Beauty, pride in oneself and personal grooming are important to Brazilian ladies. For instance, hair coloring and care, skin care, frequent manicures and almost weekly nail polishes are very typical of the female population. Even the hygiene routine stands out: research indicates Brazilians bathe on average three times a day.
The last 15 years have seen the toiletries, fragrance and cosmetics (HPPC) sector grow steadily in Brazil, taking Brazil to its current third place in the world ranking for cosmetics consumption, right up there with the US and Japan. In addition, Brazil is predicted to overtake Japan by 2020, becoming the world’s second greatest HPPC market.
The research piece titled More Feminine – The Beauty of the Brazilian Woman, published in Exame.com in July 2012 and carried out by Data Popular, found that 5 out of 10 Brazilian women currently purchase and are now more loyal to brands than in the past, with 35.3% having no strong feelings about this sector and 12.7% feeling brands are not very important.
The research piece further states that even though female consumers are not the only people to carry out purchases, they are the ones with a greater say in how money is spent in this sector. For example, 93.2% of those buying products for males are women. When it comes to decisions, priority is given to quality, with 63.7% of Brazilian women caring more about the product than its price, 18.5% seeking out quality, 14.3% prioritizing price over quality and 3.5% considering price only.
Turning to frequent purchasers of beauty products, 7 out of 10 buy them at least twice a month, representing an index of 37.1%. This is followed by those purchasing these products at least once a month, at 26.9%, and three to five times a month: 23.7%. Those purchasing beauty products over five times a month total 9.2% and those who do not make these purchases monthly equal 3.1%.
Loyalty is another fundamental characteristic of female Brazilian consumers. Perfume and deodorant (60.6%), facial cleansing products (52.3%), hair dye (51.7%) and sun screen (50.3%) are the products that are more purchased taking the brand into account.
Brazil’s New Class C and its Consumer Habits
Brazil’s new class C, also known as the new middle class, is a large and ever-growing segment of the population. Beauty is important to the self-esteem of women in this class, who like to make the most of themselves.
Class C is demanding when it comes to the products they consume and knows it can’t make a mistake in purchasing, as there’s no second chance to purchase something else. They seek multipurpose products, acquiring those known as “X in 1”, with this versatility an alternative way to maintain beauty standards without breaking the bank.
IBOPE Media’s Target Group Index data says companies’ interest in producing “X in 1” products is a result of the 17% growth in cosmetics consumption by Class C women that has been seen over the last decade.
Consumption and the Luxury Market
Assintecal’s Fórum de Inspirações 2014 / Inspirations Forum 2014 book showed that with the world crisis, luxury conglomerates are investing less in Europe and the US and instead more in other areas, such as Brazil.
The luxury market is in full expansion for the first time, backed largely by increased purchasing power, the enlarged 60-plus population and Brazilians learning to consume brand names.
But obtaining success in this segment means understanding that the Brazilian consumer is different to those seen in more mature markets. The US and European audience is more interested in ideas connected to heritage, to questions of history, or art, while the Brazilian one is more concerned with glitz and prestige.
Source: III Book of Trends 2014–2015, Abihpec (Brazilian Association of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Industry)