China’s beauty industry to embrace the fashion of hybridisation in 2014

As China begins its New Year, Mintel predicts that there will be one trend in beauty that will prevail – hybridisation, or as Mintel has coined it ‘Mixologiste’. Although Chinese consumers still largely favour a more natural approach to beauty, 71% believing that a good diet and enough sleep are important for keeping their faces in good condition, there is product innovation potential for beauty products that overlap the qualities of colour cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and haircare.

With the global success of BB creams in 2013, consumer demand in China is strong for multifunctional beauty products, with nearly half (46%) of make-up users claiming they are interested in products with multifunctionality (such as 2-in-1 eye-shadow and blusher). Showing the potential to expand this trend through to other categories, almost four in ten (37%) agree that they would like to try make-up products that incorporate skincare benefits. Jane Henderson, Global President of Mintel’s Beauty and Personal Care Division comments “The success of hybrids such as BB creams has inspired manufacturers to explore different ways through which they can bring categories together to create something exciting for consumers. Instead of cannibalising sales, these products are acting as ‘add on’ products and not simply replacement products.”

Much of this demand for multifunctional products is driven by their ease of use and cost-saving benefits, with a third (34%) of Chinese consumers claiming that purchasing a product with multiple functions is more economical than buying numerous products separately. Hybrid products are also a way to move consumers up the price ladder. More than four in ten (42%) Chinese consumers think it is worth paying more for specialised facial products such as whitening serum or concentrate that offer a higher effectiveness, and 40% would change their make-up brand in favour of one that offers additional functions such as whitening or UV protection.

For insights into the global impact of the ‘Mixologiste’ trend download the ‘Mixologiste’ thought-piece now.