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Vanity Market - Over Indulgence
Highlights
Vanity Market - Over Indulgence, he age old dressing tables would flaunt only few cosmetics and a lot of space. The Indian Retail market had grown leaps and bounds over the last three decades. T
Ponds Cold Cream, Emami Vanishing Cream, Keo Karpin Hair Oil..Rings a bell? Well, these were the beauty secrets of our mothers and the grandmother who swore by the magical results of one cream that erased the dryness and a single brand of oil that nourished the hair. The age old dressing tables would flaunt only few cosmetics and a lot of space. The Indian Retail market had grown leaps and bounds over the last three decades. The rise of the nineties practically saw a new revolution in the beauty market. Health and Wellness stores, Beauty Boutiques and Departmental Stores – all are bombarded with humungous range of products for skin, hair, face, nails; one names it and there is confusion galore with ten products lined for the consumer to choose.
The new revolution of Vanity Fair started off in the late nineties to early 2000 when outlets such as Health & Glow opened up in the select metros. The scope to divulge into the Indian Market was clearly well deciphered by the foreign brands that wanted to cash on the potential that was existent; not to forget the added benefits to the men and women consumers with such limited options in the confines of Indian manufacturing. Unilever, the biggest retail giant back then was primarily a capitalist player when it came to the beauty products for the women of middle class section. The in house market leader catered to the beauty and wellness segment at affordable cost to those who could not invest in ‘firang’ brand from Paris.
However, the rise of job evolution thanks to multinational investments and outsourced businesses saw a rise of earning capacity among young men and women. More money to spend, the ladies were not hesitant to shell those extra bucks for a better brand with a foreign tag attached to it. The willingness to experiment has seemingly crept in the minds of the present generation and hence, the growing beauty market with countless options saw a perfect timing to penetrate the stagnant scenario.
The trend that started off with more and more imported cosmetics and beauty products getting launched in the Country has slowly started to become an overdose. Too many brands, too much speculation and the fear of being left out – all these have become symptomatic of individuals who are working, independent and raring to go. The breakthrough chemical formula, newly advanced research and unknown fruit extracts have replaced the good old reliable products that stood the test of time. The fast moving consumer segments of fairness creams, sun blocks, shampoos, conditioners, hair colours, hair serums etc., now have a whole rack for each to categorize between various brands. Imagine the plight of the user.
While the players are many and the consumers are ready to test and try, organic segment has taken the existing market by storm in its own way. With a sizeable group of end consumers who count only on natural products, this so called herbal market has also bombarded the retail domain with countless brands coming in –Lotus, Biotique and 27/7 are few major brands that are dominating the rest on the shelf. While the benefits are clearly listed and found to be mostly common, the purity of the product is still unknown. However, they seem to work on the users, with some of them also becoming loyal to the select products.
With an impulsive surge of branding and variety, are the consumers not confused. “I have used four to five brands of shampoos and conditioners over the last three years and I am willing to try on more. After all, I have seen some yield benefits and some, not so rewarding with results” says a young employee of Public Relations in the City who is willing to experiment against all the odds.
“The hair colours in the market have improved over years. More effective hair serums have also come in to manage the typical Indian frizzy hair. I would like to try some herbal ones with walnut extracts” shares a housewife who sees a great benefit in the new revolution.
But what about the conflict between various fairness and day creams with same compositions? – “The fairness creams are passé. Now, it’s all about SPF in the day creams; BB and CC creams now rule the customers. I am personally loyal to Garnier BB Cream’ blushes a student from Fashion Technology.
Interestingly, even the TV and Media has contributed immensely to this vanity mayhem. With more and more film celebrities endorsing the shampoos, creams, sunscreens and hair serums, the consumers go ga- go when their favourites represent a certain brand. Hence the same would be tried against all the odds. Fake graphics, artificial hair and makeup used to enrich the product are still accepted and welcomed by the end consumers who feel that buying the best is the ‘in thing’, whether or not there would be benefits. Both men and women want to try, feel and present the most metro sexual themselves in the society.
Over all, the Vanity Market has rightly seized the opportunity to exploit the cosmetic frame of mind prevalent. How far one would go to test the emerging brands and confused compositions lies completely in the hands of individuals who directly contribute to the retail beauty business in the Country and the World.
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