The nail polish market - France (2023)

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

The application of nail polish is intended to beautify and protect the nails. It is usually applied with a small brush integrated into the cap of the varnish bottle, then it takes a few minutes for the varnish to dry; some varnishes can also be applied in gel form and then hardened with a UV lamp.

Nail polish is part of the cosmetics segment, and more precisely of the makeup category. The latter also includes eye shadows, foundations, powders, blushes, mascaras, lipsticks. The nail polish market is a sub-segment of the nail market whose scope extends to the activities of professional salons or the sale of nail polish removers.

The different targets and outlets of the nail polish market are private individuals as well as cosmetic care professionals such as beauty salons or nail bars. The professional in charge of taking care of the nails is a nail technician.

The global beauty market has experienced a decline of 8% in 2020 due to the health crisis and the nail polish sector has not escaped the trend. Indeed, a 10% decline in the market for nail products between 2019 and 2020 has been noted. This segment is among the markets most spared by the crisis in the beauty sector, unlike those of lipstick or complexion products for example.

Nail polish, considered in the past as a marker of social class, has been democratized since the 2010s, with the rise of nail art in particular. Nail art is the art of decorating nails with a range of accessories. The rise of nail art was first made in Asian countries, such as Japan or Korea, but it has been exported throughout the world, to the United States and Europe, especially through the Internet. The nail art can be done as much on the hands as on the feet and it doesn't matter if it is on natural nails or on false nails.

In France, as in the world, we observe a decline in demand for cosmetics and nail polish is not escaping with a decline of 15% in the number of users in 5 years. However, this market remains interesting with dynamic branches, such as semi-permanent nail polish, which is now available to individuals and is increasingly popular in beauty salons. Nail art can be done alone by getting the right equipment and looking at models on the internet (on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or on specialized blogs for example), but it can also be done in an institute for a few euros. These two factors have also contributed to the emergence of nail bars.

Nail care is also an interesting branch, since nail care in general will account for 47% of the cosmetics market's turnover in 2020, and with the emergence of the nail bar, it will be possible to increase this figure.and with the growth of gels or semi-permanent nail polish techniques, which are more likely to damage nails, consumers are increasingly turning to nail care products.