Tracking purchases in US department stores, the NPD Group has uncovered a growing trend for prestige nail and lip products. While beauty in general has grown, high-end nail and lip cosmetics have performed especially strongly in department store sales this year, with expectations that the holiday season will see further growth.
"Makeup was not always the ‘go to’ gift, but with the recent multi-effect trends in the lip and nail segments, it will be one of the hot items this holiday season," said Karen Grant, vice president and senior global industry analyst at The NPD Group.
In the US lip products have seen 9% growth in 2012, with sales of $548 million this year (January-November 2012). Lip color saw a big boost this year, with sales growing by 11%.
Top 3 Best-Selling Prestige Lip Colors, January-November 2012
1. Mac Lipstick
2. Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge
3. Lauder Pure Color Lipstick
Source: The NPD Group / BeautyTrends
Nail products (including color enamel, base/top coats, and nail care) make up a smaller market segment but have grown impressively, generating $33 million this year by November, and posting 49% growth in dollar sales, compared to November 2011. In particular, color varnish sales grew by a whopping 51% in 2012.
Top 3 Best-Selling Prestige Color Enamels, January-November 2012
1. Chanel Le Vernis Nail Enamel
2. Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer
3. Dior Rouge Vernis Nail Lacquer
Source: The NPD Group / BeautyTrends
"The consumer has found new ways to express herself in beauty through an assortment of nail colors with unique finishes and textures — from gel and caviar to velvet and sequin nails. Innovative textures and ˜hybrids’ are showing up in lips as well, creating a whole new breed of lip colors. We expect these novel canvases to sparkle as a unique gift from a stocking stuffer to a year round ˜gift-to-self,’" added Grant.