The Italian cosmetics grew by +5.2% in 2010 to reached 8.589 million euros. Foreign markets boosted the industry’s sales as exports leapt up by 17%, while the domestic market (+1.3%) only had a marginal impact on the industry’s turnover.
Evolution of the Italian cosmetics industry
The Italian trade surplus in this sector is estimated at 800 million euros in 2010. A detailed look at export figures by country of destinations confirms the dynamism of foreign markets: of all Italy’s top twenty customers, only sales to The Netherlands and Greece decreased in 2010. Germany is up by 38%, the United States by 29.7% and Russia by 22.6%.
Italian cosmetics industry exports (top 20 countries)
As far as the domestic market is concerned, professional channels (hairdressing and beauty salons) proved less resilient than traditional ones (perfumery shops, pharmacies, etc.) with growth rates of +0.8% and +1.4% respectively. According to Unipro, the Italian Association of Cosmetic Industries, “the drop-off in frequency of appointments at hairdressing and beauty salons, which have suffered the effects of the economic crisis that struck in the autumn of 2008 is still evident, although a revival is expected in 2011.”
Italian cosmetics market by retail channels
Click on the image to read Unipro’s full market report (in Italian):