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Futurologist and Trend Watcher Helga Hertsig-Lavocah, who tracks trends across multiple categories to inspire new product development, tackles the abundance of opportunities provided by the current phenomenon of sleep deprivation.

"Beauty Sleep" is important

Sleep deprivation has been called a “silent epidemic”, and the beauty industry is jumping in to help tackle this crisis. Bath and Body Works' (BBW’s) revamp of its Aromatherapy line, which includes Sleep, is certain to trigger more brands to consider beauty sleep.

Multi-million opportunity – a sleeping beauty of a market

According to research in the US2 only 20% of consumers get as much sleep as they would like every day; and 32% of consumers get less sleep than they would like 4 or more days per week. Other research highlights that 58% think of sleep quality when asked about their health.Good sleep is key to happiness, and not getting enough is linked to depression, weight gain, heart disease and now even Alzheimer’s.Sleep loss is said to cost the US economy $411 billion a year. Even magazines such as Vogue are giving tips on how to improve sleep health. Multiply these US figures up for the world, and the opportunities are staggering.

Beauty and sleep

Prior to BBW’s relaunch of their Wellness line, which revived its Sleep skus, the market was surprisingly devoid of brands daring to claim to aid sleep. One exception, and an inspirational one at that, is boutique lifestyle brand The Good Night Darling Co which is “dedicated to teaching you how to sleep well and feel great while doing it.” Their range includes herbal teas, tinctures, bath salts, body wash, candles and pillow sprays with a custom fragrance blend. It “exudes a relaxing scent that calms nerves, seduces your senses and promotes deep, restful sleep.”

The way forward: education

Creating new habits and rituals is one of the hardest routes to market. Education and building on existing rituals will therefore be key. Naturals beauty brand Neom Organics launched wellbeing schools in their stand-alone London and Leeds stores on July 1st where consumers can learn how to improve their sleep, de-stress, boost energy and happiness. At the sleep school, Neomologists reveal the sleep secrets they have gathered from the Neom Wellbeing Board and create a pre-bedtime routine that fits into the client’s life, helping them switch off, unplug and nod off. We can imagine other brands adopting a similar strategy – looking at client’s total health. This means selling more than an off-the-shelf body wash or body lotion. It means creating a relationship – which is what marketing in 2017 and beyond is all about, even in the mass market.

Sleep-enhancing beauty routines with potential

Sleep is still a fuzzy area, an attractive claim, one that consumers know they need, but one they are prepared to sacrifice to squeeze more into their day. I believe that linking sleep and sport will appeal to a consumer base that is already more invested in their health than the average consumer. I also recommend educating consumers in massage techniques to help relax and therefore aid sleep – as part of a new bedtime routine. This would work for wash-off and leave-on personal care. To help further our understanding of the importance of forty winks, why not participate in the world’s largest sleep study, run by Professor Adrian Owen, a neuroscientist whose research focuses on brain imaging, cognitive function and consciousness.

Author: 
Helga Hertsig-Lavocah, Futurologist & Trend Watcher, Hint Futurology Creative Consultancy, Dublin, Ireland, Helga@hintfuturology.com, www.hintfuturology.com

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