Professional nail care sales up 6%, driven by long-wear polish and removal techniques

The global professional nail care market grew by almost 6% in 2015 thanks to innovations in products and removal techniques, according to new research by consulting firm Kline.

Long-wear polishes such as CND's Vinylux, OPI's Infinite Shine and Jessica's Phenom, which combine the benefits of gel and regular polish have been behind the surge, with the category posting a triple-digit increase in sales last year, the Professional Nail Care: Global Market Brief report found.

Innovations in removal methods have also fuelled the growth. Last year several brands created new removal services for soak-off polishes, including peel-off base coats and steamers, in response to consumers' growing concerns about the over-use of acetone or filing, which can damage the nails, the research found.

The report cited professional brand launches including CND's Xpress5 Top Coat, which enables CND Shellac to come off in five minutes, and Alessandro International's nail clip to hold foils in place.

“While this innovation is the key market driver, it is also leading to cannibalisation of sales between product types, which causes several brands to suffer declines in sales for their nail polish product lines as loyal consumers shift to use long-wear nail polishes,” said Agnieszka Saintemarie, the report’s project manager.

However, hybrid nail polish and novel removal techniques are still in their early stages in the Asia-Pacific region, with filing still the most popular removal method and nail art dominating the market. Bandi is the only local brand offering long-wear nail polishes.

Kline predicts that as competition between professional nail care marketers continues to grow, this will have an effect on the market in the coming years.