This Report explores the evolving landscape of skin-brightening trends in India, shifting from a focus on fairness to one on skin glow and health claims. It highlights the changing perceptions of healthy skin among Indian adults with the emergence of new narratives such as energised skin. The Report identifies key opportunities for brands to align with these evolving narratives and leverage them to resonate with Indian consumers.
Additionally, it examines diverse skincare goals and preferences across demographics, emphasising a growing interest in overall skin health promotion and dark spot reduction. Because brightening ingredients target the mechanism behind dark spots, the Report further explores both mainstream and emerging brightening ingredients in India.
Lastly, the Report details the claims and features of skin-brightening formats that Indian adults are most interested in trying and highlights the skin-caring claims that will resonate across diverse age groups and regions.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The evolution of skin-brightening claims in India
- Perceptions of healthy skin among Indian consumers
- Skincare goals and preferences across demographics
- The interest in features/claims in skin-brightening formats
- Format and texture innovation trends in skin-brightening products
- Opportunities to innovate beyond brightening and glowing narratives
Healthy skin is no longer just about brightness and glow – ‘energised’ skin is a new key association. Users are increasingly focused on reducing dark spots while also seeking oil control and acne prevention.
Twinkle Behl, Research Analyst – Beauty and Personal Care, India
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- Mintel’s perspective
- The outlook for skintone management in India
- Shift the skin-brightening narrative to skin energising
- Shift the skin-brightening narrative to be a skin-energising one
- Graph 1: properties associated with healthy skin, 2020 vs 2024
- Direct attention to the emerging goal of dark spot reduction, as healthy skin becomes a shared aspiration
- Graph 2: facial skincare goals, 2024
- Leverage skin-caring claims to amplify appeal
- Graph 3: interest in products with features and claims around skin brightening, lightening, whitening, glowing and radiance, 2024
- Regional nuances in interest in skin-brightening and glowing features and claims
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Key trends and market factors
- What you need to know
- The evolution of skin-brightening trends in India
- The changing skin-brightening landscape
- Brightening/illuminating claims are among the top ones in facial skincare launches
- Brightening/illuminating claims are among the top ones in facial skincare launches, yet their expansion has plateaued
- Graph 4: facial skincare* product launches, by top 10 beauty-enhancing claims, 2019-24
- The global definition of skin glow
- Bright and glowing skin is evolving to be viewed through a multidimensional lens
- Indian brands respond to new emerging narratives encompassing bright and healthy skin
- The growing focus on skincare
- Healthy skin requires a dedicated skincare regimen
- The prevalence of skin issues is increasing among Indian consumers
- Intent to invest in facial skincare is high
- Indian consumers seek value beyond just a low price
- Skin-brightening NPD factors in skin-caring claims
- Graph 5: facial skincare product launches with brightening/illuminating claims, by the top 10 beauty-enhancing claims, 2023-24
- The rise of ingredient-savvy Indians
- Increased internet consumption has led to the emergence of a more beauty-informed consumer
- Consumers increasingly research ingredients online
- Graph 6: interest over time for ‘ingredients’ in the beauty & fitness category, 2014-24
- A desire for innovative claims and ingredients in BPC
- Indian brands spotlight hero ingredients to denote the efficacy of skin-brightening formats
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- A recap of the skin glow and brightening trends in India, 2017-23
- Energised is the new glow
- Healthy skin is the most sought-after aspiration, while a lighter skintone is the least significant
- Graph 7: facial skin aspirations, 2024
- Indians consider fresh, bright and glowing skin as healthy, with fair skin being the least associated with healthy skin
- Graph 8: conditions associated with healthy skin, 2024
- The connection between fair skin and healthy skin is diminishing
- Graph 9: consumers who associate fair/white skin with healthy skin, by demographic, 2024
- Energised skin takes the spotlight in 2024 for its association with healthy skin
- Across genders, ages, city tiers and socioeconomic groups, Indian adults associate energised skin with health
- Graph 10: consumers who associate energised skin with healthy skin, by gender and age group, 2020 vs 2024
- Graph 11: consumers who associate energised skin with healthy skin, by city tier and socioeconomic group, 2020 vs 2024
- Energised skin is now seen as a hallmark of healthy skin, combining glow, brightness and holistic qualities such as rejuvenation
- Graph 12: other properties associated with healthy skin by respondents who also associate energised skin with it, 2024
- The current status quo: glow is a key focus in skincare narratives, whereas mentions of energised skin are very niche
- Graph 13: share of facial skincare* launches featuring fresh, glow/glowing, bright and energising claims as a percentage of all facial skincare launches, 2023-24
- Shift the skincare narrative to energising benefits
- Bring attention to skincare ingredients valued for their energising effects
- Ingredient watch: introduce ATP as the champion for energised skin
- Graph 14: facial skincare launches with energizing OR energising OR energize OR energise claims and adenosine triphosphate ingredients, 2019-24
- Ingredient watch: introduce ATP as the champion for energised skin
- Ingredient watch: Coenzyme Q10 for cellular energy production
- Graph 15: facial skincare product launches including Coenzyme Q10 ingredient, by top 10 countries, 2019-24
- Time is ripe for Indian brands to redirect Coenzyme Q10’s benefits to cellular energy function
- Take inspiration from global brands leveraging Coenzyme Q10’s cellular energy function
- Seek inspiration from Mintel Spark to create energising skincare formats
- Focus on skin health by improving skin barrier function
- Skin health is taking the spotlight in skincare NPD globally
- Graph 16: facial skincare product launches with healthy skin* claim, top 10 countries, 2019-2024
- Graph 17: social media search query “skin health or healthy skin”, 2019-24
- The pursuit of healthy skin is becoming a standard across demographics and rising in NPD, but what’s next?
