Health, Beauty & Personal Grooming:

a global Nielsen consumer report

March 2007

Contents
A global Nielsen consumer report on personal grooming, and the use of health and beauty products and treatments Twenty-somethings, Brazilians, Portuguese and Greeks the most dedicated to style Looking good? Is it for you, your partner, or to nd a new one? Metrosexuals its OK to invest in looking good A bad hair day is out of the question when it comes to looking good If money were no object, the ultimate indulgence: body massages, new hairdos and shiny white teeth! Skin lightening big business for China, Asia Supermarkets are the most popular channel for health and beauty products, followed by chemist/pharmacies/drugstores Price by far the biggest inuence on choice, followed by products promise and brand Mass market products just as good as premium, expensive alternatives Abbreviated countries About the survey 12 3 45 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12

A global Nielsen consumer report on personal grooming, and the use of health and beauty products and treatments
In a society seemingly obsessed with beautiful people and celebrity, where unrealistically thin models strut catwalks and airbrushed photographic images adorn billboards and magazine covers, over two thirds of consumers the world over agree the pressure to look good is much greater that it was in our parents day. But that doesnt mean consumers are prepared to spend more to enhance their appearance, or go out of their way to look stylish all the time, according to a recent Nielsen survey. The Nielsen Company surveyed 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacic, North America and the Middle East about their purchase of health and beauty products, where they bought them, what inuenced their purchase, and whether mass market produced hair, skin and cosmetic products were just as good as premium expensive alternatives. Nielsen also asked consumers about their personal grooming habits, whether they felt pressured to look good, what and how often they invested in beauty treatments, and what they would spend, and on what, if money were no object. Nearly four in ve (79%) of the worlds internet consumers claim to purchase health and beauty products, led by 93 percent of the Spanish. At the other end of the scale, however, three of the four Nordic countries topped the rankings for those that claim not to buy any health and beauty products, lead by 43 percent of Norwegians, 41 percent of Swedes and 40 percent of Danes.

The Nielsen survey found that globally, nearly three quarters of consumers agree the pressure to look good today is greater than it was in our parents day, lead by over four in ve Vietnamese (88%), French and Portuguese (85%). The pressure was particularly felt by more than three quarters of respondents in their late teens and early twenties. And while the pressure is being universally felt, over two thirds of respondents claimed not to spend much more than they used to on beauty products and treatments, lead by four in ve Finns, Canadians and Hungarians.

Teens and those in their 20s claimed to spend more than they used to on beauty products and treatments, while at the other end of the scale, the older you get, it seems, the less you spend. The Nielsen survey found that the older the respondent, the less interested they were in spending on products and treatments to enhance their appearance, or delay the ageing process.

Twenty-somethings, Brazilians, Portuguese and Greeks the most dedicated to style

While three quarters of consumers felt under pressure to look good, less than half said they tried to look stylish at all times. Women were evenly split on the topic, while 58 percent of those in the 21 24 age group were most likely to maintain their own standards of style. The older the respondent, the less inclined they were to try and look stylish all the time.

Around the world, 87 percent of Brazilians claimed to try to look stylish at all times, followed by the Portuguese (79%) and Greeks (76%). At the other end of the style scale, four in ve people in Hong Kong said they didnt try to look stylish at all times.

Looking good? Is it for you, your partner, or to nd a new one?

The Nielsen survey found that people invest in personal grooming for many reasons, but mostly they do it for their own sense of well-being. This was particularly the case for 73 percent of women and for people aged 21 - 29.

Three in ve consumers said they invested in personal grooming to feel better about themselves, while just half said they did it to look good for their partner, and only two in ve said they did it to attract one! 18 34 year olds were most likely to look good for the sake of their partners, with such an inclination tailing o the older the respondent! And three in ve 15 24 year olds work hard at looking good in the hope it will help them attract a partner. Over the age of 40, just under one third try to look good to attract a partner.

The Brazilians and Portuguese make most eort to look stylish at all times because it makes them feel better about themselves (89% and 85% respectively)while the Vietnamese (81%) and Indonesians (78%) do it for their partners, and the Greeks are doing it either for their partner (80%) or in the hope of nding a new one in the process (73%)!

Metrosexuals its OK to invest in looking good

In the Nielsen survey, more than four in ve consumers agreed that, today, men are more interested in personal grooming than they used to be. This was particularly felt by 94 percent of respondents in Greece, Portugal and South Africa. Metrosexuals who spend time and money on looking good were perfectly ok for close to four in ve consumers globally, getting the big thumbs up from New Zealanders (92%), Danes and South Africans (91%), Chinese and French (90%). One third of 15 17 year olds disagreed, however!

