As U.S. diversifies, products follow suit

As the U.S. population becomes increasingly diverse, meeting the beauty needs of ethnic shoppers continues to become increasingly vital and, as evidenced by the influx of new products, manufacturers are taking note and heeding the call.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the year ended July 31, 2011, African-Americans, Latinos and other minorities accounted for 50.4% of all births. This was up from 49.5% from the 2010 Census taken April 1, 2010.

"The profile of a typical shopper will evolve in age, family size, family income and, most importantly, the nature of their unmet needs. … Marketing to this emerging majority requires a culturally astute approach that demonstrates an understanding of each group's unique needs, particularly in the personal care segment," Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO of SheaMoisture-maker Sundial Brands, told Drug Store News in an earlier interview.

Sundial Brands, like many manufacturers, is looking for ways to better serve this consumer group. "We take a problem/solution approach to hair and skin care; ethnicity doesn't play into our product development, but hair and skin care needs do," Dennis said.

In addition, ethnic beauty industry veteran Brian Marks and his wife, former model Nene Marks, recently introduced the new Nene's Secret hair care collection, a seven-SKU maintenance line. Having created five brands — All Ways Natural, African Pride, Ginseng Miracle, 911 and Dr. Miracle's — Marks continues a 32-year career as an innovator in the ethnic hair care business.

With a recent survey indicating that 1-out-of-4 African-American women with natural hair would like to straight-style their hair — but only if their curl pattern would not be comprised — ethnic hair care brand Motions recently introduced its new Motions Straight Finish Heat Styled System. The three-step product line helps women with natural hair textures go from curly to straight and back again without losing their curls.

Specific Beauty, which is a treatment line for "multi-hued" skin by dermatologist Heather Woolery-Lloyd, unveiled earlier this year its new Dark Spot Corrector Pads, which, according to the manufacturer, is the only dark spot corrector available in a pad formula.

"More than 50% of those suffering from uneven skin tone don't simply have 'spots,' but also have a generalized uneven appearance to their skin. These pads offer a complete solution for those who experience dark spots and all over uneven skin tone," stated Woolery-Lloyd, co-founder of Specific Beauty, when announcing the launch.