Seeking Sun Care from Non-sun Care Products

Michelle Strutton, director of global insight for household, health and personal care for Mintel, wrote a blog post titled “UV Protection in Beauty and Personal Care: A global perspective” that discusses how global consumers are seeking sun care in conjunction with other products—including hair care.

Noting that these summer months are a time of year when most people give the most thought to sun care, Strutton shares, “Mintel’s research shows that 74% of U.S. consumers are interested in anti-aging facial skin care products that contain sunscreen while over half avoid the sun to prevent signs of aging. In Europe, a similar picture is seen. Just under half of French consumers use sun protection to avoid skin aging while over two-thirds of Spanish consumers use or would consider using a facial moisturizer with sun protection. As a result, we have seen a vast increase in demand for facial skincare products containing UV protection.”

She goes on to write, “Don’t be fooled by the low 7% of global category launches in 2013 when it comes to hair care products offering UV protection, as it’s simply a case of supply not meeting demand. Consumers are showing an interest in hair care products that contain anti-aging ingredients, with 60% showing an interest across countries such as France, Germany and Italy.”

Offering a larger worldview as well, Strutton writes, “Mintel consumer and product research also highlights the differences in global appeal and how the use of traditional UV filters are combined with other ingredients to provide UV protection for hair care. Subcategory and regional analysis also helps define use of the claim in a category with significant potential for success in the future.”

She concludes by noting the potential sun care has in combining with other beauty categories. “The UV protection sector across the likes of facial skin care, color cosmetics and hair care is set to continue evolving on a global scale as consumer awareness of the damage caused by the sun increases,” Strutton writes.

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