Colombia’s toiletries, fragrance and cosmetics (HPPC) market has many strands for analysis that enable understanding of the success or failure of its categories. The evolution of a very buoyant market that’s eager to consume HPPC products should also be noted.
The following market advances, new products and misconceptions stand out:
1) The Colombian mass HPPC products industries decided to review all their concepts to make them more competitive with the premium products. One of the first measures taken was to change the packaging to gold or silver cartons, while maintaining the prices. This made consumers a little confused: they could not clearly identify by appearance this change as good quality products.
2) The “La Niña” ocean-atmosphere phenomenon resulted in an 18-month-long and humid winter in the region, diminishing the categories of depilation and sunscreen products to vanishing point in 2011. The sunscreen category bounced back in 2012, with a 12.6% growth.
3) Consumption of tooth brushes was fostered by a strong awareness campaign in the Colombian media that sought to explain the need to get new tooth brushes frequently. Colombians did so, and a sales increase was seen.
4) Higher volume products were placed on the market in 2011/2012, but these did not represent an increase in value. This was the case with shampoos: they had increased consumption, but at a low cost per liter. This strategy was common to local manufacturers competing with the multinational players operating in the country.
5) Thanks to innovations in Colombia’s HPPC sector, the industries are revolutionizing and bringing out new products such as tinted sunscreen instead of foundation, antiaging sunscreen instead of simple antiaging cream and hair modulating cream instead of mere conditioner, among others. This could be a threat to some already existing categories. This being so, companies should make sure to use the correct strategy, investing in research and development proving consumer perception of the advantages and disadvantages presented.
Trends and opportunities
Makeup, skin care products and sunscreen.
The male market is gaining prominence as more value is placed on taking care of one’s appearance, mainly by younger men. There’s an investment (marketing, advertising and training) in this audience, an audience that has great potential for consumption. That said, Colombia’s male market is in need of innovations and launches as it has a lot of growth space and a lot of potential.
One focus is on adolescents. In addition to having an open mind regarding consumption and innovation in HPPC items, they are the future consumers who will be won over by brands, soon to start using HPPC products for specific problems, such as acne and greasy skin. The challenge in this segment of the population is increasing frequency of use and repurchase. Developing multipurpose products and those for shaving are great opportunities for this audience.
Another important group that deserves highlighting in Colombia is the singletons. They consume the most and take the most care of themselves. The opportunity here lies in products to soothe the skin post-shaving, sunscreen and specialized products. Men aged over 45 are also coming to take more care of their appearance, buying antiaging creams with no fear of censure from their friends. This consumption is increasing and breaking down barriers in the search for a better quality of life and increasingly more specialized products.
Source: III Caderno de Tendências 2014-2015 da ABIHPEC / III Book of Trends 2014-2015, ABIHPEC
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