Sun Care in Lithuania

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Changing attitudes to the sun and the importance of sun care support sales growth

In the past, the use of sun care products in Lithuania was limited mainly to special occasions when consumers expected to be exposed to the sun. For instance, sun protection products would be applied only when spending time in nature or sunbathing at the beach, and even then, the application of these products was often sparing, except when being applied to children.

The focus in sun care shifts towards more natural products

Traditionally, sun protection products have been based on chemicals that block UV rays, with the concentration of these chemicals and their subsequent effect measured on the SPF scale. These active chemical ingredients have typically been zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

L’Oréal maintains its leading position in sun care as premium brands proliferate

At the end of the review period, L’Oréal remained the leading player in sun care in Lithuania due to the very strong position of its leading brand Garnier Ambre Solaire. In addition to representing an attractive combination of high quality and affordable prices, the brand is constantly releasing innovative new products in the category.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of sun care are now expected to decline by 15% in 2020 in 2019 constant value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares very unfavourably to the expected 4% rise forecast for 2020 during research conducted at the end of 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

Affected products within sun care

With aftersun and self-tanning widely regarded as non-essential products, these categories are expected to have experienced the strongest sales declines in sun care due to COVID-19. The more essential the status of the category, the less severe declines, which meant that baby and child-specific sun care is expected to have generated the least severe sales declines in sun care during 2020 as most consumers prioritise protecting their children’s skin, which is known to be more sensitive generally, including to the sun’s rays.

Recovery and opportunities

Although COVID-19 is expected to have put a huge dent in sales of all types of sun care products over the course of 2020, once the situation has returned to normal in Lithuania, the category is affected to begin returning solid positive sales growth figures once again. With Lithuania’s climate becoming warmer in general and with summers in particular becoming longer and hotter, demand for sun protection is set to continue climbing as the many people among the Lithuanian population with fair complexions can be expected to pay more attention to protecting their pale skin from sun damage.

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