analyst Virginia Lee says the cross-over will help drive value growth for sun care instead. “The addition of sunscreen to non-sun-protection products has not hurt sales as consumer still prefer to use a stand-alone sunscreen for use on the body and for prolonged outdoor exposure to the sun,” Lee adds.

Euromonitor projects the US sun care market as a whole to grow 8.5% from 2005 and 2010. Sun protection products are expected to grow 4% to $855 million by 2010, while the self-tanning sector is projected to reach $378 million at a rate of 21%. The after-sun products category is expected to decline 5% to $21 million from 2005 to 2010.

Worldwide, the sun protection category was estimated at $4.4 billion in 2005, up 7% from 2004. The retail value of the North American sun protection market was placed around $884 million.

Blazing new ingredients for sun protection

HOT ON the trail of rising sun-care products demand is increased introduction of new ingredients and technology. Innovation in the sun care market has strengthened as personal care manufacturers take advantage of growing consumer preference for value-added sun care products and increased demand for UV protection in cosmetics.

“The need and desire for sun protection isn’t going away. Consumers will become even more vigilant about unprotected sun exposure and will continue to demand more innovation from formulators and ingredient suppliers,” says Deirdre Crowley, market manager at Rohm and Haas Personal Care.

Rohm and Haas says its new technology, SunSpheres SPF Boosters, enables higher SPF levels using lower levels of UV actives. “We saw good activity in 2005 for our SunSpheres products for sunscreens, makeup and skin care products,” adds Crowley.

Engelhard is offering on the high-end market its Smartvector UV CE, a delivery system that is activated by sun exposure. “Smartvector is capable of encapsulating anti-free-radical compounds such as vitamin E and D, releasing them upon exposure to UVA or UVB radiation and delivering protection when it is most needed,” says Freiler.

Croda is touting Optisol, a photostable UV absorber manufactured by its partner, Oxonica. Optisol, which generates up to 95% fewer free radicals, can be formulated to anti-aging products and cosmetics.

Aquea Scientific Corp. recently launched its Aquea SPF delivery system, which can incorporate sunscreen actives to cleansing products such as face wash, body wash, shampoo or conditioning products.

By: Doris de Guzman
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