Post COVID-19: The Impacts and The Opportunities in the Personal Care Industry

The need to research and buy skincare, hair care and cosmetic products has built a community of people, especially millennials, who are choosing to become stylists to cater to the needs of the people looking for reviews, suggestions and tips. Be it beauty influencers who give glowing skin tips or professionals who flaunt their services online and offline, the beauty industry has created numerous employment opportunities for people.

As the outbreak of the deadliest virus COVID-19 has brought the industry to a standstill, this blog will brief you about how the industry is impacted and how it is dealing with it. There are some of the key trends that are going to affect how brand managers design their digital marketing strategies post COVID-19.

With the introduction of new sustainable skincare, hair care and cosmetic products, beauty and beauty products have changed the definition of the industry. According to a report, the beauty industry of India is going to clock the revenue of 20 billion dollars by 2025 with 15-20% of annual growth.
Indians have become more aware of beauty products and treatments today than ever before. The Indian consumers are regularly developing techniques and recipes to make their skin glow. The beauty industry is no more limited to females, as the males have started to accept and use grooming techniques to look handsome and stylish. The beauty products are no more restricted to being used on special occasions, as the people want to keep and maintain naturally growing skin.

According to the statistics, the market for personal care and beauty products in India was aimed to grow at a rate of 16% during 2015-2020, but with the outspread of the virus, the graph has noticed a major change. As one of the best advertising agencies in Gurgaon, we researched the impacts and the opportunities in the personal care industry as the COVID-19 has affected the beauty industry:

Impact of COVID-19 in Personal Care Industry
Due to the growing concerns of rapidly spreading of the disease, the dynamics of almost every industry has been affected. One of the industries is the skincare and hair care service industry. Impact of COVID-19 has brought an unprecedented challenge to keep up their businesses. As most of the governments across the world have announced lockdown, all public places were asked to shut down which has further impacted the local businesses of makeup artists and hairstylists.

1. Haircare: All the salons have been shut due to the fear of widespread exposure to the virus. Before the closure, salons noticed an increase in appointments. Large-scale productions like haircare product factories or beauty factories that put hundreds of people in close contact daily have largely been shut down, which has further disrupted the supply chain and decreased sales.
2. Skincare: India imports cosmetic products, beauty products and raw materials such as essential oils worth $172 Million in 2019 . The supply chain of products from Germany, UK, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Israel and the USA have majorly been impacted as the countries have closed down its international borders to curb the spread of COVID-19.
3. Spa Industry: Due to the pandemic, all spa and massage parlours around the countries were asked to keep their businesses closed as these places could be potential hotspots for the transfer of the disease as it involves direct contact with the public.

The cosmetics and personal care manufacturers are reporting high supply chain disruptions. Over 17,600 products which include skincare ranges, hair care products and cosmetics could be affected by the spread of the virus. The industry has also witnessed the postponements of major beauty shows like Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, which showcases perfumery, cosmetics and packaging and Esxence, Milan’s artistic perfumer show.

With all the places shut, people are spending time in their homes. Therefore, online sales are expected to see a major bloom which will also mark the future of online fashion and beauty.

Opportunities and Trends in Personal Care Industry
The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the dynamics of import and export of the beauty industry. Therefore, we are noticing some of the trends that the beauty industry is following to deal with the pandemic:

• Beauty at Home is the New Norm: As the closure of salons and parlours has created disruption in the beauty industry, the consumers are looking for natural and organic beauty treatments. The beauty brands can exploit this opportunity to renovate their online offerings, to offer e-consultation services and invest in right technology such as chatbots and augmented or virtual reality as more consumers seek beauty advice from the comfort of their home. Consult some of the top online advertising agencies in India.
  Online beauty brands like Nykaa which offers products that meet the needs and also comes within all kinds of budgets. It also offers people with an option to try the products within their mobile application only to gauge whether cosmetics suit their complexion or not.
  Brands can also interact with customers on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and share DIY tips to maintain their glowing skin and hair. In order to keep their name alive in their market, they could engage live sessions with well-known celebrity artists through an online medium. Hire the top social media agencies which can understand your TG and help develop the best social media optimisation strategies to engage with the customers.
• Online and Virtual Events: Beauty brands could engage with the audience through online and virtual events. Online websites like Nykaa have come up with a unique way of connecting with their shoppers. The brand is also taking orders for personal hygiene, hand sanitizers, sanitary napkins, and more, albeit with longer delivery timelines than usual. Consult the best influencer marketing agency in Gurgaon for tapping the millennials of the country during the online virtual events.
• Rise of Protective Personal Care: Due to country-wide lockdown, there has been a massive shift in consumer behaviour with regards to purchasing cosmetic and toiletries products. Brands like Johnsons and Khadi Essential are witnessing an increase in demand for protective personal care products. Consumers are also buying products that represent utmost need and showcase evidence of advocacy and safety of humankind. Advertise your protective range of personal care products with the facebook ads agency in India.
• Rise in Skincare Products: With all the spas and salons closed due to the outbreak, there is a rise in the demand of skin and hair care products as the customers are using and adopting simple beauty hacks made at houses.
• Touchless Format Packaging: With growing concerns of hygiene, cleanliness and immunity among consumers and their anxiety, the prevention of germs and other contaminants is driving the demand for safety products with high integrity. The brands can gain consumers’ confidence by employing touchless formats such as stick and spray setup and mentor them with tips and tricks to cleanse cosmetic products. Tap your target audience with the help of top digital advertising agencies in India.

Conclusion
As the consumer buying trends are changing, big beauty brands will be witnessing a rise in organic beauty products. Along with that online beauty brands will also flourish, COVID-19 will bring a revolution in the beauty market with brands facing more pressure to convey safety and longevity. Brand managers also need to look for new content marketing techniques that will have a focus on a healthy and organic future.

You can get in touch with The Marcom Avenue as it is known as one of the top performance marketing agencies and offers the best and customized marketing growth ideas for your brand.