Business France’s ambition has always been to support French manufacturers abroad. One of the most dynamic markets is the United States. To help cosmetic brands wishing to establish themselves there, Business France presented all the specificities of this area, during a webinar broadcasted on the occasion of the Cosmetic 360 show.
The US market is worth $90 billion (down -2.51% from 2019). Per year, the average basket of inhabitants is $197.
The most consumed cosmetic products are:
• Fragrances (4 billion in dollar sales, -8% vs 2019)
• Skin care (2 billion dollar sales, -11% vs 2019)
• Makeup (1.7 billion in dollar sales, -7% vs 2019)
Like everywhere else in the world, the U.S. has suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic. The big winner of the health crisis is online distribution. Since 2020, it has posted +35% growth.
Market characteristics
Competition is tough in the U.S., as supply is quite competitive.
Domestic players are well established. In the top 10 most purchased brands, seven are American:
• Procter & Gamble (11% market share)
• Estée Lauder (6.4% market share)
• Johnson & Johnson (5.1% market share)
• Limited Brands (4% market share)
• Coty Inc. (3% market share)
• Colgate Palmolive (2.9% market share)
• Revlon (1.7% market share)
“Among the major international groups that are neither American nor French, we find in order of importance in market share: Unilever (7.7%), Shiseido (1.7%) and Beiersdorf (1%). The main exporters (excluding France) of finished cosmetic products to the United States are Canada, …
