Make-up in Brazil: An obsession with beauty and image

The Brazilian beauty market is growing rapidly – despite Brazil’s receding economy. A new report by Canadean finds that the desire to look beautiful among young Brazilian women is stronger than the recession.

According to the report, the value of the make-up market in Brazil will increase from BRL 7.1 billion (US$3.2 billion) in 2013 to BRL 13.4 billion (US$5.1 billion) by the end of 2018, despite the downward spiral of the rest of the economy in Brazil, which has been registering negative economic growth in three of the last four quarters. This shows that the Brazilian make-up market is booming – even in times of low consumer confidence and in poorer areas of the country.

The desire to be beautiful

According to Canadean data, the desire to look beautiful is a strong driver behind the growth in the Brazilian make-up market, motivating 21.4% of make-up consumption. Canadean also finds that the average consumer of beauty products in Brazil is young and female: Brazilian women applied a make-up product 24 billion times in 2013, accounting for 85% of all make-up applications. Moreover, women aged between 16 and 34 carry out 40% of make-up applications. Kirsty Nolan, analyst at Canadean, says: "Young women seek a professional image in the workplace and are more willing to experiment for special occasions. They are also more likely to follow the fashion, regularly changing their make-up look to keep up with the latest trends."

Key for success: Direct sales and private label

Selling products directly to consumers away from a fixed retail location is very popular in the Brazilian make-up market. Direct sales provide an enjoyable experience for consumers, as they can take a little time out to browse the catalogue and build a good relationship with their local sales representative. Catalogue order companies such as Avon, Natura and Sephora are leading in direct sales and have also successfully established their own private label brands. Those companies can not only offer consumers a good range of products straight to their door at affordable prices, but they also have more control over profit margins. Nolan says: "International make-up brands need to adopt some of these principles in order to succeed in the Brazilian make-up market. Products need to be affordable and attainable for young women. Effective channels of distribution, such as agreements with established direct sellers or relationships with local shops and salons, are the key to success."