The BB boom

Published Jan 10, 2018 05:30pm

By Amber Arshad
Is the hype surrounding BB creams is well-deserved?

According to Euromonitor International, the current global beauty market is

estimated to be $433 billion; it registered a respectable growth rate of five
percent in 2016 and is expected to maintain a compound annual growth
rate (CAGR) of seven percent (reaching $699 billion by the end of 2023).
The market is mainly segmented into skin and sun care (share: approx
30%), hair care (20%), makeup and colour cosmetics (15%), deodorants and
fragrances (14%) and others (21%).

Out of these segments, makeup and colour cosmetics is forecast to record the
highest growth rate at 9.2% (source: Business Wire) in the next five years. This
increase is not surprising. Changing consumer lifestyles, increased exposure to
fashion and glamour, accessibility to a wider range of makeup products and
rising disposable incomes are some of the reasons behind the growth of this
segment. It is this demand that drives constant innovation; to give something new
to the fickle and fussy consumer.

One such novel product is the BB (beauty balm) cream, which claims to combine
its primary benefits from three different segments – sun care, skincare and colour
cosmetics – and provides an all-in-one solution that contains SPF (sun protection
factor), moisturiser, foundation and in some cases, even anti-ageing ingredients.
The cream, although formulated by a German dermatologist in 1960, gained
massive popularity in the Korean beauty market (which is worth $13 billion and is
well-known for using ‘natural’ and unconventional ingredients such as snail
mucin, green tea, maple tree sap and bee venom in its skincare products), before
making its way to the Western markets. Apart from the novelty factor, BB creams’
relatively-affordable price points and multi-functionality (save time) have been the
key reasons behind their success worldwide. This is also why the primary target
audience of BB creams are women aged between 16 and 35 who don’t have a
lot of spare time and often, limited budgets.

In Pakistan, the major players which offer a BB cream in their portfolio include
L’Oreal, Pond’s, Unilever Fair & Lovely and J Dot. L’Oreal was the first to launch
this cream (under the Garnier brand) in Pakistan in 2013. Maybelline, another
L’Oreal brand, also has a BB cream but is not as aggressively marketed in
Pakistan as the Garnier BB cream.

According to Hassan Umar, Group Product Manager, Garnier skin care, L’Oreal,
“we identified a shift in Pakistani women – they wanted to move beyond fairness
creams and towards acquiring a healthier, smoother-looking skin. Our research
showed that they were mixing at least three different products to achieve the
perfect look – a moisturiser, foundation or base and some form of sun
protection.” It was these changing needs that were the reason behind the launch
of Garnier BB cream in Pakistan.

Keeping in consideration the varying skin needs, Garnier BB cream is available

in two skin types; oil-clear and classic. Each type is available in two shades, light
and medium. The cream is priced at Rs 699 and comes in a 50 ml tube (classic)
and 40 ml (oil-clear).

In contrast, Fair & Lovely is available in only one shade and skin type and is
priced at Rs 135 (18 gms) and Rs 299 (40 gms). The cream was initially
introduced in India in 2015. “India is a huge market, so most of our new products
are introduced there. Later, we decided to roll it out in Pakistan, which is a similar
market in terms of consumer behaviour patterns,” says Mehreen Siddiqui,
Assistant Brand Manager, Unilever.

Recognising the scope of this product, J Dot Makeup (a Junaid Jamshed

company) launched its BB cream in 2016, available at a comparatively steep
price of Rs 1,200 (30 ml) and comes in three skin shades (light, medium and
dark).

On the subject of the price, Sana Nusrat, Makeup Consultant, J Dot Makeup,
says that “unlike other local brands, our BB cream is made from natural, organic
ingredients with no chemical preservatives to prolong shelf life. We are as good
as any international brand.”

While J Dot’s primary target audience are women from the SEC A and B and the
product is only available at J Dot retail outlets, Fair & Lovely’s BB cream aims to
reach a wider audience. According to Siddiqui, “our product democratises BB
creams; affordable for almost everyone and available even in small grocery
or kiryana stores.” Garnier seems to have taken a middle route, with its product
available at hyper and supermarkets, cosmetic stores and e-commerce platforms
such as Daraz.pk.

As the market penetration of BB creams in Pakistan is low (about three percent),

brands are focusing on creating product awareness rather than fighting for
market share. Fair & Lovely’s campaign, launched in September this year,
features actor and model Mawra Hocane and aims to attract and educate young
women about the cream. The campaign is digital-only, as according to Nabeel
Danish, Account Manager (Digital), MullenLowe Rauf (Fair & Lovely’s creative
agency), “the cream’s target audience is 100% present on digital and with careful
audience targeting, we have the potential of reaching seven million women –
something which is not possible with TV. Choosing Hocane was a conscious
decision as she is very popular among young women and has the ‘girl-next-door’
image which we wanted.”
Garnier focuses on BTL activities. “We often visit colleges and conduct product
sampling at malls and stores – the purpose is to create awareness about the
benefits of BB creams,” says Umar.

Nusrat of J Dot Makeup concurs. “There is room for everyone. Right now we
need to educate women on how to use the product, create awareness about how
harmful fairness creams can be and why it’s important to use sun protection with
your makeup – our beauty advisors do this at the outlets. We haven’t released
any major marketing campaign to promote the cream.”

Despite the attention that BB creams have attracted, makeup and skincare
aficionados and experts have reservations. In an article published in The
Huffington Post, Los Angeles-based celebrity dermatologist Dr Harold Lancer
says, “BB creams are a brilliant marketing concept. However, one cream that fits
all is a false notion. There is some modest-benefit moisturising, but it should not
replace any other vital steps in skincare.”

A Karachi-based makeup artist Rayyan Thomas gives a local perspective:

“Pakistan has a very humid climate for which we need a higher value of SPF; the
15 or 20 SPF in BB creams is not enough for sun protection. In my opinion, BB
creams should be treated as a light coverage, day makeup solution, not an all-
encompassing miracle cream.”

According to dermatologist Dr Mubashra Khan, “every skin has a different pH

value which determines its moisture level and in turn, the right moisturiser for it. A
one-size-fits-all cannot work for a long-term skincare solution – a BB cream is at
best, the ‘panadol’ of skin creams.”

Despite these reservations, BB creams do offer a time- and cost-efficient light

coverage makeup solution with some skincare benefits. Looking forward, with
‘alphabet creams’ such as CC creams (colour control formulations that include a
concealer), DD (daily defense, which in addition to concealer contain anti-ageing
ingredients) and EE (extra exfoliation) creams gaining traction in the global
beauty market, multi-functional creams are clearly a trend that will play a role in
the growth of the international, and eventually, the local beauty market.