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MADAMENOIRE and HelloBeautiful just teamed up to bring back the popular and influential Melanin Awards, a tradition that highlights and celebrates some of the best Black beauty brands of the day. The editorial team of the two publications personally tested dozens of products to deliver readers with honest and true recommendations. Categories include hair, nails, makeup, skin and fragrance and awards were given out for nearly every type of product from best wig to best eye cream and beyond. If it can be added to your beauty routine, the editors tried it. You can check out all of the winners here.
While our lifestyle brands are dedicated to exploring and elevating Black brands and consumers, the beauty industry as a whole has continued to fall short in this department. However, research has consistently found that companies leave massive revenue on the table by not tailoring their products and advertisements to Black consumers. MN did a deep dive into the spending habits of Black consumers in the beauty and self-care categories. What we found was eye-opening – and should certainly be on the radar of every beauty brand’s marketing department. Here’s what we know.
Black Consumers Spend Hella Dollars On Beauty
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After reviewing research from several of the top research groups, including McKinsey, Nielsen and Statista, we learned some stats that beauty brands should take serious note of, like the fact that Black shoppers spend $473 million a year on hair care products and $465 million a year on skincare products.
- Black shoppers still love IRL shopping. In spite of the rise of online shopping, Black shoppers are more likely than other populations to still enjoy going to a brick-and-mortar store, taking a stroll and exploring new products in person. Brands should be considering how their presence addresses the needs and desires of Black shoppers in real stores.
- Black shoppers take staff recs. Black shoppers are also more likely than other groups to consider the recommendations made by the retail associates in a store. If your brand is carried in a department store, or you have your own store, ask yourself: are the staff primed to recommend your products? Are they engaging with the customers enough?
- Black shoppers consider ads. A significant percentage of Black shoppers consider advertisements to provide useful information about products. They consume most of their advertisements on their phones. If a brand’s mobile ads are not tailored to Black consumers, they’re sleeping on a large customer base who is ready to pay attention to a well-made ad.
