25/07/2022
GROWING DESIRE FOR WELLNESS EXPANDS SALE OF NICHE BEAUTY PRODUCTS FOR EXERCISE AND ATHLETICS
The intersection between beauty products, fashion and sport has never been so mainstream. This was evident last year when popular yoga and athletic-apparel brand, Vancouver, Canada-based Lululemon Athletica Inc launched in June (2019) its own athleisure gender-neutral beauty and personal care line (BPC), called ‘lululemon selfcare’.
Comprised of a dry shampoo, deodorant, face moisturiser, lip balm, and more recently, body lotion, the line is sold only in North America and available in gym or travel sizes. “For over 20 years, lululemon has been focused on solving athletes’ needs. We’ve recognised a gap in the transition point from sweat to life where sweat-related skin and hair problems often arise,” said Sun Choe, lululemon’s chief product officer.
Another brand partnership that made headlines in 2019 was formed by German sports apparel company PUMA and US make-up brand Maybelline New York. They launched last February (2019) a limited-edition BPC range, called the Puma x Maybelline Collection, available only in the US market. The range featured 12 products developed by Maybelline with the latest long-wear technology, including a smudge-proof, long-lasting mascara, a duo highlighter eye stick with matte and metallic shades for a “day-to-night look” and a SuperStay Matte Ink long-wear lip colour in new limited-edition shades.
In the future, we can expect to see more synergies and partnerships like these as a way to further tap into the growing athleisure trend, said Sarirah Hamid, founder of UK-based Pretty Analytics, a beauty trend forecasting and insights agency that monitors qualitative data across a variety of platforms on the web.
The main driver of athleisure beauty is linked to the growing importance of wellness among global consumers – an industry (also including food, fitness, spas, work services, travel, as well as beauty products and more) that is valued at USD4.5 trillion in 2018, according to data from the Global Wellness Institute’s 2019 report, Move To Be Well: The Global Economy of Physical Activity. Athleisure beauty sales have also been bolstered by the USD828 billion ‘physical-activity economy’ (which includes sports and active recreation, fitness, mindful movement, equipment and supplies, apparel and footwear, and technology).
