Kids Personal Care & Beauty Market

In this second instalment of our Kids series, we will be taking a look at the growing kids’ personal care & beauty market…

Young people wearing make-up has long been a subject of debate, from one perspective seen as a harmless form of play (role play) and self-expression; and from another, the pressure to grow-up all too quickly with an emphasis on achieving a ‘perfect and flawless’ look. But whichever viewpoint you take on this subject, the kids’ personal care and beauty market has not only seen growth over the last decade or so, but also a shift in focus, reflecting the changing wants, needs, desires and demands of the younger generation. So, to explore and immerse ourselves in this category, we’ve put together a roundup of some products aimed at kids, preteens and teens that look to facilitate self-expression and creativity, tackle some of the challenges of growing up or appeal to discerning parents – welcome to the world of kids personal care and beauty.

Premium skincare for babies & young children…

Adult premium skincare has been driving the growth of the baby premium skincare sector as an increasing number of parents seek out more luxurious skincare offerings for their little ones as well as themselves. The last few years has seen more prestige beauty brands such as Aurelia Probiotic Skincare (Little Aurelia) and Chantecaille (Bébé) entering this space with luxury versions of baby shampoos, body washes, body and face creams; tying into the ‘clean beauty’ and ‘organic beauty’ trends through the use of natural, organic and non-toxic ingredients. While this is still a relatively niche market due to the high price point of products (Little Aurelia Sleep Time Cream – £26.00 RRP), we expect to see interest in this sector continue to grow over the coming years; notable amongst Millennial parents who grew up alongside the wellness movement, with many opting for ‘quality over quantity’ where it comes to purchases for their kids.   

Image credit: Harrods

The Little Aurelia Woodland Friends Gift Set from Aurelia Skincare features the full range of Little Aurelia skincare products, including a limited edition ‘Sleep Time Tales’ book (Gift Set £150 RRP). The range is designed for babies and young children and uses gentle botanical ingredients combined with soothing essential oils to calm and settle little ones at bath time and before bed. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare’s founder Claire was inspired to create this range of luxury skincare for young children after the birth of her son Henry in 2014, stating “I wanted to create a range of enchanting BioOrganic skincare products to support little ones’ wellbeing”.

High-performance skincare for pre-teens                                                 

Skincare for teenage skin is tricky business; aside from the challenges of treating specific skin types (combination, oily, sensitive, normal), other factors such as hormones, diet, smoking, stress and anxiety are also at play and have a massive impact on the health and appearance of skin. We have seen an increase of skincare products that aim to help tackle some of the key challenges of teenage skin, from spots and acne to large pores and blackheads; and help to establish good and sustainable skincare regimes that can be carried on into later life.

Image Credit: Very  

Nip + Fab are an innovative, results-driven beauty brand, providing targeted and effective treatments. Their Teen Skin Fix: Salicylic Acid range is designed for oily, combination and blemish-prone skin and includes serums, facial scrubs, cleanser gels, tonics, face mask and day/night pads. It works by exfoliating, soothing and purifying skin by unclogging congested pores with Salicylic Acid, cited by dermatologist and industry experts as the ‘must-have ingredient to tackle spot-prone skin’. 

Reframing makeup as a medium for self-expression…

Whilst the notion of ‘kids’ wearing makeup can be somewhat controversial, we have seen great efforts over the past decade in reframing what this means; pushing away from ideals of achieving a particular (flawless) look or focus on ‘enhancement’, to makeup as a medium for fun, self-expression, experimentation and creativity. Whist most established makeup brands don’t market to under 16, and in fact, most UK schools have a makeup ban; there are still many independently run ‘makeup and beauty workshops’ for young people, usually targeted at 12-18-year-olds, not to mention the growing popularity of ‘beauty parties’ with specially tailored beauty treatments and ‘how to’s’. While banning makeup for young teens isn’t necessarily the answer, encouraging a healthy relationship with it is essential; new products and brands aiming to grab the attention of Gen Z need to position themselves as ‘facilitators’ for self-expression and creativity and align themselves to positive role models in the media.

