Beauty Industry Consumer Market Report 2020: How to market to Singapore consumers amidst a pandemic

Like most industries globally, the beauty industry in Singapore was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. First-quarter sales were hit hard as physical retail stores shut their doors during Circuit Breaker and Phase 1.

However, according to a survey conducted by Milieu Insight released in May 2020, 44% of respondents in Singapore stated that they were spending the same amount on skincare products during the pandemic. In addition, an infographic by The Benchmarking Company showed that 69% of consumers are buying more beauty products online than ever.

This shows that there are still ways in which beauty and personal care brands in the industry can recover from their losses, starting with how they market themselves to Singapore consumers, especially with the help of a beauty industry consumer market report.

Use a cosmetic industry consumer market report to understand beauty consumers in Singapore

To understand beauty consumers in Singapore better, Daily Vanity has been conducting a large-scale beauty industry consumer market survey annually – this being the sixth year we’ve run this study.

The study was conducted online in April 2020, and a total of 2,303 women and men based in Singapore took part in this research process. This sample size provides a 95% confidence interval with a 2.107% margin of error, which means it is statistically significant. Throughout the article, we’ll be comparing 2020’s data with that of 2019’s, where we had 1,685 respondents.

This is possibly one of the largest studies around that dives deep into consumer behaviour in Singapore’s beauty market. It provides an insight into what really affects beauty consumers’ purchasing decisions in Singapore.

The good news? We’re giving away an aggregated beauty consumer report for free. Read till the end of the article to find out how you can receive a copy.

Insights from beauty industry consumer market report: The most used and purchased beauty products

Makeup

If you market skincare or makeup products, you’ll probably want to know which were the most used and purchased products over the past year. Since we’ve started wearing face masks in recent months, consumers have started to use and purchase more eye makeup products.

They were largely focused on perfecting their brows, with eyebrow pencils (1,444 respondents), eyebrow powder (591 respondents), and eyebrow gels (372 respondents) being the most used and purchased brow products. 391 of our participants had existing eyebrow embroidery done, while 541 individuals did not use brow products at all.

Apart from full brows, a feline flick was also crucial to their look. Liquid eyeliner (1,244 respondents), pencil eyeliner (587 respondents), and gel eyeliner (513 respondents) were among the most used and purchased eyeliner products. 82 participants had eyeliner embroidery done, while 653 respondents did not use eyeliner.

Products for eyelashes were also in demand, as consumers used and purchased volumising mascaras (1,043 participants), lengthening mascaras (875 participants), and curling mascaras (656 participants). 505 participants preferred eyelash extensions, while 641 participants did not use lash products.

Skincare

Skincare is intrinsically linked to self-care, which is much-needed in a time of pandemic. This is why some consumers are spending just as much on skincare products now as they did before the pandemic hit.

In their morning routines, our respondents enjoyed using toners (70.86%), sunscreens (60.05%), serums (53.15%), foam cleansers (50.24%), and essences (38.69%). At night, they opted for toners (71.04%), serums (58.01%), sheet masks (53.15%), foam cleansers (51.67%), and cream moisturisers (43.77%). As you can see, toners are deemed essential in most skincare routines.

Haircare & bodycare

When it comes to haircare, shampoos (98.65%) and conditioners (86.8%) are the most used and purchased products – no surprises there. But what’s interesting is that hair oils (41.64%), hairdryers (41.34%), and hair masks (35.21%) have seen an uptick in purchase too.

For bodycare products, it also comes as no surprise that shower gels (78.55%) and body lotions (48.24%) are ranked the highest. This is followed by shavers (46.68%), body scrubs (46.29%), and shower foams (37.26%), which occupy the third, fourth, and fifth spot on our list.

If you want to find out the exact number of participants who used base makeup, eyeshadow, and lip products, sign up for our free beauty consumer report at the end of the article.

Insights from beauty industry consumer market report: The most common skin types & beauty concerns

Knowing the most common skin types and concerns women in Singapore have is crucial in helping you craft a more relatable marketing message that addresses the main issues of your consumers.

According to our 2020 survey, the most common skin type indicated by women and men in Singapore is combination/oily skin (37.86%), followed by combination/dry skin (18.93%), sensitive/combination skin (14.76%), normal skin (8.47%), and sensitive/oily skin (6.38%).

As for their top skin concerns, 68.13% of respondents said that blackheads and whiteheads affect them. This percentage has increased from 67.0% of respondents from our 2019 survey, which was also the top skin concern. Other common concerns include dark eye circles (53.1% in 2020, 58.3% in 2019), acne/pimples (49.07%), visible pores, (48.11% in 2020, 52.9% in 2019), and acne scars (45.59% in 2020, 41.86% in 2019).

When it comes to their top hair concerns, 36.56% of respondents stated that they struggle with dry, damaged hair. This is followed by hair loss (35.78% in 2020, 43.47% in 2019), frizzy hair (27.18% in 2020, 33.37% in 2019), oily scalp (23.84% in 2020, 36.46% in 2019), and limp/flat hair (20.67%).

