Might the trusty mascara soon become obsolete?
According to a new report by Business of Fashion, lash lifts and extensions could be overtaking the mascara category.
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While the publication cites that beauty companies sold an incredible $8.1 billion worth of mascara last year, according to Euromonitor International, it also noted that popular brands like Fenty Beauty, KKW Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Huda Beauty have yet to introduce a mascara formula. But why?
The report went on to say that although mascara is the beauty industry’s largest category, its growth is expected to take a dip from 4 per cent in the last three years to 2 percent through 2021, according to Euromonitor. Why? It’s not only a difficult product for newer brands to formulate, but lash treatments like lifts, extensions, and tinting, are skyrocketing in popularity.
One might argue that these procedures take more time than simply swiping on mascara, but they last for months and, in the long run, save women time getting ready. Another appeal is longer, more natural-looking lashes without using any product, and not having to rub your eyes to remove mascara – which can be bad for the very sensitive skin around the eye area.
“The comfort level with consumers to go and get these different kinds of treatments and services has definitely reached an all-time high,” said Sarah Jindal, senior beauty analyst at Mintel told BoF. “People are willing to invest a little bit more in going and getting a lash lift or lash extensions, because they know it then makes their routine in the morning that much easier.”
SugarLash PRO, Elysee Zhadikpur, and Blow LTD are just some of the many providers that offer lash services and treatments. In the report, the latter’s founder, Fiona McIntosh, says its LVL Lash Lift is the company’s fastest-growing service.
No longer purely reserved for festival fields, false lashes, too, are becoming more popular in everyday beauty routines. Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan, who launched her multi-million dollar brand with faux lashes, says that there has always been a demand for them, but that new lightweight formulations that are more natural-looking have boosted their appeal.
“Women here wear false lashes pretty much every day, whether that’s for a special occasion, going to work or heading to the gym,” said Dubai-based Kattan.
“I know how big of a project developing mascara will be, so there’s a lot to consider before taking it on,” she explained. “Because the formula goes directly onto hair, there is a lot to take into consideration that you don’t have to think about with complexion products.”
According to the report, it’s more challenging for a younger, independent make-up brands to get a stake in the vastness of the mascara business. (After all, how often do women really change their mascara once they’ve found the one they love?) So, the brand will look for other products it can introduce that are more unique, or focus on other profitable, more trend-led categories, such as highlighters.
Regardless, $8 billion worth of sales proves that mascara isn’t quite going to disappear off the shelves just yet.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
THE BEST MASCARAS FOR VOLUME, LENGTH, CURL AND LIFT
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- FOR A SOFT TOUCH…To avoid lashes becoming hard and dry, Lancôme Hypnôse’s mascara contains silicone, glycerine and Vitamin B5 to keep lashes soft and supple all day long. Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara, £22.50
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- FOR A SIXTIES-INSPIRED LOOK…The double-sided brush on YSL’s Baby Doll mascara (thick bristles on one side and smaller, finer ones on the other) works to make lashes appear multiplied, for a wide-eyed Sixties look. It comes in a variety of colours for those who feel particularly daring.YSL Beauté Baby Doll Mascara, £25
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- FOR STRENGTHENING…Dior’s New Look mascara features a serum to thicken, strengthen and extend eyelashes, while the nano-brush helps to catch every single lash – even the smallest ones.Dior Diorshow New Look Mascara, £25
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- FOR BIG IMPACT…The rich carbon formula in Bobbi Brown’s new mascara creates strong, thick lashes in the blink of an eye. Its large brush makes it easy to apply when you’re in a hurry. Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara, £23
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- FOR ALL-ROUND PERFORMANCE… There’s a reason this is the UK’s number one best-selling mascara: it curls, lifts, lengthens and adds volume, all in one fell sweep. Plus, it doesn’t smudge and really lasts, leaving you with a defined finish.Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara, £19.50
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- FOR FULL COVERAGE…Chanel Le Volume’s patent brush combines a mixture of long and short bristles to deliver precise and intense coverage in minimal strokes, coating lashes from root to tip. It’s a favourite amongst the Bazaar beauty team for its volumising effect.Chanel Le Volume Ultra-Noir Mascara, £25
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- FOR MAXIMUM LASH LIFT…Prepare for long-lasting pushed up lashes at a budget price. Maybelline’s falsies push up drama mascara is one of the most-loved budget-brand mascaras due to its curved wand, which lifts lashes from corner to corner and holds them for 12 hours with the style wax formula. Maybelline Falsies push up drama mascara, £7.99
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- FOR INSTANT IMPACT…Want beautifully voluminous lashes in a rush? Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara delivers just that with its ultra-concentrated black pigment and ‘Flash Volume Complex’ that creates instant length and volume in a few strokes. The only negative is that the formula can transfer to the brow bone if you have long lashes, so be sure to wear an eye primer.Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara, £20
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- FOR WATERPROOF ALL-ROUND PERFORMANCE…The waterproof version of Too Faced’s Better than Sex mascara – otherwise known as the best-selling mascara in the world – ensures that your dramatically volumised, curled, defined and lengthened lashes last after a gym class, in the London rain, or on an emotional day.Too Faced Better Than Sex waterproof mascara, £19
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- FOR HEALTHY LASHES…This innovative mascara features micro-beads filled with keratin to strengthen lashes, nourishing rich peptides to boost the lash fringe and Givenchy’s exclusive formula of Lash Booster Expert Complex and Cotton Nectar Extract that works to fortify, nourish and protect every single lash.Givenchy Noir Couture volume mascara, £25
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- FOR LONGEVITY… Not only does this Estée Edit mascara create unbelievable length and volume, it also delivers 15 hours of sweat- and humidity-resistant wear as well as a smudge- and clump-free formula you’ll fall head over heels for.The Estée Edit edgiest mascara, £17
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- FOR A SOFT TOUCH…To avoid lashes becoming hard and dry, Lancôme Hypnôse’s mascara contains silicone, glycerine and Vitamin B5 to keep lashes soft and supple all day long. Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara, £22.50
