Brazilian consumers seek beauty in body creams with the right story

The desire for beauty is one of the main drivers of the skincare market in Brazil. However, as consumers are not able to evaluate the effectiveness of a product straight away, manufacturers need to make a bigger effort to appeal to them.

According to a Canadean report, the desire to enhance appearance influences over a quarter of skincare consumption in Brazil. In body care, which takes a 70.6% share of the Brazilian skincare market, this desire is the strongest, influencing 28.8% of its consumption. The importance of beauty in body care shows that Brazilians consider healthy and youthful body skin as vital for attractiveness. Veronika Zhupanova, analyst at Canadean, says: "Demand for body creams and lotions with skin-enhancing claims, such as vitalising, firming, counteracting cellulites and stretch marks, is growing. The same goes for body care with more emotive claims such as promises of smooth, shiny and silky skin."

Consumers evaluate products via touch, smell and vision

Canadean’s research shows that Brazilians evaluate the effectiveness of a product with their senses.

Zhupanova says: "Manufacturers have to remember that consumers can not evaluate the effectiveness of a skincare product straight away.

"They will therefore check out the attributes that are available to them, such as stylish packaging, pleasant tactile and visual sensations, scent, absorption speed and feel on the skin. This is an initial hurdle where skincare producers will need to make an effort to attract consumers in Brazil."

Sales channels shape beauty marketing

Direct sales is a popular sales channel for skincare products in Brazil. As consumers do not always have access to the product before they make a purchase, it is crucial that manufacturers provide a full description of the item in the sales catalogue. In addition to that, producers need to create a story around their skincare, explaining what served as an inspiration for their product and why.

According to Zhupanova, "this will create an emotional connection with consumers while explaining how the product works. For example, the acai berry, used by Brazil’s indigenous Amazonian population, is rich in antioxidants and associated with a number of benefits, including anti-aging."
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Editor’s notes
All numbers used in this text are based on Canadean’s report ‘Consumer and Market Insights: Skincare Market in Brazil,’ which will be published in December 2014.