Skincare market under-caters to darker skin requirements, finds survey

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A survey of 1,285 consumers in the UK and USA shows that 75% of respondents with dark skin struggle to find appropriate skincare products.

The survey, conducted by wellbeing-product and health-food ingredient brand Lycored, found that 64% of people with dark brown or black skin believe that the beauty industry doesn’t do enough to cater for the needs of people of all skin tones, while only 24% of people with white skin felt the same way. White or fair-skinned consumers are much less likely to purchase a product designed for their skin tone, with 33% of fair skin people buying skincare marketed to them, compared to 56% of those with light brown skin and 54% with brown skin, the report found.

Another interesting finding is that what consumers want from their skincare varies widely depending on skin tone. Consumers with dark skin cite healthy glow and radiance as their main skincare goal, with 67% of people with dark brown skin saying this was their top priority, while just 51% of pale or fair-skinned people aimed for this. For white-skinned respondents, minimising redness way the key skincare goal, with 24% of those asked stating this was their top aim.

The factors influencing skincare shopping habits also showed disparity among skin tone types too. For top influence on purchasing was the opinion of family and friends, though in the UK, 38% of brown-skinned respondents said they trusted social media and online influencers when it came to skincare shopping, compared to just six % of pale of fair-skinned consumers. (Source: Professional Beauty UK)

Look out for the special feature on treating the darker Fitzpatrick skin types in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue of Professional Beauty, which includes expert input from a noted dermatologist. This digital magazine publication will be available in the first week of February.