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Will packaging soon be just a bad memory in the cosmetics sector? Everything leads us to believe so, given the proliferation of initiatives in the industry and the enthusiasm of consumers for bulk and charging. In any case, the segment has been booming since the beginning of the year, much more than the overall selective beauty market, according to the latest report presented by The NPD Group.
Say goodbye to waste!
The return of solid cosmetics has allowed bulk to become obvious in the beauty industry to deal with the problem of plastic waste, but this new use is also available in liquid format with the refill, which is is slowly but surely taking root in consumers’ purchasing habits and behaviors. According to figures published by The NPD Groupsales of refills and refillable selective beauty products increased by 50% between January and October 2022 in France, demonstrating the public’s desire to move quickly to zero waste bathrooms.
“The performance achieved by refills and refillable products in the selective beauty market bodes very well, not only for brands and distributors, but also for the environment. Consumers being more and more sensitive to sustainable development issues and aware of the influence they exert, there is logically an increase in sales of rechargeable selective beauty products.“, explains Mathilde Lion, European Beauty Expert at The NPD Group.
The refillable perfume: a real success
While hygiene products and skin care are gradually adopting the refill format, like The Body Shop, which has worked to deploy it in all its stores, or Mustela, L’Occitane and Yves Rocher which now offer some of their products as refills, it is the refillable perfumes that stand out to gain a foothold in the hearts of consumers.
If refilling in perfumery is developing all over the world, France is ahead of this new practice. According to The NPD Group, refills and rechargeable products represent 8% of sales in this category in France, compared to 6% in Europe, and 3% in North America. Refillable perfume bottles are particularly attractive with sales up 56% year-to-date in October 2022, and represent no less than 6% of the perfume market. A giant leap driven in particular by the success of the market’s flagship fragrances in refills.
Mascara, foundation… refillable products are booming
More surprisingly, refills and refillable products are also booming in the makeup category. Mascara, foundation, and even eye shadow are now available, although still very rare, in a rechargeable version. Sales jumped 122% over the first ten months of the year compared to the same period a year earlier, testifying to the interest in this new use. Although they still only represent 2% of the global high-end make-up market, refills and refillable make-up products could take advantage of this momentum to develop at breakneck speed.
Skincare is not to be outdone with sales of refills up 46% between January and the end of October 2022. However, today it only represents 1% of total sales of high-end skincare products. “The superior performance of refills compared to refillable products on skincare confirms the ability of skincare products to retain consumers through refills”points out The NPD Group.