Mojing analysis + data shows that in 2023, the scale of the baby care market on mainstream e-commerce platforms will reach 13.19 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.7%, and the growth rate will slow down.
When the post-90s generation and Generation Z become the new parents, the differences between them and the previous era in terms of consumption concepts and quality of life are imperceptibly affecting the maternal and infant market. The concept of scientific and refined skin care has extended from adult beauty to the field of babies and children, and the concept of "barrier repair" for infants and young children has continued to become popular on mainstream social platforms, with the number of related topics increasing by 142% year-on-year.
Infant barrier repair is an ongoing concern for every child aged 0-3 years, but this universal need has not been effectively met. In 2023, the sales of barrier repair products on online platforms will be 20 million yuan, accounting for only 0.16% of the overall baby care market.
At present, the high-end maternal and infant care brand Anweiyi is the only one in the market, and the domestic brands with the top 5 market size and good growth momentum are only Runbeishu and Qinhu, and there are few players in the track. In the face of this blue ocean market full of opportunities, how should beauty and skin care brands dig gold?
The following content is based on part of the content of the "White Paper on Infant Skin Barrier Repair" report of Mojing Insight, and the full version of the report can be obtained by clicking to read the original article.
01
Consumer research on the baby skincare market
In order to gain insight into the actual needs of consumers, Moojing found through questionnaire research that infants and toddlers at all ages of 0~3 years old will face different degrees of skin problems.
Compared with adults, the skin of infants and young children is more fragile and delicate, and the skin barrier is easily damaged, which cannot effectively block various external stimuli, such as allergens, dust and bacteria.
Parents will focus on the efficacy of the product when purchasing products to alleviate their baby's skin problems, and most of these needs can be covered by "barrier repair". Caregivers of baby babies with problem skin have higher expectations for efficacy, and in addition to removing prickly heat and relieving itching, they attach great importance to skin barrier repair, and they also pay more attention to age-specific care and expert certification.
Based on the skin characteristics of babies and children, doctors and experts have confirmed through clinical studies that professional barrier repair products need to meet four major elements, namely hydration, oil replenishment, anti-inflammatory (soothing) and pH adjustment, so as to enhance the ability of infant skin to resist external stimuli.
In addition to efficacy, the safety of products has also become a core consideration, and products that are gentle and skin-friendly and additive-free are more favored by parents.
In the face of baby's skin problems, in addition to relying on drug treatment, online shopping for functional cleaning and care products is also the main means for mothers. The "mother group" is an important channel for the new generation of parents to obtain information, it is more like a private domain traffic gathering place, and the maintenance and product sharing of babies with problem muscles are frequently mentioned in daily discussions.
For this group of parents who are good at surfing the Internet, mainstream social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin are also indispensable sources of information.
In addition, more than 70% of consumers value brand reputation rather than brand awareness in actual purchase decisions. While traditional brands rank higher in terms of consumer awareness, emerging brands are more prominent in online sales.
02
Insight into the infant barrier repair track
In the face of widespread consumer demand, how is the baby barrier repair market performing?
According to Moojing Analysis+ data, the concept of "barrier repair" mainly exists in skin care products, among which products with high daily use such as lotions, creams and body lotions are the main categories, accounting for more than 99% of the online market share.
In 2023, the sales of products containing this ingredient will exceed 10 million yuan on mainstream e-commerce platforms, ranking first on the ingredient list and far exceeding other ingredients, with a year-on-year growth rate of 55.6%.
The emerging natural ingredient "Shrikonthin" ranks second in the barrier repair market. Clinical studies have shown that shikonin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and has become an upstart in the barrier repair track in recent years.
As an emerging market, infant skin barrier repair currently has fewer players and a significant brand concentration, and as more and more consumers introduce the concept of scientific skin care in parenting, brand competition is becoming increasingly fierce.
With the endorsement of its professional R&D team, the high-end maternal and infant care brand Anviyi has jumped up, expanding its market share from 24.5% in 2022 to 59.8% in 2023. The brand Runbeishu and Qinhu are also developing rapidly, and in 2023, they will replace Avène and Baba Run to enter the top 5 of the track.
03
Brand case dismantling
The new generation of parents has higher expectations for baby skin care products, and brands that can respond to consumers' needs for efficacy and professionalism are still relatively scarce in China.
The team has insight into this trend, and has joined hands with a tertiary hospital as a team consultant and invited 50+ dermatologists to provide scientific and effective solutions for infant skin care with evidence-based medicine and targeted care.
The brand locks the core customer group to the post-95 and post-00 novice mothers, who have undergone higher education, advocate scientific parenting, and continue to learn knowledge and theory in the process of raising babies. In addition, they often have their own unique opinions on skincare products, and the efficacy ingredients backed by medical research and evidence often determine their purchasing behavior.
Focusing on the four elements of barrier repair proposed by pediatric dermatology experts and authoritative literature, the team has developed a series of comfrey barrier strengthening products, patented Xinjiang comfrey extract, combined with biomimetic vernix and other active ingredients, to rebuild the baby's skin barrier through the four dimensions of hydration, oil, soothing and pH adjustment.
For example, the core ingredient of the brand's Qinhu Quadruple Care Cream can play a role in soothing redness, anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory, while the patented ingredient biomimetic vernix can supplement physiological lipids to provide the skin with the dual protection of isolation and repair. The product has been professionally tested to increase the redness reduction rate by 16.6% in 4 weeks and reduce the TEWL (transepidermal water loss rate) by 16.7% in 4 weeks, demonstrating a significant barrier repair effect.
Since the launch of the product in September 2023, the sales of the whole line of products have continued to grow, and the discussion on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin has shown a fluctuating trend, with more than 300 million brand exposures.
Consumers' planting points for the product are focused on the "likonthin" ingredient, and keywords such as "peace of mind", "eczema", "red face" and "dry itching" are frequently mentioned, and from the feedback from the e-commerce platform, the use effect of the product and the use of skin feel are the most concerned by consumers, and users generally give the comfrey barrier strong series products a high evaluation.
04
summary
Infant skin barrier repair is an emerging blue ocean market, which is still small in size and relatively fragmented in competition.
When the post-90s and post-00s people with high education and high income gradually enter the ranks of parents, the main consumer force of the baby care market is also quietly changing.
After the basic foundation of the adult skin care market-related concept education, consumers have a high willingness to pay for the barrier repair effect, but the sales side has not yet responded in time. In the future, will more players enter the infant barrier repair track and seize the market opportunity?
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