It’s all about natural beauty for the Spanish

La búsqueda de naturalidad y el cuidado del hombre crecen en el sector del cuidado personal

A more natural look, especially among women, is currently a key trend in Spain. According to Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company, this is having an influence on personal care routines and what products are used. Kantar’s latest study on beauty, hygiene and personal care habits “Face of the Nation” was launched this week. The report reveals that 72% of Spanish women claim to use little make-up and prefer a more natural look, as opposed to 62% of women worldwide. Such results translate into a long-term decline of make-up, 13% per week, while facial moisturising products that help skin look healthy are added to the routine (+5% women worldwide).

There are many interpretations of naturalness and it varies according to age. The youngest group, from 17 to 24 years, associate a more natural look with a well-groomed, yet studied, look. They achieve this by using make-up products such as powders, concealers and foundations, in that order. On the other hand, there are older women, who prefer to wear no make-up on their face, showing their natural beauty. According to Verónica Valencia, an expert in personal care habits at Kantar and responsible for the report, “this search for a natural look means an opportunity for brands who can get there first and position themselves with the right offer.”

In Spain this concept of “natural” is associated more with image and less with products containing natural ingredients or their environmental impact. This trend has been able to coexist with other apparently opposing fashions, such as elaborate hairstyles and decorated nails. The number of people using professional manicure services for example, has grown by 4 percentage points in the last year.

The male opportunity

Another trend that is fast on the rise in the country is the growth of the men’s beauty and hygiene market. The number of Spanish men who say they are well informed of the latest trends and fashions in personal care is 34%, 10 points above the European average. The upshot is that men now make up 4 out of every 10 cases of weekly product use, half of which is from the 25 to 54 age bracket. “The challenge for categories growing in popularity among men is to speed up the way they are adopted as a standard routine because this represents a strong opportunity for growth,” adds Verónica Valencia.

At the purchase level, the industry has bounced back slightly in the past year, billing 1.3% higher than in 2018, but 14% less than ten years ago. However, retail traffic remains at a standstill. People continue to shop the same number of times, but each time they do so more sporadically, every 22 days (20 in 2011). Those that continue to grow are related to skin care, followed by make-up and hygiene products, “With a consumer more focused on taking care of themselves, where changes in their interests are having an impact on our habits, brands must adapt what they offer if they want to grow,” concludes Rosa Pilar López, head of the Beauty and Fashion consumer panel at Worldpanel Division, Kantar.

Notes to editors:

“Face of the Nation” is based on data from Worldpanel Usage Care panel, the only ongoing tracking for the use of health and beauty products, which collects data on 30 categories through an online journal. A representative sample of the Spanish population formed by 5,500 panelists, aged 11 to 74.