IQVIA Consumer Health data from pharmacy shows a market dominated by 10 key areas, with the top three areas – hair care, body care and anti-aging – accounting for almost 45% of the entire dermocosmetics market. Download the whitepaper to read further brand and country analysis of the dermocosmetics market.

Dermocosmetics Insights - Purchasing Behaviour

The elephant in the room for brand managers of cosmetics and other skincare products – including dermocosmetics - is the rise of the online influencer. Across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms, wellness and beauty influencers have become an increasingly popular source of information, tips, and recommendations. In the dermocosmetics space they have some influence as well, with 46% of respondents saying that they were very likely or likely to buy a dermocosmetics product if it had been endorsed by their favourite social media influencer and 40% of respondents purchased a dermo-cosmetic product after seeing a social media influencer use and recommend it.

Our survey did highlight stark differences between countries when it came to the sway social media held over dermocosmetic purchasing decisions. In China, 65% of people had purchased a dermocosmetic product after a social media influencer recommendation, and 84% are likely to buy a dermocosmetic product if it were to be endorsed by their favourite social media influencer. This is most likely to take place on Tik Tok, with 68% of buyers in China using this particular social media platform to search for information on dermocosmetic products. By contrast, German buyers are not as easily swayed by social media influencers, with only 21% having made a purchase after seeing a recommendation on their platform of choice, with 59% of dermocosmetics buyers in Germany not using social media at all to search for information on products.

HCPs Most Powerful Influencers in the Dermocosmetics Market

Despite social media and social media influencers grabbing the headline, when it came down to the who had the most influence over our respondents dermocosmetic purchasing decisions, 78% said that they valued a recommendation by a HCP the most, compared to just 6% saying social media influencers. This trend was consistent across all countries surveyed, with recommendations from HCPs being particularly valued in Spain.

An IQVIA Channel Dynamics survey in Germany found the pharmacists felt that skin products were the trickiest category to provide advice for, highlighting the need for manufacturers to ensure that engagement and education programmes for pharmacists and other HCPs are delivered clearly and efficiently over the right platforms at the right times.

Scientific Proof of Efficacy is Key in Consumer Healthcare

In terms of the products themselves, 56% of respondents chose scientific proof of efficacy as having a high impact when choosing to buy a dermocosmetics and 54% again pointing out that recommendation from an HCP had a high impact on their decision.

In countries such as Brazil, France, Spain and the US, recommendations from HCPs have the highest impact on dermocosmetics purchasing decisions. In comparison, in Germany, the UK, and Turkey, having scientific proof on clinical efficiency has greater impact. In Russia it’s very different – it’s a race to the bottom where price trumps everything else.

Innovation and dermocosmetics?

Innovation has always been the key growth driver in the broader consumer health universe, but as IQVIA Consumer Health data shows, line extensions are still the preferred method of choice for companies looking to expand. Looking at IQVIA Consumer Health Elements of Growth data over the past 3 years for some of the world’s leading dermocosmetic companies, line extensions account for a great deal of the growth achieved by the best performing firms. However, the lack of ground-breaking innovation in dermocosmetics could be a symptom of the need to produce the scientific and medical evidence for claims that really elevate a product above standard ‘everyday’ skin care products.

As outlined in IQVIA Consumer Health’s Accelerating Consumer Health Innovation whitepaper, new research methodologies and technologies are now enabling the development of new types of evidence in a very consumer-centric fashion. As a result, it is feasible to support products with new claims deriving from consumer usage, claims which speak directly to the consumer experience, and to develop marketing claims with relatively simple real-world-data studies in a retrospective way, bringing the voice of the consumers directly into product claim messages and doing it quickly.

Bayer Consumer Health and IQVIA Consumer Health took just four months to generate the claims needed to successfully position the Bepanthen nappy care brand (Bepanthen Ointment, a 5% dexpanthenol-containing preparation) in Thailand as a product for everyday use to address nappy-related concerns and aid overall nappy care. Read more about this here.

Innovate to make your brands fit people’s lifestyles better. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to consumers when it comes to products that represent their lifestyles and our survey showed that over 75% of respondents are willing to pay 10% or more than the usual price for dermocosmetics with strong sustainability credentials, while 87% of respondents said that whether a product had organic/natural ingredients would have a moderate to high impact on their purchasing decision.

Download “Under the Skin – Dermocosmetics 2022” for more Dermocosmetics Insights

On the rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the dermocosmetics space is one where opportunity lives by taking a holistic approach to brand and innovation strategy. There are five key aspects to monitor as the dermocosmetics market evolves. The full whitepaper, Under the Skin - Dermocosmetics 2022, is currently available on this page to download for free, giving you the dermocosmetics insights you need – Grab your copy!

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