One of the characteristics of the new global products in 2024 is that the boundaries of various categories and tracks have become more and more blurred, and the two fields that previously seemed to be disconnected are screwed together through the power of market iteration. Subsequently, the boundaries were blended and reconstructed, new consumer demand was stimulated, and a new product system was established.
Therefore, we can see that the makeup category is gradually moving towards skin care, the fragrance category is beginning to pursue efficacy, and the light medical beauty project is gradually lowering the threshold to start the trend of "home care......
Behind the outbreak of this wave of "cross-category integration and product reconstruction" is the accumulation of categories with "innate advantages" in the market to a certain level, and the new trend of "rising the day after tomorrow" has completed iterations and collided together.
At the same time, the new species that have been blended and reconstructed across categories have allowed the industry to see a new space for the industry, and it is also one of the driving forces for the global cosmetics market to leverage new consumption growth under stock competition. An appropriate blending strategy can become a lever of consumption power, not only leveraging the influence of other fields, but also enriching the brand's presentation of product creativity and increasing consumers' desire to taste new products.
Next, we will combine the information captured by the big data system of the Beauty Industry Research Institute - Global New Product Section, and excavate four major creative expression directions on the basis of cross-category integration and product reconstruction of beauty.
If beauty brands want to establish their core competitiveness through products, they often need to solve the problem of "why do consumers choose you".
Beginner-level products often carry out "silky" functional "silky" integration with high-end categories and concepts, so as to gain the attribute of "higher-order functions than products of the same category", which is used as a weight for products to awaken a sense of demand and create differentiation and high value.
Judging from the recent launch of new global products, we find that essence has been integrated into the makeup and care categories with a "comprehensive penetration" attitude. As we all know, the essence category has always been a major category of skin care, and to a certain extent, it also represents that its value and quality are more guaranteed than other categories.
Especially in the liquid foundation category, the form of "essence into makeup" has effectively improved the high-end attributes of liquid foundation, and domestic and foreign brands have seen this trend, and on this basis, they have developed essence foundations with various effects.
For example, the Italian brand KIKO has launched a serum foundation with anti-UV rays, antioxidant and anti-dullness:
▲KIKO 滋润精华粉底液
AMERICAN BRAND YOUTHFORIA HAS LAUNCHED A DATE NIGHT COMPLEXION ESSENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH IS SAFE AND ADDITIVE-FREE, AND CLAIMS TO BE A FOUNDATION THAT CAN SLEEP WITH MAKEUP:
▲YOUTHFORIA 约会之夜肤色精华粉底液
Another major skin care category, "cream", has also successfully penetrated into major sub-categories, and "colored cream" has taken advantage of the trend and opened up a new attempt to integrate the functions of makeup and cream.
For example, Koman has launched a new "oily skin" tinted cream, an integrated pre-makeup skin care + barrier milk + liquid foundation, which simplifies going out:
▲ Coman "oily skin" colored cream
At the same time, the primer has also begun to upgrade to the "primer", and the blessing of high-end categories has strengthened the function of the primer.
Red Earth launched the card powder savior "Patch Cream", mainly in response to the general problems of Chinese consumers such as poor base makeup, easy powder jamming and dullness, claiming to be a comprehensive pre-makeup + cream product, which can be used with foundation liquid, which can make the makeup surface moisturized and delicate, and the pores are invisible.
▲Red Earth Card Powder Savior "Sticker Cream"
In the context of efficacy becoming the consensus of the cosmetics industry, the "strong combination" of high-end categories, similar to the concept of "essence + cream", can achieve the effect of doubling the value of products. For example, Han Shu Hongman Waist Polypeptide Collagen Essence Cream and Wanzi Xinxuan Essence Cream:
▲Left: Han Shuhong waist polypeptide collagen essence cream
Right: Wanzi Xin Selected Light Essence Cream
In addition, in basic categories such as cleansing, adding functions such as exfoliation and makeup remover, which have better cleaning power, can strengthen the cleansing power of the product, and it is also a kind of "dimensionality reduction" idea.
For example, Lifetime Research launched a cleanser, adding Amazon white mud, focusing on cleaning pores, and taking advantage of the cleansing power of "mud mask" in the cleansing function, for the same type of products, it is easier to become the preferred choice of consumers who pursue cleaning power:
▲A lifelong research amino acid white clay cleanser
In fact, after we cleared the "fog" composed of endless "new", we found that the so-called "redo" is actually a "dimensionality reduction attack" of high-end categories, and a value incubation of low-end categories. After understanding this logic, the competition of beauty brands is to respond to the new needs of consumers with more diversity and finer granularity.
Brands can establish a strong connection with consumers if they can find business opportunities that bring freshness and happiness, and the upgrading of the texture and packaging process of beauty products has always been one of the core elements of consumer experience.
Therefore, we can also break away from the traditional texture, dosage form and packaging form of the product, and build a new use scenario through cross-category functions. This can not only strengthen the innovative expression of products, but also further expand consumers' participation in social scenes, and become an important carrier that influences consumer decisions and product communication.
