In this Issue

Coming from a diverse neighborhood gave her ‘street smarts,’ but Rite Aid’s head of pharmacy tells Drug Store News her most important leadership lessons came from two pillars of the Philadelphia community — her mom and dad.

More than two-thirds of baby boomers over the age of 60 reported some hearing loss, or the inability to hear high-pitched sounds, according to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And that’s cause for concern, as the Journal of the American Geriatric Society has projected that the cost for the first year of hearing loss treatment in older adults will reach $51 billion nationwide by 2030.

The other day, I saw a young man in baggy jeans — that ridiculously enormous cut from the late 90s/early 2000s that seemed to fit every waist size from 28 inches to 4.5 ft., and gave every person the illusion of being their own “after” picture in one of those bad billboard weight loss ads. It was just another reminder that either, for a lack of creativity or extremely bad taste, every bad idea that ever existed eventually will be recycled.

Sports nutrition recovery mixes, protein bars and pre-workout shakes are becoming popular among a consumer well beyond core vein-popping gym rats. As more Americans wrestle with the cost of their health care, they continue to gravitate toward better lifestyle choices. This means these niche products that were at one time only purchased by body builders and serious athletes have become appealing to the mainstream consumer.

Retailers expect the second half of 2017 will bring bounce to overlooked categories within hair care, especially styling aids and treatments. While shampoos and conditioners have squeezed out low single-digit gains over the past few years, the styling segment has been flat or down.

Mass market doors might not be the prime destination for all beauty products, but there are market wedges the channel dominates. An example is color cosmetics, where brows and lashes are leading the charge to attract shoppers. Bath sales are also bubbling again as drug stores wrest customers away from mall-based specialty stores, while also nabbing licensed hits that score big with parents. IRI tracked double-digit increases in the category over the past year.

If IRI’s latest Pacesetters report on the biggest consumer packaged goods product launches in 2016 could be summed up in one message, it’s that consumers are looking for healthier options. The trend extends to consumables with 57% of food and beverage categories with healthier solutions growing faster than the sector average.

Artificial eyelashes are an important accessory for many celebrities. Among those accenting their eyes with a little help from lashes is Naomi Watts. According to her makeup artist Mary Wiles, Watts has worn Ardell Double Flare Lashes.

Celebrities aren’t alone when it comes to donning fakes. Sales of artificial eyelashes packaged with adhesives rose 31% to $157 million, according to IRI data for multi-outlet retailers for the 52-week period ended March 19. Eyelash adhesives kicked in another $30 million and showed growth of 24%.