School vending machines to boost pre-teen make-up sales?

Spurred by magazines, young girls, now use cosmetic more than ever,
shows a new Mintel research. Further to this analysts believe that
plans to place teen cosmetic brands in school vending machines may
push sales even more.

Interviewing almost 6 000 young people in the UK, Mintel, one of the leading British consumer research companies, found that girls as young as seven are using make-up regularly. The survey also revealed that by the time they are 14, nearly all girls are regular cosmetics users.

According to Mintel the youth market is an important one for manufacturers of grooming products not only because the total number of teenagers is expected to rise.

"Young consumers are interested in experimenting with products and start to establish habits they are likely to continue as they grow older,"​ the company's report states.

Among girls aged seven to 10, four in five wear nail varnish, two in three use lipstick, more than two in five wear eyeshadow or eyeliner, almost a quarter wear mascara and three in five spray on perfume, the research says.

By the time they reach 14, around nine in 10 regularly use make-up. The study found that about three quarters of 11-14-year-old girls wear eyeshadow and apply mascara, four of five wear lipstick or lip gloss, one of two wear blusher, more than a quarter use hair colourants, one in five use a self-tanning product and almost three in five girls use perfume. Almost all the teenagers questioned said they use deodorants.

The number of girls in the 11-14 age group who use lipstick or lip gloss on a daily basis has more than doubled in two years, says the report.

"Their interest in these products is fuelled by teen magazines and by swapping ideas with their peer group and, of course, watching what their mothers use,"​ said Claire Hatcher, Mintel's report author, adding that many girls, trying to emulate celebrities start throwing their pocket money at cosmetics.

The reports says that magazines aimed at young children are quite focused on appearance, which evidently has a significant influence on teens. This may explain why the teens questioned agreed that they like keeping up with fashion and that it's important to be trendy, but they also said they are not particularly happy about the way they look.

In teenage magazines like Bliss for example, young girls who want to look more grown-up can find useful information on how to look "5 years older in 5 mins" and "all the fashion and beauty tips" they need to get noticed.

Mintel points out there are commercial opportunities that can drive sales further. As make-up is often an impulse purchase, the report says placing teen brands in unusual locations such as in vending machines in schools, cinemas and bowling alleys may persuade consumers to buy something they had not previously considered.

Related topics Market trends Color cosmetics

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