Image credit: Crayola Beauty, ASOS makeup collection for eyes, lips & cheeks

The well-known and loved stationery brand Crayola launched their own makeup line on ASOS – “celebrating the brand’s unmistakable spirit of self-expression and personal creativity” – with a bold and colourful 58-piece collection of makeup featuring 95 vivid shades designed to work across eyes, lips and cheeks. The product packaging has a wonderful retro feel to it, appealing to an older as well as younger audience. The playful colour palette, packaging and marketing carries a fun and light-hearted message of self-expression and creative exploration – “Crayola is ideal for those of you looking to express your individuality, experiment with colours and textures… With ultra-creamy, highly pigmented colours, as well as metallic and matte finishes, you can colour outside of the lines”.

Natural & organic oral care for kids

It’s of no real surprise that the trend for all-natural and organic kids’ personal care products has filtered through to the oral care sector; driven party by parental concern over ‘toxic ingredients’, the demand for brands that are ecologically and socially responsible, and partly by the increased awareness and autonomy of young people over the personal care products they consume. In fact, the natural toothpaste sector for kids has exploded over the past few years with a combination of new and niche brands, as well as the established big-players creating products that aim to strike a balance between natural ingredients, efficacy and sensory aspects (taste, smell, mouthfeel).

Image credit: The Humble Co.

Sweden-based ‘The Humble Co.’ develops health and wellness products that are eco-friendly and socially responsible; their aim is to create products that are good for both people and the planet, using natural ingredients within their formulations and eco-friendly manufacturing, packaging and disposal of the product for the lowest possible environmental footprint. What’s more, every purchase goes towards funding projects for children in need, distributing oral care products through their Humble Smile Foundation. Their kids’ range features natural toothpaste; mouthwash that helps ‘heal wounds, relieves a dry mouth, reduces oral inflammation, strengthens the oral immune support, prevents plaque-causing bacteria’; and toothbrushes made from 100% biodegradable, sustainably-grown bamboo.

Teen boys’ beauty sector… a future opportunity space?

Still in its infancy, the male cosmetics market has seen some big beauty and fashion brands, such as Tom Ford & Chanel add a number of makeup products to their men’s ranges over the past few years; with concealers, foundations and brow pencils sitting alongside beard oils, facial washes and moisturisers. Instagram and YouTube have put a spotlight on male beauty through the likes of makeup artist and internet personality James Charles, who launched his first makeup tutorial on YouTube when he was just 16 and became the first male spokesmodel for makeup brand CoverGirl at the age of 17. Whist these wonderfully bold and expressive looks aren’t mainstream, we are seeing both big and small beauty brands alike aiming to create a wider appeal of male cosmetics for everyday use.

Image credit: James Charles

Brands such as MMUK Man and War Paint For Men are taking this market by storm; creating cosmetics aimed at the everyday man to address a range of areas from concealing problematic skin and brightening & smoothing for natural enhancement, through to creating subtle definition around features such as the eyes. Many of the key messages are focused around building confidence; acknowledging the relationship between skin appearance and confidence is an issue for men as well as women.

Image credit: ASOS

Their efforts don’t just stop at the product but also address the wider social and cultural context through their advertising campaigns aimed at breaking down stereotypes and normalising makeup for men. War Paint’s ethos is to “Break the stigma that makeup is solely for women. We’re about making men feel comfortable to shout about wearing makeup. Our goal is to break down male makeup misconceptions… Our purpose is to make it the accepted norm that men wear makeup, helping them to feel confident in their skin while giving them that confidence boost lots of men need.”

Image credit: War Paint For Men

We’ll be keeping one eye on this small but growing sector over the next few years to see how brands will increasingly turn to the ‘expressive and experimental’ Gen Z cohort, to help grow opportunities and shift perceptions of this market from ‘niche and novel’ to more mainstream.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you uncover consumer insights and opportunities in your market, please contact us.