How Beauty Industry Is Adapting In The Mask Age?

Without a doubt, masks are important for everyone to wear, not only to protect themselves but the lives of others. The chances of people contracting the virus diminishes by 85% when both parties are properly wearing their masks. Although nothing will ever outweigh the benefits and safety the masks bring to communities, unfortunately, the beauty industry has been having a rough time dealing with its effects.

For example, in a study performed by Veeva, approximately 44% of women had said they no longer wear lipstick as it is seen as pointless when wearing a mask. From instances like this, the beauty industry is currently having to adapt and develop innovative products that’ll better cater to consumers’ new needs. Despite initial changes the field is having to make, what’s important to remember about the beauty industry in the age of COVID-19 is that people are still shopping.

How Is The Beauty Industry Responding To Coronavirus

There have been huge changes in the beauty industry since the start of the Coronavirus. Through the obstacles of consumers not buying products to changing mindsets of what they want regarding their skincare and makeup, it’s been a rollercoaster for the field to deal with. Fortunately, things have begun to ease as customers’ specific needs have become quite predictable and easily defined.

More than ever, consumers are favouring make up for the upper portion of their faces as well as organic and natural products. The pandemic in some ways has also started a trend towards a more sustainable life, meaning that people are now looking for “clean” makeup and skincare options without any artificial ingredients. In the next section, you’ll learn how brands are taking on new approaches to better cater to their consumers.

Marketing Strategies For Beauty Brands

When thinking of your own beauty brands marketing strategy, you’ll need to better understand what your customers are looking for in products, and cater to that. Consumer behaviour is changing, which could possibly mean your brand will need to make big changes, as well. Below are possible strategies your company should consider within its own marketing plan:

Local Ingredients: After a couple of questionnaires filled out by Europeans, results have shown that 48% of them are more likely to buy local products and 43% are prioritising the need to buy local. These facts are specifically important for the smaller beauty brands or startups and your company should be considering the use and promotion of local ingredients with the possibility of catering to high numbers of Europeans interested in these products. 

Clean Products: Hand-in-hand with localising products, your company should be considering shrinking down the number of ingredients in your products to only organic and natural ingredients. This also goes for the packaging of your products too as consumers are noticing how unnecessary the use of extensive packaging is and how it affects the environment. Sustainability is a key trend, especially among younger demographics.

Transparency: Consumers looking for brands to trust, especially amid the Coronavirus panic, so your company should be transparent with its audience to help build a stronger bond and loyal customer base. This means letting your audience know exactly what ingredients are in your products and answering any questions customers have about your inventory directly.

Listen To Consumers: Although your beauty brand may have just come out with a new lipstick line if customers are preferring face and eye makeup, that is the direction your business should head in. This could also mean launching a new hair product line as people are focusing on all things except the areas covered by their masks.

Influencer Marketing: It’s been recorded that 67% of beauty products have been purchased following the persuasion of an influencer. Instagram, the top platform consumers use to find products, lays out the perfect opportunity for your business to collaborate with influencers with a similar audience to extend your reach and make sales.

Incorporate New Products: Hand sanitizer now being a necessity for most when leaving the house means beauty brands are beginning to supply hygienic products into their inventory to better cater to consumer needs directly. Incorporating these new products whether they be masks, soaps or hand sanitizers will help persuade customers to purchase as it can be considered as something they need, rather than just a nice product to have.

Whether your brand decides to collaborate with an influencer, work on product ingredient changes, or build a new inventory, all options will help with generating a better ROI for future sales.

Beauty Brand Examples In Response to COVID-19

Marketing in a crisis can be difficult, but these beauty brands listened to their consumers and what was persuading them to buy, resulting in successful outcomes:

True Botanicals: Skincare brand True Botanicals made sure consumers know that its products were completely organic by incorporating it within its meta descriptions as well as adding keywords to its content. Along with all of its social media platforms, the brand mentioned that their ingredients are pure in its social media and eCommerce bios. Through these simple statements, customers will know right away what type of products the brand is using as well as showing transparency.

Sephora: Makeup company Sephora has taken to Instagram to work with influencers and celebrities to promote its products and new campaigns. In one of its latest campaigns, Sephora collaborated with makeup artist Mario to highlight their newest eyeshadow palette to come out, how it's made, along with reminding followers to wear a mask. This is a great example of marketing amid the virus as it promotes both audience safety and a product consumers are currently favoring.

Conclusion

Brands within the beauty industry have always had to evolve to stay relevant; whether it be in accordance with current events, changing consumer behaviour, or unforeseen issues. Sadly, society is currently having to deal with the effects of the Coronavirus, which again, has brought along huge changes for the industry. Luckily most changes are working and driving increased success, with sustainability in mind, organic products being created, and the use of social media platforms helping boost sales. In reference to your own company, COVID-19 can be one of the best times for your business to invent and sculpt itself to be the best version of what customers are looking for.