Bathing beauty trend: a closer look
Here, we take a closer look at the trend, digging behind the surface to reveal what it could mean for the industry.
Trend overview
Google believes bathing is back, with the term on the rise as a top trend in the West. It took off in France during the summer of 2016, and has been seeing mounting popularity in the US since late 2015.
The trend apparently ties in closely with the move towards ‘DIY’ beauty, another key trend that the Google report has identified.
“American consumers are especially interested in crafting personalized bathtime experiences with DIY solutions and natural ingredients,” the internet giant confirms. ”Searches for bath bomb recipe are growing 72% year over year, and DIY bath bomb is growing at 80% year over year.”
A bath bomb explosion
Mintel, a leading market research firm, notes that the continued consumer interest in treats and special experiences is leading to the resurgence of specialty bathing products.
The firm’s senior beauty analyst, Charlotte Libby, observed this in the company’s recent report for the soap, bath and shower category in the UK.
“The SBS (soap, bath and shower) market, once plagued by consumer reliance on price promotions and special offers, continues to fluctuate as consumers now trade down on daily essentials in order to treat themselves with more luxurious occasional-use items such as detox bath salts,” she confirmed.
“Bathing, which is falling from favour as a regular activity, shows signs of strengthening sales and usage as it repositions as an area for treatment, encompassing health trends such as detox and mindfulness.”
About the Google Beauty Trends report
The Google report identifies and compares consumer habits and demands across three key global markets: the US, France and Japan.
To compile the report, Google pulled top volume queries related to the beauty category and looked at their monthly volume from September 2014 to September 2016.