From the perspective of the beauty industry research institute - global new product section, the "reverse texture" of the makeup category has become a major publicity highlight, and the brand enriches the consumer's experience by creating a contrast between the use of the texture and the presentation effect.
For example, Momomata launched the Gouache Blush, claiming that a touch of cream turns to powder, which is silky and soft like cream when applied, and instantly presents a dry soft mist makeup effect, creating a light and dry moisturizing skin feeling.
▲ Peach and no bubble gouache blush
In addition, the popularity of "skin care with oil" is still unabated, but it has penetrated from facial care products to makeup, eye and lip care, baby care, face bathing, hand and foot care and other subdivisions, which has also derived concepts such as "eye care with oil", "lip care with oil", "water and oil makeup".
For example, Huaxizi will launch a new lip oil at the end of 2023, innovatively developing a water-oil dual-phase texture, focusing on moisturizing and moisturizing lips, with a moisturizing but not oily texture, which can relieve dryness at any time:
▲ Flower West Flower Dew Double Moisturizing Lip Oil
French brand Clarins has also launched a new small bottle foundation with milk thistle seed oil and a highly moisturizing serum, claiming to be the first "water-based makeup" foundation:
▲ Clarins Satin Radiant Essence Foundation
In addition, from the perspective of "convenience", we can also think about how to learn from the convenience forms of other categories, and cater to the living habits and usage habits of consumers in a simpler and more effective way, so as to achieve "visible results without investing too much time and energy".
For example, the traditional impression of "mousse" texture is usually applied to the face cleansing category, but now we see that some shampoo products have also begun to use this texture and launch more "convenient" solutions in the field of head care. The product example is the shampoo mousse of the Japanese brand SGNI, which claims to reduce friction on the scalp and hair, and is also easier to rinse:
▲SGNI shampoo mousse
Xiukefu has launched a sunscreen cushion, which draws on the use form of "air cushion", grafts sunscreen function (SPF50/PA+++), and applies makeup and sunscreen in one to improve the convenience of use:
▲ Xiu Kefu Cloud Mist Long-lasting Sunscreen Cushion Foundation
Of course, it can also change the traditional form of use and eliminate the dilemma of product homogenization through the migration of cross-category texture and dosage form.
FOR EXAMPLE, URBAN HYDRATION HAS LAUNCHED THE ALGAE MASK STICK, WHICH CHANGES THE MASK FROM THE TRADITIONAL "SHEET" TO THE NOVEL "STICK":
▲URBAN HYDRATION 发光藻类面膜棒
Sephora has launched a new isolation gel this year, changing the traditional "emulsion texture" to "gel texture":
▲Sephora facial primer
The application of packaging functions is also constantly expanding, and the collection of cross-category functionality is one of the major opening ideas. Herborist's new Essence Spray breaks away from the traditional dropper form and brings a variety of choices in how to use it.
▲Herborist Classic Extract Moisturizing Repair Essence Mist
Tangerine launched the eyebrow pencil, which integrates the functions of the eyebrow pencil and eyebrow balm, and creates the first three-stage crescent moon packaging form, which is composed of a portable carding brush, a non-collapsing blade brush, and a smooth multi-purpose cream, claiming 3 steps of three-dimensional velvet fog eyebrows:
▲ orange three-dimensional velvet mist eyebrow balm
In addition, the innovation of packaging functions is also a major factor to attract consumption power. For example, the mushroom head blush powder launched by Gemon changes the traditional form of puff and adopts the design of lazy bangbang, which is delicate and delicate, and also increases the interest of the product:
▲GECOMO Cloud Soft Slightly Tipsy Blush Pink 01# Coral Red
To sum up, it is a clever practice to effectively knead cross-category functions, innovate product texture, dosage form and packaging, and break the public's traditional imagination of products. However, it is worth noting that brands need to strengthen the user experience in terms of ease of use, functional improvement, freshness, etc., and carry out planned cross-category migration to avoid overdrawing the value of products.
As we all know, the involution of the cosmetics market has intensified, and it has also made products move towards subdivision and specialization. Starting from this line of thinking, the high-end functions of cosmetics have been effectively "migrated" to the subdivision track, and there are also huge business opportunities to be fully explored.
We can cut into a subdivision track, migrate the gameplay of high-end categories into it, and replicate the R&D logic again. For example, Perfect Diary has entered the subdivision of no-makeup cream, blessed the high-end efficacy of the essence category, and launched a serum no-makeup cream, which contains about 1,300 kinds of natural plant peptides, focusing on long-term firming and lightening lines:
▲Perfect Diary Thousand Peptide Essence Moisturizing Cream
L'Occitane cut into the subdivision of neck anti-aging and launched the brand's first neck essence cream, using the exclusive anti-aging ingredient high-energy plant A alcohol, claiming that it can lighten neck lines by 20% around it.
