Body skin care has been the fastest-growing sector of the overall skin care category, per Circana, driven by body spray sales, which have grown in the triple digits in the first half of 2024. Double-digit growth has also been seen for body creams, lotions and cleaners. Per Circana, consumer spending on prestige body products increased by 25%. And there are 17% more buyers in this market than there were last year. What's going on?
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Body skin care has been the fastest-growing sector of the overall skin care category, per Circana, driven by body spray sales, which have grown in the triple digits in the first half of 2024. Double-digit growth has also been seen for body creams, lotions and cleaners. Per Circana, consumer spending on prestige body products increased by 25%. And there are 17% more buyers in this market than there were last year. What's going on?
- Read more from this series: 2024’s Fastest-growing Makeup Categories: New Innovation Opportunities
Behind the Body Skin Care Boom: Sprays, Creams, Lotions & Cleansers
Prestige skin care dollar sales increased by 7% in the first half of 2024, per Circana, leading growth in units sold. Body skin care led the category's growth, in part by coopting ingredients and claims associated with facial skin care. Here’s what’s happening in the category and how brands can tap into the growth.
Body Sprays: from Acne to Intimate Hydration
Clarifying claims are increasingly common in the body spray sector.
Nécessaire’s The Body Acne Solution, a quick-drying spray-on serum that targets body breakouts.Nécessaire
In a similar vein, Murad’s Clarifying Body Spray with Salicylic Acid features 0.5% salicylic acid to combat and suppress breakouts, glycolic acid for exfoliation and enhanced delivery of salicylic acid, and allantoin and blue lotus extract to soothe and minimize the appearance of redness caused by breakouts.
Taking a different approach to sprays, Luna Daily’s The Everywhere Spray-To-Wipe cleansing spray is pH-balanced and can be applied to intimate areas as well as irritated and hormonally changing skin. Key ingredients include microbiome rebalancing prebiotic lactic acid and inulin, vitamins C, E, and F to support skin regeneration and the barrier, as well as omega 3 and 6 to support the skin’s water barrier.
Meanwhile, you cannot talk about body sprays without acknowledging a parallel development in the fragrance sector. Per Circana, fragrance body mists and sprays, which feature average prices under $25, more than doubled in sales revenue since the first half of 2023. This trend has continued over the last year-plus, driven by Gen Z.
As with skin care body sprays, fragrance body sprays benefit from a value proposition. Presumably, brands that can merge the benefits of fragrance and skin care can tap into both trends simultaneously, offering a convincing value proposition to Gen Z shoppers.
Putting insights into action, contract manufacturer Cohere Beauty has developed a number of body skin care concepts, including the weightless, light-catching CocoGlow Body Mist. The spray soothes the skin while moisturizing and leaving behind a subtle light-catching sparkle. Key ingredients include saccharide isomerate, a natural plant-sugar-derived humectant that provides long-lasting hydration, and nutrient- and mineral-rich coconut water for hydration.
Body Creams, Lotions & Beyond: Focus on Hydration
Body creams, lotions and other body skin care formats are similarly addressing the wellness of the skin.
Kiehl's new lightweight Ultra Body Mega Moisture Squalane Cream for sensitive skin features squalane and ectoin to reinforce and strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier function.Kiehl's
Glossier’s Crème de You body butter, on the other hand, features softening and conditioning shea butter, jojoba oil for silky smooth feel, and is scented with the brand’s signature You fragrance, comprising notes of pink pepper, iris, ambrette and DSM-Firmenich’s Ambrox.
Elsewhere, Fenty Skin’s lightweight Butta Drop Hydrating Body Milk offers an ultra-smooth skin feel, per the brand. Key ingredients include skin-replenishing Kalahari melon, baobab and coconut oils, softening and conditioning shea, mango and cocoa butters, vitamin C-rich Barbados cherry (acerola) extract, and antioxidant vitamin E.
Hydration isn’t all these products are targeting. For instance, skin care innovator The Ordinary has entered the body skin care game with the Salicylic Acid 0.5% Body Serum and Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion. The exfoliating serum is designed to prevent acne blemishes while smoothing the skin’s texture. The lightweight emulsion, meanwhile, is designed to reduce the appearance of dark spots and even skin tone.
Among Cohere Beauty’s body skin care concepts is the lightweight CeraGlow Radiance Serum for the face and body, which reportedly provides instant and long-term radiance and luminosity, while nourishing and brightening the skin. Key ingredients include Evodia rutaecarpa fruit extract, derived from traditional Chinese medicine, to even skin tone, brighten and illuminate, as well as a ceramide complex for improved elasticity and firmness, and black cumin (Nigella sativa) seed oil for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity that can help to diminish the appearance of fine lines and fade dark spots.
Meanwhile, Cohere Beauty’s AcaiGlow Body Oil provides a subtle shimmer to the skin and nourishes the skin with tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, a “super-penetrating” version vitamin C that is reportedly 50 times more effective than ascorbic acid. The antioxidant brightens the complexion, reduces dark spots and improves collagen production, per Cohere. The formulation also includes antioxidant-rich acai fruit oil to prevent free radical damage and moisturize the skin.
Body Cleansers Lean Into Multifunctionality
Some body cleansers keep it simple. For instance, Drunk Elephant’s exfoliating Scrubbi Bamboes Body Cleanser is designed to soften and hydrate the skin while imparting a vanilla scent. Key ingredients include skin-smoothing Vanilla palnifolia extract, exfoliating bamboo powder and a blend of mild surfactants that won’t strip or dry the skin, per the brand.
Isle of Paradise’s Brilliantly Bright Body Cleansing Wash with Vitamin C & Niacinamide delivers brightening for a flowing effect, as well as smoothed texture and even tone.Isle of Paradise/Facebook
Elsewhere, Isle of Paradise’s Brilliantly Bright Body Cleansing Wash with Vitamin C & Niacinamide delivers brightening for a flowing effect, as well as smoothed texture and even tone. The formulation’s hyaluronic acid, meanwhile, hydrates for plumped, healthy-looking skin, per the brand.
Notably, some cleansers in the category are solids. For instance, Hanni’s soap-free Cocoon Cleanse Solid Body Serum Cleanser with Shea Butter features antiseptic gardenia to combat bacteria, shea butter for hydration and a fermented sugarcane enzyme for deodorant activity.
The Keys to Body Skin Care Innovation
To tap into the growth in body skin care sales, brands will be best served by:
- Incorporating facial skin care ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C
- Tapping into claims such as anti-acne, anti-aging/longevity, etc.
- Delivering sensory experiences, whether via a signature scent, sparkling effects, or even warming/cooling sensations
- Focusing on value: whether via pricepoint or proven efficacy, shoppers are in a choosy mood
