European sun care sales struggled in 2020 with declines across every country in the region. Widespread lockdown and a ban on overseas travel meant that many people scaled back on holidays, usually the peak time for the purchasing of sun care products. Although some brands held back launching sun care products until 2021, others continued to bring out new products with a renewed focus on eco-friendly and trustworthy formulas.

Rarely has such a big drop in sales has been recorded for the European sun care market. Last year, sun care sales in Eastern Europe fell 14.8%, and by 7.2% in Western Europe, according to Euromonitor International, to about $281 million and $2.8 billion, respectively. No country escaped unscathed, as consumers were forced to cancel holidays and stay home throughout the normally lucrative summer holiday period. The outlook for 2021 is significantly brighter; however, with Euromonitor predicting an uptick in sales of 8.5% in Eastern Europe and 0.8% in Western Europe.

Much, of course, depends on the success of the European vaccination program against the coronavirus, which has yet to reach the millions of consumers needed before they can even consider going abroad.

“Fewer vacations mean consumers will likely continue to reduce their sun care purchases this year, unless vaccination campaigns result in lockdown and travel restrictions being lifted earlier than anticipated across the region,” states Lia Neophytou, analyst, GlobalData.

Things might have been a lot worse if it hadn’t been for domestic getaways.

“Consumers still needed a break from their daily lives and domestic holidays remained fairly stable. Just over 60% of UK adults went on holiday in the UK in both 2019 and 2020,” points out Alex Fisher, associate director, Mintel, beauty and personal care.

European consumers cut down on their use of separate sun products, but many continued to use skin care and makeup that includes SPF.

“The aging effects of the sun have been talked up in recent years, but many feel their exposure last year has not been worth using separate protection,” she states.

Neophytou observes another trend at play.

“When consumers did purchase sun care products, they are likely to have traded down to more affordable alternatives due to concern about personal finances, hence further impacting sector value.”

She anticipates a return to growth in 2021, though not at the rate forecast for the sector in pre-pandemic times.

According to Mintel, Europe has consistently accounted for 35-40% of global sun protection launches during the past few years, but this declined to 30% of all launches in 2020. The biggest drop in sun care innovation in 2020 came from Spain and Germany which each experienced a two-percentage point drop in share.

During uncertain times such as these, consumers turn to familiar brands with proven efficacy and the ability to deliver on their protection promises. Fisher maintains that women are slightly more interested in the formulation of the product, its ingredients, fragrance and any added skin care benefits, but these are still secondary.


Sustainability Is a Priority

Sustainability remains a key consideration, particularly among younger consumers who have become more interested in eco-friendly sun care. According to Mintel, around a quarter of UK consumers under 35 will choose a product with sustainability features.

“Global brands like Garnier are relaunching their products in recyclable packaging to account for this growing interest, while regional players are stretching for high accountability,” points out Fisher.

An example is German brand Lavera Naturkosmetik, which offsets the energy used in its production process, making all of its skin care and sun care products climate neutral.

Fisher points out that even smaller players are able to make more conscious changes with their formulations, noting UK-based Pai made sure the ingredients in its Sun British Summer Time line have been sustainably grown and have passed strict biodegradability criteria. Pai introduced its own recycling scheme to help in its sustainability objectives: customers are encouraged to keep the outer mailer box, which can be flat packed until empty products are ready to be returned to the company.

Sun care brands with sustainability credentials that have caught Neophytou’s eye include German Boep, a sun cream positioned as being “coral friendly.” It has SPF30 coverage and taps into the desire for natural,  environmentally-friendly formulations which bear the certified Cosmos natural logo on packaging. Unilever-owned Ren Clean Screen Mineral SPF30 claims to be non-toxic to marine life and contains 22% non-nano naturally derived zinc oxide. It is said to protect from blue light in addition to UV rays, which could be an attractive proposition to people who have increased their screen time during the pandemic. The brand’s recycling credentials include 50% recycled packaging used for the tube and 100% recycled plastic in the cap.

“More sun care products formulated with sustainable ‘reef-friendly’ ingredients are anticipated as environmentally-friendly credentials continue to be a requirement, even during the ongoing pandemic,” states Neophytou.

A Sunny Future

A new approach to sun care will be needed as Europeans emerge from over a year of restrictions limiting their liberty.

“Holidays are a priority for many consumers when the pandemic is over—30% of German consumers say getting away on holiday is the thing they are most looking forward to when lockdowns end,” says Fisher, but warns that the slow rollout of vaccines means that many are likely to miss the peak of the European summer. She predicts that sun care brands will likely communicate to consumers through two main messages:

• In early summer, brands should discuss the need for a higher level of sun protection in everyday life due to a lack of exposure to the sun over the previous 12 months.
• In late summer, European holidaymakers traveling to more exotic destinations will be focused on getting their vaccinations in order, so will need clear reminders of essentials such as sun protection.

As far as innovations are concerned, there are several waiting in the wings. There are strong signs that the “cooling” Asian body care trend is heading to Europe, while the pandemic will generate opportunities for new sun care products that boast antibacterial and environmental protection. 

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Imogen Matthews
Headington, Oxford UK
+44 1865 764918
www.imogenmatthews.co.uk

Imogen Matthews is a respected consultant, journalist and researcher who commentates on trends in the beauty industry. She regularly contributes to many of the world’s foremost beauty trade titles, has served on the Board of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW UK) and won the prestigious Cosmetic Executive (UK) Achiever Award. Founded by Imogen in 1993, The Premium Market Report remains the only in-depth report to examine trends in the premium cosmetics, skincare and fragrance industry.