According to a recent study by the foresight firm Mintel, sunscreen sales are on the rise in the United States. The reason? Increased consumer awareness of the health risks associated with overexposure, such as melanoma… and premature skin aging.
Protection sales jumped in the U.S. between 2021 and 2022. Mintel estimates that the market is expected to grow by 7% in 2023. “This increase is expected to even out and slow down through 2027. The main reason being the more frequent addition of SPF by brands in creams and other skincare products that are used on a daily basis,” the agency explains.
More than half of U.S. sunscreen users (54%) are using sunscreen more often than they did a year ago (28%), and the majority are doing so to reduce their risk of skin cancer (89%), which is a 20% increase from 2022 (69%). In addition, preventing the signs of aging is a key driver of sunscreen use, with nearly seven in 10 adults (69%) using sunscreen for this purpose, a 25% increase from last year (44%).
Sunscreen use is highest among 25-44 year olds (69% vs. 54% of the general U.S. population), 30% of whom buy products that protect against environmental aggressors.
“67% of them say they are willing to pay more for cosmetics that help the skin fight against urban pollution and 38% for products that protect against blue light.”
