Germany’s prestige beauty market, which currently rivals that of the UK, reached 3.1 billion euros, an increase of 0.7 per cent in 2018, according to The NPD Group, which recently added the country to its portfolio of beauty industry services. Brick and mortar retail sales were flat, whereas e-commerce experienced 7 per cent growth, representing 14 per cent of annual industry sales.
Fragrance and skincare categories both contributed to market gains in Germany, whilst makeup reported a slight downtrend. The skincare category grew its sales by 1.6 per cent making almost half of the industry’s total gains in the country. Fragrance followed with a 0.9 per cent increase in sales, and makeup closed the year down slightly (-0.5 per cent).
According to The NPD Group, the German prestige beauty market is very similar to that of the UK, despite some important differences in terms of consumer behaviour. For example, the fragrance category is still dominant in Germany while makeup represents a much smaller portion. Comparable to four out of five European countries tracked by The NPD Group, skincare is the category with the strongest growth in Germany.
With the addition of Germany to their portfolio The NPD Group is now able to deliver data and insights from eight of the world’s largest beauty markets, including France, U.K., Italy, Spain, U.S., Canada, Mexico, and, of course, Germany.
“With the launch of our Retail Tracking Service for beauty in Germany, clients and retail partners are now able to use our point-of-sale information to identify mutually beneficial growth opportunities and develop stronger collaborations in the process. The NPD Group’s data is quickly becoming the industry currency for all players in the market, as it is in the other countries we cover,” said Martine Ringwald, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Beauty and Luxury, The NPD Group.
“While there are many similarities, the beauty markets are, in fact, diverse across Europe. Today, manufacturers and retailers looking to expand or improve their positions in global markets need to react faster than ever to consumer demands and trends in order to stay ahead of the competition,” continued Ringwald.