▲L'Occitane Shea Chrysanthemum Neck Essence Cream
The migration of facial care ingredients to the primary category is also a major trend in global cosmetics, which can effectively raise the "value" of products and enhance product competitiveness. For example, Mediwell cotton pads have launched a "collagen elasticity" model, which contains 300Da low-molecular-weight collagen, focusing on nourishing and elastic care:
▲Mediwell collagen elastic cotton pads
The Night A Hand Cream contains a patented 0.1% bosonine, focusing on lightening lines, softening and protecting nails:
▲ Engrave Bosein Essence Cream
The transfer of the advantages of upstream technology can enable cosmetics to obtain more advanced and efficient production technology, enter new application fields, and greatly improve product strength.
For example, Filorga has launched a counterclockwise cream, bringing together 5 cutting-edge medical aesthetic technologies, claiming that it can improve facial aging problems such as wrinkles, sagging, and dullness:
▲ Filorga will launch a counterclockwise cream
Peace Out's Acne Patch Explainer contains 430 self-dissolving, medicated microneedles that penetrate the skin and promote the absorption of 2% Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide and Succinic Acid.
▲eace Out 早期痤疮贴
In addition, the migration of facial care and makeup concepts to subdivided fields can also reflect the freshness and creativity of product iteration.
For example, Sephora migrated the concept of "sleeping mask" to the field of lip and head care, put forward the new concepts of "sleep lip mask" and "sleep hair mask", and launched a series of new products to meet the needs of consumers for lip and head care to the greatest extent:
▲Left: Sephora Sleeping Lip Mask
Right: Sephora sleeping hair mask
Chuxiatang has migrated the concept of "water glow skin" to the field of body care, and launched a new shower gel, using 4 layers of water activation technology, claiming to wash out the all-day water glow skin:
▲Early summer hall hyaluronic acid water light shower gel
Taiwanese brand HEME has migrated the concept of "primer cream" to the field of lip makeup, and launched an upgraded version of "Lip Primer", adding hyaluronic acid moisturizing serum, claiming that it can make subsequent lip makeup more delicate and smooth:
▲heme 妆前lipfrost
Through the case of new products, we can find that the upgrade of each subdivision requires a lot of meticulous life observation and daily accumulation. But no matter what, the logic of brands focusing on the "quality-price ratio" of products, making consumers feel that they have "spent their money on the cutting edge", has always been the core point of boosting consumers' interest.
The last feature of cross-category integration and deconstruction of the cosmetics market is that brands no longer rely on individual operations to do things, but consider integrating resources to complete greater challenges.
For example, integrate talents from different tracks to jointly complete a complex project, integrate technologies from different industries to overcome a huge problem, integrate different enterprise resources to build a community of interests alliance, and so on.
With this thinking to open a product, we will rise to a new level and see a broader opportunity.
Since last year, we've seen influential brands try to break down barriers and embrace each other. Brands in different industries began to carry out cross-border co-branding cooperation, taking advantage of the resources of both parties to open up new groups of people, new ways to play, and enhance brand potential.
For example, Gu Yu x Dunhuang Museum jointly launched a sunscreen lotion:
▲Gu Yu's light sense is light and translucent daytime sunscreen moisturizing lotion
Ermu Grape × Bawang Tea Ji jointly launched a limited edition puff of the Ancient Tea Horse Road:
▲ Ermu grape × overlord tea ji limited puff
In addition to cross-industry co-branding, companies in the cosmetics ecosystem are also constantly looking for allies to seize the opportunity of product technology research and development through the integration of resources from both sides.
For example, KOSE collaborated with the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop the positive emotional effects of yellow orchids, which increase the expression of oxytocin in the dermis. DECORTÉ has updated its AO series of products, with yellow orchid as the core, focusing on skin care and fragrance.
Source: "2023 Olfactory Economy Consumer Market Trend Insights" by Beauty Industry Yan Research Institute
Oriental Medicine Five Grains cooperated with the Research Institute of Tsinghua University to launch the "Spring Cream", which uses patented L-carnosine, which focuses on the effects of accurately reducing wrinkles, tightening outer contours, and tightening skin texture, claiming to reduce wrinkles on the whole face in 14 days:
▲ Oriental medicine five grains light soothing moisturizer
In addition, skin care brands have made use of their own resource advantages to launch cross-border skin-nourishing makeup brands, which has also become a strong stroke in the industry's resource integration cases.
For example, Winona, which focuses on skin care for sensitive skin, entered the field of makeup and launched the "Safe Mist Cushion", claiming that the quadruple skin repair essence makes sensitive skin more safe to use:
▲Winona Safe Soft Mist Flawless Cushion Foundation
Kangaroo Mother, which focuses on maternal and child care, has launched an essential lipstick, which interprets the color of lip makeup with lip care standards, claiming that it can allow consumers in a fragile pregnancy state to enjoy the pleasure of makeup.
▲Kangaroo mother essence lipstick
In short, the key to the success of cross-border cooperation is to break through the information gap in different fields, achieve the optimal solution for product development through resource integration, and provide just the right solution. For brands, all action opportunities are to make product quality better, and even "have a sense of value beyond expectations", which is the secret of the success of cross-border categories.
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