Health and beauty dominate new launches

The top ten product launches in 2004, which appear in the table at the foot of this page, included seven cosmetic and personal care products, with the remaining three being healthcare products, according to a report from Information Resources Inc (IRI). An over the counter version of popular heartburn reliever Prilosec proved by far and away the most popular launch, cornering sales of $239 million. However, the nation's obsession with attaining the perfect white smile helped to push sales of Proctor & Gamble's Crest Whitstrips Premium teeth whitening strips to $95 million. An aggressive advertising campaign from Crest also saw achieve two other teeth whitening products in the top ten - Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste and Crest Night Effects teeth whitening strips. The three product launches enabled Crest to corner total sales of $199 million, a significant achievement. Although over the counter teeth whitening products are a relatively new phenomenon - being first introduced under the Crest Whitestrips brand name on the US market in 2000 - it has risen rapidly to become a $500 million industry. As Crest was first off the block, it has built up an early reputation to become the leading player on the market, building on its now recognised brand image to launch a full range of product line. And with the company's newest launches having such a good reception, growth is expected to continue apace in the coming year. The market for anti-ageing products is currently inundated with new launches. Formulators are claiming to have achieved new and more advanced anti-aging ingredients on an almost daily basis. But that does not mean to say that consumer interest is tiering. The top ten launches also include two anti-aging products: L'Oreal Dermo Expertise facial care, which achieved $51 million in sales; and Olay Regenerist anti-aging creams which cornered sales of $42 million. Both products are based on new, more advanced formulas that claim to have greater efficacy. The success of these launches also proves that growth in the skin care market is continuing at a strong pace. Euromonitor currently estimates the global skin care market to be worth $38.3 billion and, at 6.7 per cent annual growth, it also earmarks the category as having one of the fastest growth rates of any in the cosmetics and personal care industry. One name has dominated the razors sector in recent years: Gillette. But the success of two launches from Schick could cause change. Schick launched a four blade men's razor - Quattro - together with Intuition - a three blade razor with built-in skin conditioning dispenser aimed at the women's market. Netting a joint $109 million, Schick has proved that market-leader Gillette has competition in this traditionally one-sided market. 2004 New Product Pacesetters: Top 10 Non-Food Brands Dollar Sales Across Food, Drug, Mass Channels (Excluding Wal-Mart) (Mil $) 1 Prilosec OTC heartburn reliever $239 2 Crest Whitestrips Premium teeth whitening strips $95 3 Schick Intuition women's razors/blades $55 4 Schick Quattro men's razors/blades $54 5 Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste $54 6 L'Oréal Dermo Expertise facial care $51 7 Crest Night Effects teeth whitening strips $49 8 Mucinex cough/congestion reliever $42 9 Olay Regenerist anti-aging creams/moisturizers $42 10 Tylenol 8 Hour pain relief $38 Source: IRI InfoScan® Reviews