As I explore in our “Global Licensing Trends in Beauty and Personal Care” Global Briefing, Licensing is becoming an important factor across many categories. While fashion houses’ sales in the industry continue to grow, character franchises are driving licensing in baby and child-specific products as well as children’s oral care. As many celebrity properties struggle in fragrances globally, there could be further opportunities in emerging markets. Untapped categories, such as bath and shower, hair care and men’s grooming could potentially present good prospects for the licensing industry to expand.
Key findings
Main categories
Baby and child-specific products, fragrances, colour cosmetics and oral care are the most important beauty and personal care categories in terms of licensing.
Opportunities beyond established categories
Relatively untapped categories by licensing, including bath and shower, hair care and men’s grooming, could potentially present good opportunities to expand.
Baby and child-specific products: Licensing is driven by character properties targeting children
Asia Pacific is home to more than half of the world’s 0-14 year-olds, while lower birth rates and postponing motherhood bring both challenges and opportunities globally. As brands with natural/organic credentials gain popularity, there could be further prospects for increased collaborations between licensors and niche players. In total category, which includes overall sales of both licensed and non-licensed products, spend per child, Portugal, the UK, Switzerland and South Korea are the top markets.
Fragrances: Fashion and celebrity are the most predominant licensing types
Fashion licensing permits access to luxury within fragrances. Developing markets, offer better prospects for celebrity fragrances. They possess larger youth populations, and consumers have a stronger power distance, meaning that they are more likely to view celebrities in high regard.
Colour cosmetics: Fashion licensing increasing penetration
The category remains a far less explored option, with only a handful of fashion brands in the top 20 global colour cosmetics rankings. Foundation, lipstick and nail polish are the top three most receptive categories to licensing, according to Euromonitor International’s Beauty Survey 2015.
Oral care: Character licensing targets children’s products
In the Middle East and Africa, 0-14 years population is projected to increase by almost 148 million over 2015-2030, the fastest growth globally. Children’s oral care is a segment that the licensing industry could benefit from if more players actively pay greater attention to it. Licensees and licensors could utilise the category to be an educator and a catalyst for dental health improvement among children in nascent markets.