Cosmetics bounce back after Covid-19

L’ORÉAL’S make-up sales are set to bounce back to pre-covid-19 pandemic levels, the French group’s new chief executive said on Friday, with women opting for brighter colours in their post-crisis make-overs.

Cosmetics groups were hit by shop closures and consumers shunning make-up during lockdowns, with many people spending online instead on items including premium skincare.

Nicolas Hieronimus, a L’oréal veteran, has become chief executive just as vaccinations alter the landscape again, prompting not only a return of products such as mascaras but other changes the firm may have to adapt to as people try to break with the crisis.

Women have recently been opting for bolder shades of hair dyes, such as blue, Hieronimus said, a potential sign that brighter make-up colours could also be on the cards.

“It’s a clear indicator that people want to indulge themselves. They want to have fun, and express their differences and their individuality,” Hieronimus said. “It’s a good omen.”

Make-up sales in countries such as China and Israel, where shops are open and Covid-19 constraints have largely lifted, have yet to reach 2019 levels but could do so this year, Hieronimus added in an interview.

“We’re monitoring online and social network conversation topics, and in the US recently the volume of conversations around make-up reached an all-time high.”

The cosmetics slump hit 2020 revenues at L’oréal and its consumer products division, home to brands such as Maybelline, with group sales falling 6.3 percent to €28 billion (R478.25bn), although they began to pick up in the second half.