Skin care’s post-pandemic swell is beginning to temper, but there are still growth areas within the category.
Data from NielsenIQ shows that facial skin care saw 11.1 percent dollar sales growth this year through April 19, indicating a slight decrease from the category’s 13.1 percent growth in 2024.
Testament to the declines: during Sephora’s April Spring Savings Event, skin care sales dropped nearly 4 percent year-over-year, according to YipitData, and in May, Circana reported that consumers were increasingly focusing on lower-priced items within the category.
According to Anna Mayo, vice president for NielsenIQ’s Beauty Vertical, though, “while younger consumers are pulling back, Millennials and Gen X continue to see double digit dollar growth for skin care.” Certain categories such as toner, moisturizer and eye skin care, in particular, continue to see growth in both unit and dollar sales.
Facial skin care sales totaled $5.5 billion through April 19 this year across both mass and prestige. Here, a breakdown of how 10 facial skin care subcategories performed during the period, per NielsenIQ.
1. Eye Creams
- Dollar sales: +7.8 percent
- Unit sales: +15.8 percent
2. Eye Skin Care (Other)
- Dollar sales: +6.1 percent
- Unit sales: +8.4 percent
3. Day Facial Moisturizer
- Dollar sales: +11.9 percent
- Unit sales: +10.5 percent
4. Night Facial Moisturizer
- Dollar sales: +23.1 percent
- Unit sales: +18.8 percent
5. Facial Skin Appliances
- Dollar sales: +22.2 percent
- Unit sales: -1.3 percent
6. Facial Toner
- Dollar sales: +32.6 percent
- Unit sales: +34.1 percent
7. Facial Treatment
- Dollar sales: +15.1 percent
- Unit sales: +19.7 percent
8. Facial Exfoliator/Scrub
- Dollar sales: +22.6 percent
- Unit sales: +6.1 percent
9. Facial Cleansing Bar
- Dollar sales: +24 percent
- Unit sales: +6.8 percent
10. Facial Cleansing Wipes
- Dollar sales: -0.3 percent
- Unit sales: +0.7 percent