The top body concerns shown in the beauty industry consumer market report may surprise you. The top body concern in 2020 is targeted body fats around the limbs, thighs, arms, and tummy (46.81%). Other common concerns include dark armpits (40.51%), dry skin (38.51%), sensitive skin (35.21%), and overall body fat (32.48%).

In our free aggregated report, you’ll also be able to break the data down according to age group. This is particularly interesting as the concerns of women and men in different age groups can differ quite noticeably. Besides this, you’ll also be able to see the full ranking of skin, hair, and body concerns indicated by respondents, which will be useful to market your products if they address specific issues.

Insights from beauty industry consumer market report: The skincare, makeup, & haircare brands consumers trust the most

According to Cosmetics Design Asia, the executive vice president of the L’Oreal Group (APAC) recently stressed on the importance of brand trust. This is because consumers are likely to fall back on dependable brands in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it comes to skincare brands, consumers in Singapore favour Korean brands. Just like in 2019, Innisfree and Laneige take up the first two spots for the most trusted skincare brands. In third place, we have Cetaphil, which occupied the fifth spot on our 2019 list. It has since taken over Kiehl’s in the third spot.

Meanwhile, consumers in Singapore prefer Western brands when it comes to makeup. Benefit Cosmetics made it to the top of the ranking, as they climbed from second place last year to the top spot. The two other brands that are in the top three list include MAC Cosmetics and Innisfree.

For haircare, consumers in Singapore chose Dove as their top trusted haircare brand. Dove was previously not among the top three brands in 2019. This is followed by L’Oreal Paris and L’Oreal Professionnel.

In the free report, you’ll be able to see a longer list of rankings for skincare, makeup, as well as haircare brands in Singapore. The data is also further broken down to show you the Korean, Japanese, and drugstore brands that are most trusted by consumers in Singapore.

If your brand is in the ranking, the free report can show you how much your ranking changed from last year, which may give you an indication of how effective your branding campaigns have worked so far. All of the information can be filtered into different age groups, genders, ethnicities, and even job specialisations for a more accurate representation of your brand’s target audience.

Stay tuned, because we’ll be breaking down the top 10 trusted skincare, haircare, and makeup brands in Singapore as voted by consumers in an upcoming article!

Insights from beauty industry consumer market report: The labels that matter most to beauty consumers

Labels allow consumers to quickly identify suitable products that align with their skin type, concerns, and morals, which is why they’re so important in the beauty industry. These labels will also help to guide your brand on how to formulate and market your products.

‘Dermatologist-tested’ (70.91%), ‘paraben-free’ (57.53%), and ‘tested on sensitive skin’ (57.1%) are the top three labels that mattered to our respondents, according to this beauty industry consumer market report. These are followed by ‘cruelty-free/no animal testing’ (53.45%), and ‘hypoallergenic’ (52.97%).

Often associated with natural beauty, ‘clean beauty’ is a label that has trended in recent years. Clean beauty products are said to contain non-toxic ingredients and have transparent labels that disclose all ingredients to their consumers. However, the ‘clean beauty’ label only mattered to 28.05% of our respondents.

In the free report, you’ll be able to see the full ranking of the labels that respondents voted for in the study, as well as the percentage that voted for each label.

Insights from beauty industry consumer market report: How influencers impact the beauty industry

Influencers hold the power to drive the beauty industry, with some using that opportunity to collaborate with beauty brands on numerous events and campaigns. But how much do our consumers trust influencers when it comes to purchasing a beauty product?

According to the Daily Vanity Beauty Consumer Behaviour Survey, consumers in Singapore trust their own friends and family most, followed by reviews on websites, reviews in online stores, and online beauty magazines. Influencers come in at number five for credible and trusted sources for beauty reviews, tips, and news.

In our customised paid report, you will also be able to filter down and view the top trusted Singapore-based influencers. If you’re deciding where to put your marketing budget in, knowing which platforms and channels consumers in Singapore trust the most can help you make a wiser decision.

On top of that, you can also find out if and where consumers search for reviews before purchasing a beauty product or service in Singapore. A large majority head to search engines like Google and Yahoo to view top-ranking reviews for both beauty products and services.

Get a free or paid report for deep insights into consumer behaviour in Singapore

We are happy to send you a free or paid report to allow you to study the results of the survey. Here are a few interesting insights you can derive from our report:

• More details into consumers’ purchasing behaviour in Singapore
• Rankings of most trusted beauty brands across different categories
• Which channels consumers find most credible and can influence their purchasing decision
• Beauty products with the highest growth potential among different categories
• How men research for their grooming needs
• How to prioritise your marketing channels based on consumers’ perceived credibility of these channels

Not sure which beauty industry consumer market report to sign up for? To help you make a better decision, here are the key differences between our free and paid reports:

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