By Fflur Roberts, 18-08-2016+,Senatus, Luxury Society

There is much discussion about what a slowing economy in China means for the luxury industry. Euromonitor highlights the latest numbers and what it means for the industry.

Over the past decade, China and moreover the Chinese have led the world in luxury shopping. As a By 2015 China offered more luxury retail selling space than Japan and was fast catching up on the US, and the Chinese accounted for over a third of all global luxury spending.

According to Euromonitor International’s latest travel data, the Chinese made almost 3 million trips to the US in 2015, an increase of almost 8% on 2014 and a massive 206% increase in the last five years since 2010. During the same year they made 2 million trips to France, 5 million trips to Japan and 285 thousand trips to the UK.

Overview of the Economy

However in 2014 and 2015, mainland China posted its lowest growth in sales of luxury goods since our records began (a real decline of -3% and +1% respectively). Therefore, Beijing faces some serious challenges. The government wants to change strategy by reducing its reliance on debt-fuelled investment in construction and heavy industry and boosting consumption.

Individuals aged 45-49 are the largest group amongst top earners

Although individuals aged 30-34 commanded the highest average gross income in 2015, the age segment 45-49 represented the largest proportion amongst Chinese in the top income band (ie individuals with an annual gross income over US$150,000) in the same year. By 2030, the age group 40-44 will have become the most prominent amongst the country’s top income earners, representing opportunities for luxury services and high-end family orientated goods (especially given the relaxation of China’s one-child policy).

Between 2015 and 2030, China is expected to add in excess of 3.4 million additional individuals to this wealthy population, making it the fifth largest market in the world in terms of HNWI’s.

Income gap is expected to remain wide over the long term

One of the main determinants of income inequality in the country is the condition of urban/rural households, which also affects migrant individuals working in the city, but whose household registration (or “hukou”) is in a rural area.

Luxury brands need to re-think their growth strategies

The impact of a weakening economy is unlikely to stop wealthy Chinese consumers from travelling to buy their luxury goods, but it might change their destination of choice as well as total in-destination spend.

China’s grey luxury goods market

The main players in the grey market are professional shoppers, known in Chinese as daigou, who travel abroad to buy luxury goods in bulk (in effect, by filling their suitcases). They return home to sell their wares either directly or online, and it has developed into a business worth billions of US dollars.

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LF Beauty: meeting Asian consumers' needs has 'never been more challenging'

By Lucy Whitehouse +, 13-Jul-2016, cosmeticsdesign-asia

The president of LF Beauty, a third party manufacturer and supplier, has spoken of the challenges and opportunities being posed for beauty by the Asia market.

The article outlines that it has never been more challenging, while there have never been more opportunities for brands to satisfy the customers’ needs. According to Raymond “Asian beauty is now setting the pace for the world”. China’s customers have a rising demand for K-beauty products, whereby Korean brands face the challenge of acting with insider knowledge of the Chinese market.

Indeed, the Korean International Trade Association found out that Korean companies accounted for 22.1% of China’s imported cosmetics in 2015, closing the gap with the French who have a market share of 30.6%. During the first seven months of the year, China’s imports of cosmetics products rose 36.1% to $1.67 billion.

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Luxe Pack Monaco will feature a new focus on digital luxury

By Simon Pitman+, cosmeticsdesign-europe, 06-Jul-2016

This year’s Luxe Pack Monaco event will feature a combination of highlighted show features from previous years, complete with a new focus on how to connect luxury through digital mediums.

Connect to Luxury (C2L) is the name of the showcase for the 2016 event, which will take place on September 21st at the Grimaldi Forum in the center of Monaco. Specialized on conferences and exhibitions, the three-day event emphasizes on digital transformation, the latest creative approaches and the promotion of luxury products, including fragrances and cosmetics.

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Melanin synthesis discovery prompts hope of new cosmetics applications

By Simon Pitman+, cosmeticsdesign-europe, 07-Jul-2016

New research that has deciphered the formation process for melanin could lead to further development of its use in a number of applications, including cosmetics.

The article points out that melanin is well-known for falling into the categories: Anti-ageing, skin conditioning and tinting.
However, through advanced biotechnology, researchers found the secret enzyme tryosinase, a core trigger in the synthesis process, which has an important impact on the development of cosmetics, medicine and environmental technology.

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What is halal skin care and makeup, and what are the trends?

By Lucy Whitehouse +, cosmeticsdesign-europe, 06-Jul-2016

Halal is becoming big business for the beauty industry globally, and particularly in Asia: a central focus for this week’s in-cosmetics Korea event, we take a closer look at the trend.

Kunal Mahajan, project manager of Chemicals & Energy at Kline - top management consulting firm serving the Chemicals industry globally – explains in the article that “halal” can not only be associated with food and beverages, but that its denomination is equally appropriate for pharmaceuticals, personal care, skincare and hair care products.

But what makes a product halal and why does “halal” become a trend in cosmetics?
Mahajan outlines the answers in detail in his article: The key contributors to this trend is economics and the changing consumer lifestyle.

According to Mahajan, top growth regions for halal products will be the Middle East and Asia, particularly South Asia and Southeast Asia.

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Ethnic skin care: the way forward or outmoded concept?
By DSM Nutritional Products, Ltd 16-Jun-2016, CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com

Whilst the power of beautiful skin is undeniably universal, skin care needs vary widely from person to person. Men’s skin is not the same as women’s; younger skin has different needs than older skin. Skin may be dry or oily. And skin – the largest organ in the body – differs in another way: it comes in a beautiful range of tones which are visible links to our genetic and ethnic heritage.

So what are the broader influences behind consumer choices when it comes to skin care products?

Skin: an evolving story
In many regions of the world – China being a case in point – the population is still fairly homogeneous and people may have quite specific skin care needs based on cultural as well as biological factors. DSM Consumer Insight researchers who went to that country found that definitions of beauty in China often differ widely from those cited in many Western countries. They also found that Chinese women had different anti-aging skin care priorities, tending to be less worried about wrinkles than about loss of skin elasticity, enlarged pores and uneven tone.

For manufacturers of skin care products this presents both challenges and opportunities.
A DSM Insights team that conducted a field study in Los Angeles and New York among mothers, daughters, aunts and friends obtained a myriad of rich insights into their notions regarding ethnicity and skin care. Many interviewees declared their opposition to the idea of categorizing people by ethnic group, believing that this simply isn't consistent with people's views of the world today, or their view of themselves.

The take-away message from consumer insights is therefore that the need for multifunctional skin actives which work equally well for all skin tones and types is set to grow.
In their study DSM investigated the global applicability of a peptide ingredient amongst three different ethnicities (Caucasian, Asian and African), whereby they discovered new cosmetic properties.

• Multifunctional anti-ager for all skin tones
• Visible reduction of the signs of aging and shiny skin
• Improved skin smoothness and appearance resulting in younger-looking skin

The peptide therefore has applications as a global anti-aging cream and serum, and as a skin beauty maximizer mask. It is China-listed.

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