State of mood: The emerging emotional influences behind beauty

As the urban lifestyles continue to lead consumers into a cycle of stress, their need to safeguard their own wellness, including their emotional well-being, is growing.

With the landscape of beauty becoming more saturated with new launches, understanding and embracing emotions have become vital in connecting with consumers, causing beauty products and emotion to become tightly entwined with each other.

Playing on emotions

Sharon Kwek, Senior Innovation and Insights Analyst at Mintel, said that emotions have a considerable influence over the consumer’s purchasing decisions.

“Consumers are increasingly concerned about and focused on their personal wellbeing,” ​she said. “How one feels can have an influence over the decision making process.”​

However, she added that emotion still has to work hand-in-hand with reason to catch the consumer’s eye.

“Facts and reasons are used to convince consumers when it comes to supporting the efficacy of products or ingredients, while emotions value add to the pitch, establishing long term brand connection with consumers.”​

Giving us insight into the inner workings of the consumer, Kwek revealed that their minds are flooded with thoughts right to the very second before purchase. “Therefore, things like packaging, for instance, can influence how consumers feel based on the touch or even look of it and can change a purchase decision at the very last minute.”​

Feel-good factors

Prismologie, a Kuwait-based body care brand, has created a multi sensorial range through colour therapy. Like it merges beauty with wellness, the brand blends gemstones and stirring fragrances to enrich the mind and re-energise the body.

Like Prismologie, Uk-brand Neom Organic uses 100% natural and organic ingredients to boost consumers’ wellbeing through the use of fragrances. Their products aim to be emotionally uplifting while relieving stress, aiding sleep, and boosting energy.

“Happiness, stress-relief and feeling refreshed or recharged, are some of the more common emotions sought after by today’s consumers, and are also what brands are offering. Much like skincare, we are also looking at how emotional health management may have its own regime,” said Kwek.​

Opportunities for male beauty products

While many of these beauty brands who cater to the emotional well-being target female consumers, Kwek assures that opportunities exist in the male-grooming market as well.

“Men are more convinced when products come with supporting facts. That said, emotions go beyond just providing happiness or stress-relief to consumers. Therefore, opportunities exist for the male grooming space to leverage emotions as well.”​

In order to reach that demographic, Kwek suggested that brands explore a different emotional template.

“With men paying more attention to their appearance and becoming more sophisticated, the time may be ripe for beauty and personal care brands to also explore emotions that resonate well with men, like confidence.”​

Join Sharon Kwek and Mintel at in-cosmetics Asia 2018 for the presentation: “Developing beauty in a world of emotions” to experience innovative beauty products that are enhancing their moods through all senses.

Click here​ to register for in-cosmetics North America 2018, which will be taking place on October 17 to 18 at Javits Centre, New York City.