- Graph 18: facial skincare product launches with skin health* claims, 2019-24
- Graph 19: facial skin aspirations – enhancing overall skin health, by age group, region and city tier, 2024
- Improve skin health by bolstering the skin barrier
- Graph 20: share of facial skincare launches with skin barrier claims of all facial skincare launches, 2019-24
- Graph 21: Google search trends around the skin barrier, 2019-24
- Ceramides and hyaluronic acid have solidified their presence in skin barrier NPD and dominate skincare conversations on social media
- Graph 22: facial skincare product launches with skin barrier claims, by select ingredients, 2019-24
- Leverage probiotics to increase the appeal around skin health promotion
- Address the microbiome’s role in skin health
- Case study: probiotic moisturiser launched in India
- Fermented extracts show potential as a solution for enhancing skin barrier function
- Ingredients that enhance barrier function by regulating gene expression
- Offer dark spot reduction via brightening ingredients
- Pay attention to the growing focus on dark spots reduction
- Graph 23: facial skincare* launches with dark spot reduction claims, 2019-24
- Graph 24: facial skin aspiration – reduce the appearance of dark spots, by gender and age group, 2024
- Global brands shining a light on dark spots
- Leverage consumers’ interest in skin-brightening formats and home remedies to upgrade skincare options
- Graph 25: actions taken to achieve facial skin aspirations, all consumers vs those wanting to reduce dark spots, 2024
- Give a modern twist to traditional formats by addressing dark spots
- Brightening ingredients pursue the mechanism behind dark spots
- Skin-brightening ingredient trends from China
- Niacinamide stands out as the sole ingredient Indians link to addressing dark spots
- Break the status quo: niacinamide remains active in NPD for skincare claiming to address dark spots
- Graph 26: facial skincare product launches with dark-spot-reduction* claims, by select ingredients, 2019-24
- Scientific names of skincare ingredients
- Highlight the efficacy of non-niacinamide ingredients in targeting dark spots
- Adopt various approaches to brightening
- Global: new brightening ingredient combinations for dark spot reduction
- Ingredient spotlight: broccoli sprouts for dark spot reduction
- Interest in added skincare claims in skin-brightening formats
- Oil control is the most desired claim in skin-brightening/glow products
- Graph 27: consumer interest in brightening/lightening/whitening/glowing/radiance product features and claims, 2024
- Regional nuances in interest in skin-brightening/glow features and claims
- Younger individuals look for anti-pollution claims, while those over 25 focus on products with oil control
- Opportunity to upgrade skin-brightening NPD with added skincare benefits
- Oil control and anti-acne features
- Oil control resonates with Millennials, people in the East, metro dwellers and those prone to oily skin
- Graph 28: interest in oil-control claims in brightening/lightening/whitening/glowing/radiance products, by gender & age group, region, city tier and skin type, 2024
- Leverage mattifying claims in skin-brightening/glow-promoting formats to highlight oil-control features
- Graph 29: brightening/illuminating facial skincare product launches with mattifying claims, by market, 2023-24
- Promote oil-control features in skin-brightening formulations
- Communicate oil-control features via lightweight textures and format innovations
- Graph 30: face/neck care product launches with brightening/illuminating and mattifying together as a claim, by the top five formats and textures, 2019-24
- Graph 31: face/neck care product launches with brightening/illuminating and mattifying together as a claim, by the top five formats and textures, 2019-24
- Offer serums and essences to enhance the appeal of skin-brightening and oil-control benefits
- Novel, transformative textures can pave the way for oil-control formulations
- Tackle the oiliness and acne issues that are mentioned alongside glowing and bright skin
- Address the link between oiliness and acne in skin-brightening NPD
- Upgrade brightening claims with convenience elements
- Younger Indian adults are notably more inclined towards instant gratification
- Graph 32: interest in instant brightening in brightening/lightening/whitening/glowing/radiance products, 2024
- The plateau in NPD aimed to deliver quick results marks an opportune moment to innovate
- Graph 33: skin-brightening facial skincare launches with time/speed claims, 2019-24
- Deliver instant brightening effects
- Combine oil control with instant brightening to maximise the appeal of skin-brightening products
- Put a spotlight on instant-gratification and oil-control features in NPD
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Appendix
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Abbreviations
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