Merging health and beauty trends drive cosmeceutical growth.

2004 JUL 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Consumer attitudes are blurring the boundaries between health and beauty, driving growth in cosmeceuticals and creating new challenges for marketers and retailers, according to Sarah Wilcox, senior vice president, group account director at Draft and the head of its Draft health unit, and Jim Lucas, senior vice president and director of strategic planning and research at Draft Chicago (Illinois).

In a joint presentation at the Strategic Research Institute's "Cosmeceuticals: New Strategies & Developments" Conference in New York City, New York, Wilcox and Lucas identified increased life expectancy, working women, and new ingredients and technologies as major factors affecting the way consumers are now thinking about health and beauty - and why and where they shop for related products.

"Increased life expectancy has brought about a change in the way people view aging and what they can - and should - do about it," said Wilcox.

"Meanwhile, there are also a growing number of women in the workforce feeling pressure to maintain a youthful and vibrant appearance. These women allocate significant dollars to beauty regimens as well as health-related services, such as yoga and massages. These women are looking to treat themselves to a better appearance, or to save time with their beauty routine, or to relieve stress. If you factor in the plethora of new and improved ingredients and technologies, you have a marketplace full of new opportunities to improve health and beauty."

In a presentation titled, "Putting Power Behind Your Products," Lucas and Wilcox indicated consumer thought and behavior are still in the nascent stage and can be influenced, a task in which both manufacturers and retailers must play a major role.

"Health and beauty as categories are overlapping, with cosmeceuticals sitting in the middle. Consumers are expecting a lot from both extremes of these categories, from their over-the-counter skin care creams to their full-scale face lifts," said Wilcox.

"Cosmetic surgery is becoming acceptable to a large portion of the population, and people will go to great lengths - stapling, stitching, and lifting - to look good. ...