A bad hair day is out of the question when it comes to looking good
To maintain or enhance their looks, two thirds of the worlds consumers focus on taking care of their hair - in conjunction with a daily skincare regime and regular facial treatment and if money were no object, they would continue to care for their hair, but would spend more on body massages and teeth-whitening. According to the worlds consumers, having a bad hair day is simply not an option when it comes to looking ones best. Sixty-four percent of consumers invest in daily, weekly or monthly hair care, compared to just over half (53%) of those who follow a similar skincare regime. When broken down by gender, however, nearly three quarters of women considered a regular skin care regime to be as important as regular hair care when it comes to looking well-groomed.

If money were no object, the ultimate indulgence: body massages, new hairdos and shiny white teeth!
When it comes to what consumers would spend more on if money were no object, the genders were in agreement that body massages would be the ultimate indulgence for just over half (54%), and particularly for three quarters (76%) of South Africans, 73 percent of Austrians, 71 percent of Czechs, Hungarians and Chileans and 60 percent of women and 30-somethings. While not a beauty treatment many people claimed to indulge in regularly except in China, where 38 percent claimed to do it daily, teeth whitening was particularly popular if money were no object for around two thirds of Chileans, South Africans and South Koreans. and more than half the teens and those in their 20s.

Beyond massages, women were more likely to opt for a facial treatment (57%) and more hair care (55%). Men, on the other hand, opted for teeth whitening as their second most aspired-to indulgence (46%), ahead of hair care (40%).

Skin lightening big business for China, Asia

85 percent of people never invest in skin lightening, and three quarters never bother with tanning (spray, lotion or sunbed). Moreover, approximately two thirds of respondents dont currently bother with eyebrow or eyelash tinting, exfoliation/ scrubs, teeth whitening or body massages. Skin lightening is a particularly popular beauty treatment in Asia, where traditionally, darker skins have been associated with people who work outdoors, and lighter skins are considered more sophisticated and urbane.

Across Asia, 30 percent of Chinese use skin lightening products either daily or weekly, followed by 20 percent of Taiwanese, and 18 percent of Japanese and Hong Kongers. However, if money were no object, 52 percent of Koreans would lighten their skin, followed by 28 percent of Filipinos, a further 26 percent of Chinese and 23 percent of Hong Kongers.
ge: if If money was no object I would spend on more onSkin Lightening Top 10
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% KOR TW PH CHN

52

33

28

26

23
HK

23
TH

22
MAL

21
JAP

20
INDO

20
UAE

Base: All respondents

Supermarkets are the most popular channel for health and beauty products, followed by chemist/ pharmacies/drugstores
Over half the worlds internet consumers purchase their health and beauty products from a Supermarket or a Chemist/ Pharmacy/Drugstore. Supermarkets are particularly popular with the under 34s, with upward of 60 percent of those aged 16 34 purchasing through this channel.

Price by far the biggest inuence on choice, followed by products promise and brand
Six out of 10 consumers consider Price the main inuence on their choice of health and beauty products, followed by the Products Promise and Brand for just under half. Price is the most important consideration for younger respondents, particularly the 15-17 year olds. The Products Promise was a greater inuence for the 21-24 age group, along with the Recommendation of a Friend.

10

Mass market products just as good as premium, expensive alternatives

When asked whether mass market hair care, skin care and cosmetic products were just as good as premium, expensive alternatives, the general consensus was yes! This was particularly strongly felt by the Dutch.

11

Abbreviated countries
Legend AUS Countries Australia Legend IND IRE HUN Countries Hungary Legend RUS SA SG POR Countries Portugal

ARG AT BEL

Argentina Austria Brazil Belgium Canada Chile China

INDO

India

Indonesia Ireland

Russia

CAN CHI CHN

BRA

JAP

IT

DEN FIN EST

CZE

Denmark Finland Germany Greece France Estonia

Czech Republic

LAT LIT

KOR

Japan

Italy

SP

Latvia

South Korea

SWE SWI

Spain

South Africa Sweden

Singapore

MAL MEX NZ PH PO NL

Lithuania Malaysia Mexico

TW TR UK US TH

Taiwan Turkey

Switzerland Thailand

GER HK GRE

FRA

NOR

New Zealand Norway Poland Philippines

Netherlands

UAE

United Kingdom Vietnam

United Arab Emirates

VNM

United States of America

Hong Kong

About the Survey

46 Markets Covered: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, UK, US and Vietnam.

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.

Copyright 2007 The Nielsen Company

12

I have:

insights I can act on a vital strategic partner a competitive edge peace of mind I have Nielsen.