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10 April 2007
Ho Chi Minh City
To maintain or enhance their looks, two thirds of the world’s consumers focus on taking care of their hair - in conjunction with a daily skincare regime and regular facial treatment – and if money were no object, they would continue to care for their hair, but would spend more on body massages and teeth-whitening, according to a study just released by The Nielsen Company.
In a recently released Global Consumer Report on Personal Grooming Nielsen surveyed 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East about their attitudes to personal grooming, what and how often they invested in beauty products and treatments, and what they would spend, and on what, if money were no object.
“According to the world’s consumers, having a bad hair day is simply not an option when it comes to looking ones best. Sixty-four percent of consumers invest in daily, weekly or monthly hair care, compared to just over half (53%) of those who follow a similar skincare regime,” said Bienvenido Niles, President, The Nielsen Company, Asia Pacific.“When broken down by gender, however, nearly three quarters of women considered a regular skin care regime to be as important as regular hair care when it comes to looking well-groomed.”
People in Asia Pacific, China, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in particular, make an effort to enhance their appearance daily, weekly or monthly through Hair Care (66%), Skin Care (57%), Facial Treatment (40%) and a host of other applications such as Body Massages, Skin Whitening and Teeth Whitening, compare to their counterparts in the North America, Europe and Latin America.
“Consumers around the world are becoming more sophisticated, which is reflected in their attitude to personal grooming, making personal care an increasingly competitive sector for manufacturers,” added Mr Niles. “In particular, Hair and Skin Care is considered very important for all, generating huge market potential for manufacturers. According to Nielsen Media, manufacturers of hair care and skin care products spent more than US$6billion on advertising in Asia Pacific in 2005-6, representing a 12 to 15 percent increase year on year.”
In Vietnam...
When it comes to looking good, Vietnamese certainly know what they are talking about! As anyone can see, fashion is very well represented here and one will be amazed when looking at the beautiful hair flying in the back of well-dressed ladies riding their motorbikes around the city! And what about having nails painted with the most sophisticated and precise designs at the corner of a busy street?
To maintain or enhance their looks, Vietnamese make daily, weekly or monthly efforts and investment through manicure/pedicure (79%), Hair Care (70%), Facial Treatment (67%) and Skin Care (58%). 65% of the women surveyed and 44% of men also acknowledge the fact that they spend more than before on beauty treatments, which is illustrated by the growth of beauty and personal care products in the recent years.
But it’s not about ladies only: 87% of the men surveyed agreed that they are now more interested in personal grooming than they used to be and 61% reckon it’s perfectly OK for men to spend time and money enhancing their appearance. The rapid appearance of male-specific versions of products previously perceived as “women’s” (ie. Facial care), as well as men-only stores or shelf space, shows that Vietnam mirrors global trends. 81% claim the pressure to look good these days is much greater than it was during their parents’ generation and 81% logically claim they buy health and beauty products. Personal grooming in urban Vietnam has long passed the “basic” stage when products were used simply for their key functional features: the relationship between using personal care products is now becoming more personal, more emotional for both men and women:
-84% agree they invest in personal grooming because it makes them feel better about themselves
-81% agree they invest in personal grooming because they want to look good for their partner
-75% agree they invest in personal grooming because they want to attract a partner
These numbers are much higher than global averages (respectively 62%, 56% and 42%)
As we know, shopping in supermarkets in Vietnam is often seen as an occasion to browse for new items at once, taking the time to look around and choose from a wide array of products: supermarkets are also a first choice one-stop shop when it gets to buying health and beauty products, overtaking specialty stores which were traditionally the place where people would go to. This preference for supermarkets sends a message that it is becoming increasingly important to distribute beauty and personal care products in supermarkets in order to meet the needs of beauty savvy consumers. It is interesting to notice that department stores only reach the 4th position (maybe seen as too intimidating or pricey for a number of consumers).
Vietnam is entering a brand name battle where products will have to fight hard to gain a share of consumers’ minds. Brand awareness, especially for women, is now key to marketing health and beauty products, but consumers are still very much price conscious when it comes to spending on products often perceived as “luxuries” and pamper themselves, especially for men who see price as the number one factor when they are buying such products.
When Money Is No Object…
When it came to what consumers would spend more on if money were not object, the sexes were in agreement that body massages would be the ultimate indulgence for over half (54%), and particularly for over three quarters (76%) of South Africans, 73 percent of Austrians, 71 percent of Czechs, Hungarians and Chileans…and 60 percent of women and 30-somethings.
Beyond body massages, women were more likely to opt for a facial treatment (57%) and more hair care (55%). Men, on the other hand, opted for teeth whitening as their second most aspired-to indulgence (46%), ahead of hair care (40%).
While not a beauty treatment many people claimed to indulge in regularly except in China, where 38 percent claimed to do it daily, teeth whitening was particularly popular – if money were no object – for around two thirds of Chileans, South Africans and South Koreans….and more than half the teens and those in their 20s.
Hair care is the third most aspired-to personal care regime for the world’s consumers, especially the Thais (70s), Brazilians (67%) and people in the UAE (65%) if money were no object.
In Asia Pacific, around half of respondents would spend more on Skin Care, Facial Treatments, Body Massages, Teeth Whitening and Hair Care if money were no object.
“Skin whitening is a particularly popular beauty treatment in Asia, where traditionally, darker skins have been associated with people who work outdoors, and lighter skins are considered more sophisticated and urbane,” Mr Niles added.
Across Asia, China, home to the region’s the most populated nation, has 30 percent of people who claimed to use skin whitening products either daily or weekly, followed by 20 percent of people in Taiwan, and 18 percent of Japanese and Hong Kongers. However, if money were no object, 52 percent of Koreans would lighten their skin, followed by a third in Taiwan, 28 percent in the Philippines, a further 26 percent in China and 23 percent in Hong Kong.
“At the other end of the scale, three quarters of consumers never bother with tanning (spray, lotion or sunbed), and approximately two thirds don’t currently bother with eyebrow or eyelash tinting, exfoliation/scrubs, teeth whitening or body massages – all of which presents a challenge and an opportunity to the manufacturers and retailers of beauty products as they fine-tune their marketing and ranging efforts in different cultures and regions,” Mr Niles advised.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
46 Markets Covered:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czechs Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, US and Vietnam.
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