Super Premium Beauty and Personal Care in Sweden

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Enhanced sales continue from 2020 into 2021, with super premium colour cosmetics also rebounding into positive growth

Super premium beauty and personal care has seen enhanced sales in both 2020 (bar in the case of super premium colour cosmetics, the only sub-category in declines) and into 2021 (with all sub-categories seeing positive growth). This ongoing growth is driven by consumers’ reinforced interest in health, wellbeing and personal care, as well as brands’ investments into having an omnichannel presence.

Super premium beauty brands start to offer refill options for their products, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers

Super premium beauty brands in Sweden have started to offer refill options for the products. For example, lipsticks Rouge Hermès and Rouge Dior, which were launched in 2020, attract environmentally conscious consumers with wider range of colours available as refills in 2021.

Competition heats up as players increase their offerings to meet strong consumer demand

The year of 2020 was marked by an increased interest in skin care, which resulted in noticeable changes in the competitive environment in super premium beauty and personal care. Chanel preserved its leadership position in 2020, but was noticeably challenged by Clarins with a more extensive skin care portfolio.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Sustainability trend set to grow further and influence consumers’ purchasing decisions

Super premium beauty and personal care will maintain similarly-robust growth over the forecast period, as long as the leading brands successfully convey the values of sustainability and wellness. Swedish consumers are expected to prioritise the sustainability actions of producers, among which are recycled packaging, carbon offsetting, fair working conditions and sustainable transportation.

Scandinavian-inspired brands will become stronger, with some erosion of the borders between premium and super premium brands expected

Scandinavian-inspired and locally produced beauty and personal care products will enhance their appeal for local consumers, as well as for international tourists in Sweden, within the super-premium segment. Scandinavian skin care products are generally associated with strong commitments to minimalism and simplicity, in both ingredients and aesthetics, as well as vegan and cruelty-free ingredients.

E-commerce acceleration will continue, as players adapt their delivery services to meet consumer demands

Online shopping for super premium beauty has seen accelerated development during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic years. It is easy for consumers to shop online for the beauty products they already know and trust, and this has also been enhanced by the growing availability of international brands through online shops.