Body confidence comes with age, says YouGov global survey

A recent YouGov global survey* has found that the majority of adults are happy with their weight and body image, and that body confidence tends to mature with age. The survey also notes that there is concern that celebrity culture undermines the body image of young people in nearly all countries surveyed.

For the US, Australia, and most of the European and Asia Pacific countries surveyed older people are significantly more likely to be happy about their body shape than those in their twenties and thirties.

Of the twenty-five countries surveyed, Indonesians are the most positive about their body image overall, with more than three quarters (78%) claiming they are happy with their body weight and shape. Residents from Saudi Arabia (72%), Oman (70%) and Qatar (70%) are the next happiest with their body image overall.

Men in general are more positive about their weight and appearance than women. Only in Saudi Arabia are women more comfortable with their looks than the men with 74% of Saudi women claiming they are happy with the way they look compared to 70% of Saudi men.

Looking at APAC countries, in Indonesia, only 75% of women are happy with their looks compared to 81% of Indonesia men. In Malaysia, 60% women are happy with their looks while 65% Malaysia men are happy with their looks. In Singapore, the percentages are 62% and 66%; in Thailand it’s 63% and 68%; and in Australia, it’s 58% and 67%. Women in Hong Kong are the least body-confident with only 44% claiming they are happy with their appearance compared to 55% of Hong Kong men.

In seventeen of the twenty-five countries surveyed more than half of responders think that celebrity culture has a negative impact on young people. In Australia 67% think celebrity culture has a negative effect on young people. In Indonesia, 58% think the same. However, people in Singapore and Malaysia are more neutral, with only 43% and 41% think celebrity culture has a negative effect on young people, while in Thailand and Hong Kong, a lower percentage of 38% and 37% response that they think celebrity culture has a negative effect on young people.

In general the countries surveyed in the Middle East and Asia Pacific have a more positive view of the impact of celebrity culture on young people. Around a third in the UAE (34%) and Qatar (31%) think celebrity culture can have a positive effect, along with 41% in Mainland China and over one in three (34%) in Malaysia and Thailand.

*The total sample size was 22,140 adults, surveyed in the US, UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. Fieldwork was undertaken between April 28 and May 13 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults (aged 18+).

Protection from UV, pollution key consumer demands for beauty care

Many are turning towards beauty products to protect themselves from the impact of pollution, according to analyst firm Mintel, particularly in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Mintel revealed that between 2011 and 2013 there was a 40% rise in the number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying a claim that it could treat or protect against the effects of pollution. This has raised APAC’s share of global beauty and personal care launches holding anti-pollution claims from 22% in 2011 to 27% in 2013.

Furthermore, Mintel’s research shows that many consumers are looking to wash away the effects of their surroundings in particular, as the number of soap and bath products launched in the APAC region carrying an anti-pollution claim grew 63% between 2011 and 2013. In addition, hair product launches carrying anti-pollution claims have grown 61% while skincare launched with anti-pollution claims grew 46% over the same time period.

Speaking at in-cosmetics Asia 2014, Emmanuelle Moeglin, Global Fragrance and Colour Cosmetics Analyst at Mintel, said: "We are seeing the expansion of beauty products that shield from its effect across regions, categories, occasions, ages and gender. As awareness of the effects of pollution grows, we are seeing the expansion of beauty products that shield from its effect across regions, categories, occasions, ages and gender. With an increasing number of consumers living more urbanised lifestyles, we expect to see a rising number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying more specific anti-pollution terminology that specify the sources and composition of the pollutants.”

Whilst the APAC region has seen particularly strong growth of anti-pollution beauty products, this claim has also posted strong growth globally. Between 2011 and 2013 there was a 10% rise in the number of beauty products launched carrying this claim around the world, with a 60% rise in the number of soap and bath products launched with this claim, a 31% rise in hair products with this claim and a 22% rise in skincare launches carrying this claim.

Although demonstrating smaller growth in comparison to other categories, skincare products are still the most likely category to carry an anti-pollution claim, with 3.7% of skincare products launched globally in 2013 including such a claim, up from 3.2% in 2011. Moreover, there are a growing number of eye care products being launched carrying an anti-pollution claim with 7.2% of eye-care products launched so far in 2014 carrying this, up from 3.9% in 2012.




In addition, Mintel’s research has also revealed an increase in the number of skincare products launched with a UV protection claim. Whilst 13.6% of skincare products launched globally carried a UV protection claim, this rose to 15.4% in 2013. Looking forward, the popularity of this positioning looks set to continue to grow as 16.4% of skincare products launched globally so far in 2014 offer UV protection.

Finally, Mintel has identified growing consumer awareness of pollution and emissions to be a key trend for 2015. Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant at Mintel, said: “In 2015, pollution will become a key media focus. The cosmetics industry in particular has been awakening consumers to the immediate, visible, personal effects of pollution. 

"As a result, we can expect protective claims against PM 2.5 and others to grow in product marketing in skincare and cosmetics in general. In addition, consumers are already embracing apps that scrutinise a product’s environmental credentials and we anticipate more brands to become increasingly transparent in the coming year.”

LUSH opens third store in Lebanon

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, a manufacturer and retailer of ethical skincare, haircare, bath, and body products, officially opening its third store at ABC Achrafieh in Lebanon in early November.

Source: LUSH.

The newest LUSH store in Lebanon is the third in under three years. The other LUSH stores are at ABC Dbayeh and Beirut Souks. 

LUSH is known for its ethical and innovative approach to bath, body, haircare and skincare. LUSH pioneered beauty products such as fizzing bath bombs, bubble bars, and solid shampoo bars, and emphasises ingredients like fresh organic fruits and vegetables and the finest essential oils. LUSH produces high quality products that are vegetarian, preservative-free and free of wasteful packaging with absolutely no animal testing being done on LUSH products or ingredients. These ethics are at the heart of the brand and will remain there with every new shop that opens globally.