Beauty, grooming and self-pampering during lockdown

After a tough 2020 most businesses saw a revival some movement and an upswing in the first quarter of 2021 To gain an insight into how the beauty business has fared over the past six months IANSlife caught up with Mrunmay Mehta Head Beauty and Luxury Beauty at Amazon IndiaAs most cities begin curfews and lockdowns once again will there be a slump or rise in demand of beauty products What are the beauty trends we can try at home and which grooming tools are a must haveQ What has the sale of beauty products on Amazon Beauty been like in the last 6 months Which products have seen the highest demandA We have observed that customers are looking for ways to stay engaged at home through selfpampering spending time on grooming and experimenting with makeup The eye category has seen maximum acceleration followed by lips category The premium beauty business is recovering at a faster pace and continues to accelerate online The perfume category is also witnessing an increase in demand among customers These categories will continue to accelerate online given increased customer adoption of online as a buying channel in the new normal we live in In the last six months we have witnessed a surge in demand for beauty products such as eyemake up matte and transfer proof lipsticks skincare and beauty tools and accessories on our platformQ Bollywood and beauty whats the impact and why isnt Amazon Beauty part of the trajectoryA Customers today are inspired by not just Bollywood but in fact a lot more by so many digital platforms influencers and social media Fashion and beauty trends have been influenced by films for the longest time Even today this is largely evident in customers across markets including tier2 and tier3 cities In early 2020 we collaborated with Filmfare as the title sponsor of the 65th edition of Filmfare Awards to bring alive the connection between entertainment fashion and beauty Besides we also created a storefront to leverage the makeup looks of the characters from the Bandish Bandits web series on Prime VideoAt Amazon we also have a large affiliates program where influencers can host their page on Amazon and direct traffic to it through their channels Lastly Amazon overall has multiple channels of customer engagement and acquisition across customer touchpoints such as FoundIt and Fashion Influencer Program from which we continue to see a rapid increase in our customer base for beauty as wellQ What are the biggest beauty trends for 2021A As the world lives with the pandemic customers are looking to stay engaged at home through selfpampering spending time on grooming and experimenting with makeup The makeup and premium beauty business had taken a momentary pause in March 2020 but has slowly recovered to its preCovid performance with the advent of video conference calls Highlighting some broad trends were witnessing on Amazon Beauty over the past six months Revival of Makeup With eyes becoming the new lips within makeup the eye category has seen maximum acceleration Brands have quickly aligned themselves to innovate in the lips category by moving from gloss and shine lipsticks to promoting matte transferproof and smudgeproof lipsticks tinted lip balms and tint this season only to stay in line with the new norms they can be worn with face masks See the Rainbow There is an emergence of joyful colours be it on the lips eyes or the cheek While minimalism as a trend continues products will be used to add a dash of colour on the eyes yellow blue pink etc Natural Effortless Glam A naturally glamorous and glowing face has made a comeback Customers are now doubling down on highlighters and bronzers that offer a glowing face coupled with dramatic lashes and blushed cheeks Clean Beauty Today customers are mindful about product ingredients and formulations With people spending more time and research on their beauty routines there has been a distinct rise in the adoption of natural organic and plantbased skincare and haircare as well as natural makeup products Salon at Home With customers facing limitations in visiting salons the focus on professional skincare and haircare products has multiplied We are seeing a surge in demand for professional brands on Amazon Beauty which were only popular with salons earlierQ How has Amazon Beauty integrated technology on its platform how has the customers approach been towards using itA Amazon Beauty has rolled out a feature called Virtual Try On VTO which allows customers to try on colour cosmetics virtually Customers can either use a photograph stored in their phones or one of preloaded model faces or even live camera android only at present to use this feature The visual nature of this feature allows the user to test colour cosmetics and see how it will look on their skin virtually bridging the gap between the offline and online buying experience and making shopping effortless on Amazon Beauty Lakhs of customers have tried VTO and we see a higher purchase intent from customers who interact with itQ Skincare being the new makeup what are the highest selling products currentlyA During the pandemic we have observed the epicentre of beauty shift from makeup to skincare With the limited choice of stepping out and the consequent rise of work from home culture people began to pay attention to their cleansing toning and moisturising CTM regimen more religiously leading to a doubledigit spike on our platform especially within product range of night creams sunscreen face oils and face serums Customers consumption habits slowly drifted towards products that offer several benefits and uses They also opted for double duty makeup products like lip tint which can be used both on lips and cheeks as blush or tinted sunscreens and moisturises for both SPF protection and light coverage Beauty tools and accessories too saw a doubledigit spike as the demand for products such as makeup tools facial massager gua sha stone and jade roller surgedQ 5 must have beauty products available on Amazon BeautyA Amazon Beauty offers Indias widest selection of beauty products and brands ranging from luxury beauty to everyday essentials attracting new customers every day We house 30000 plus brands and 12 lakh plus products for customers to choose from across categories such as skincare haircare makeup fragrance natural remedies mens grooming among others Here are 5 musthave beauty essentials for everyday use available on Amazon BeautyLight weight moisturisersMattifying sunscreensTransfer proof lipsticksLong lasting perfumes