Manufacturers prove adept at connecting with shoppers.

NEW YORK -- Despite a consumer who's still keeping spending on a leash, sales of cosmetics have remained on the growth path in drug stores.

Three of five key makeup categories tracked by SymphonyIRI Group Inc. saw dollar sales rise in the most recent 12-week period (see chart). Nail cosmetics led with a 32.5% gain, followed by facial (+4.9%) and eye (+3.8%) makeup. Posting declines were lip cosmetics (-1.6%) and women's fragrances (-6.1%).

Suppliers have been adept at keeping consumers focused on their everyday cosmetics needs, generating buzz on the latest products and trends, and swaying shoppers to splurge on the occasional luxury item.

Markwins' wet n wild brand has whet consumers' appetites with a smattering of line additions and product extensions for 2012. New items include MegaShield Lip Color SPF 15, Juicy SPF 15 Lip Balm, the Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection and Color Icon Shimmer Singles eye shadow. Products getting new shades or colors include MegaLast Lip Color, the Perfect Pair Lip Wand, MegaSlicks Lip Gloss, Color Icon Eyeshadow Single, the MegaEyes Defining Marker, MegaLiner Liquid Eye Liner and Ultimate Minerals Bronzer.

Last month wet n wild announced that it has signed pop star Fergie as a global beauty ambassador. The association will include a range of promotions and events plus Fergie signature lines by wet n wild.

Revlon began 2012 with a bevy of new eye, face and lip offerings. Products hitting drug and mass retail store shelves included Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quads, ColorStay Creme Gel Liner, PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara, the PhotoReady Sculpting Brush Palette, PhotoReady Primers for the face and eyes, ColorBurst Lip Butter, Age Defying with DNA Advantage Powder and PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse Makeup. Revlon's Almay brand also has served up some new items, including Clear Complexion Makeup, Intense i-Color Stain-i and Shimmer-i eye shadow kits, the Intense i-Color Shadow Stick, Smart Shade Perfect & Correct Primer, and Clear Complexion Concealer + Treatment Gel.

Coty Inc. has made a splash with an extension of its successful Reveal by Halle Berry fragrance collection. The line, one of the few bright spots in the sales climate for women's fragrances, has added Reveal the Passion to its Reveal By Halle Berry, Halle by Halle Berry and Pure Orchid by Halle Berry Scents. Also in the celebrity theme, Coty's Rimmel London last month unveiled Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss, available in five shades. For the fall, five more shades are planned.

Leveraging the online channel, Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl in February called on women to "get glammed" for Valentine's Day. CoverGirl teamed up with celebrity makeup artist Claudia Betancur to create three beautiful looks based on real-world people: a young fashion designer, a media professional mom and a beauty blogger. Each style listed recommended products for the face, eyes and lips.

Some of CoverGirl's latest offerings include LineBlast 24 Hour Eyeliner, LashBlast, 24 Hour Mascara, Blast FlipStick Lip Color, CoverGirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation, Queen Collection Lash Fanatic Waterproof Mascara and Queen Collection Vivid Impact Eyeliner.

L'Oreal Paris turned to social media in a digital campaign for its Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara, described as a breakthrough product that delivers structured volume and length to lashes with one stroke. The brand urged women to visit its Facebook page and pledge "to never fake it again" and "say no to faux forever." Visitors got a chance to win a Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara, learn about the product's fiber technology and see a tutorial video with L'Oreal Paris consulting markup artist Collier Strong.

Fresh off its success as official cosmetics sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Manhattan, L'Oreal's Maybelline New York earlier this month made its debut as World MasterCard Fashion Week's official makeup sponsor in Canada. As in the New York event Maybelline planned a digital and social media blitz, including a partnership with YouTube and IMG to stream live fashion shows; a World MasterCard Fashion Week tab on Facebook; a "virtual" conversation from backstage to the runway via Twitter; beauty content for style-savvy micro-blogging community at Tumblr; and boards with images from the event on Pinterest.

For 2012, Physicians Formula launched two new cosmetics platforms: Youthful Wear youth-boosting makeup, which includes a concealer, a foundation and a mattifying face powder, and pH matchmaker, which includes a "pH-powered" bronzer, lip gloss and blush.

Physicians Formula said color cosmetics have been a catalyst. In the fourth quarter its color cosmetics saw 12% point-of-sale growth, compared with 2% for the overall masstige color cosmetics category in the food, drug and mass channel.

In women's body mist, drug store dollar sales plunged 41% in the latest 12-week period, according to SymphonyIRI. Yet one bright spot was Advanced Beauty Systems' bodycology, which saw dollar and unit sales jump. In 2011 the brand came out with new-look packaging and expanded retail distribution. With conditioning and hydrating aloe vera, the mists come in 8-ounce full and 2-ounce trial sizes and are available in 10 scents.

SELECTED COSMETICS/FRAGRANCE CATEGORIES IN CHAIN DRUG STORES

                        Dollar     Dollar     Unit      Unit
                         sales     sales     sales     sales
                         (000)    % change   (000)    % change
Face
  Foundation            $83,345       4.3%    8,470       2.5%
  Powder                 24,720       2.6%    2,919      -1.6%
  Concealer              18,912      18.1%    2,621      14.0%
  Blush                  16,073       2.6%    2,384      -3.0%
  Body accessories        5,940      15.8%      597      24.4%
  Bronzers                5,406       0.6%      784       3.2%
  Makeup combos           4,781     -13.8%      656      -8.8%
Eye
  Mascara               $76,914      -0.2%   10,956       1.3%
  Eyeliner               50,271       6.6%    9,075       3.0%
  Eye shadow             36,396       7.0%    8,540      19.8%
  Eyebrow makeup          7,603      12.0%    1,862       8.0%
  Eye combos              1,031      28.4%      115     -20.8%
Lip
  Lipstick              $52,959       2.4%    9,076       2.1%
  Lip gloss              21,640      -4.7%    5,455       3.8%
  Lip liner               5,587       0.2%    1,162     -12.7%
  Up treatments           2,351     -39.1%      422     -48.3%
  Lip combos                131      11.5%       35      -4.5%
Fragrance *
  Women's fragrance     $87,159      -6.1%    5,808      -4.2%
  Women's body mist       5,808     -41.0%    1,083     -36.7%

Source: SymphonyIRI Group.

For the 12 weeks ended February 19, 2012.

* Fragrance sales for period ended January 29, 2012.

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Title Annotation:	BEAUTY CARE: COSMETICS/FRAGRANCES
Publication:	Chain Drug Review
Date:	Mar 26, 2012
Words:	1044
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Topics:	Cosmetics