Purple patch for lipstick in rush to perfect the ‘pouting selfie’
A CELEBRITY-driven craze for pouting selfies has encouraged young women to buy lipstick again, prompting a sharp rise in sales, research has found.
While sales of lip colour cosmetics grew by 8 per cent between 2014 and 2015, sales are predicted to rise by 12 per cent this year to £306 million, according to consumer analyst Mintel. Two out of five women purchased lipstick in the past year, rising to 48 per cent of women aged 16 to 24, it found.
Analysts said the trend was being driven by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, the full-lipped 18-year-old star of the Keeping up with the Kardashians who has her own line of cosmetics and wields enormous influence thanks to her 68 million followers on Instagram.
Charlotte Libby, senior beauty analyst at Mintel, said: “Sales of lip makeup are expected to grow significantly this year, thanks to a high number of new product launches in the category.
“While matte lipsticks have been a popular trend, the fuller lip, too, has been made fashionable again by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner.
“As beauty blogger tutorials continue to focus on recreating the full-lip look, sales of lip products are expected to increase.”
Mintel’s research found one in five make-up buyers seeks out products to create looks they have seen on video tutorials, while 16 per cent say they buy products from brands that have collaborated with their favourite designers, celebrities and bloggers. Overall, Britons are expected to spend £1.8 billion on colour cosmetics this year, up 7 per cent from £1.7 billion last year.
Ms Libby said the “clean living” trend was also having an influence on cosmetics sales, with the number of new colour cosmetics products with a gluten-free claim up by 677 per cent. The number of GMO-free products also trebled in a year, she said.
For years the peony has graced herbaceous borders tended by horticulturalists of a certain age. But now the brightly coloured, fragrant bloom has been named the nation’s best-selling summer flower, after its photogenic appearance led to it becoming an unlikely star of social media. Figures from the Co-op show that sales of peonies have risen by 70 per cent this year.