A two-speed year

This time again, the French beauty market shows that it is resisting in a difficult economic context. While it posted a slight decline of -0.6% (against -0.9% in 2013), it remained at a high level with total sales of nearly €2.9 billion. The year was marked by growth in two phases: initially negative in the first half (-1.5%), it rebounded from August onwards thanks to a reversal in trends in perfumes and make-up. Indeed, back-to-school innovations, combined with media and in-store actions, considerably boosted the second half of the year, which ended with an increase of 0.1%, despite a month of December still lagging behind this year."The good news comes from perfume and make-up, which are back on a growth path in the second half of the year, with particularly good performances for women, driven by successful back-to-school launches and strong news about the classics," commented Mathilde Lion, Beauty Expert Europe at NPD Group.

A scent of victory

The flagship market for selective beauty (2/3 of sales in value terms), fragrance recovered to +0.2% in 2014. The category saw its sales strengthen around its leaders: the top 10 brands now share 62% of the market, 5 …