Why it matters:
- More than half of consumers (particularly younger ones) skip everyday sun protection, often reserving sun care for beach vacations or warm weather seasons.
- In turn, the $2.5 billion sun care business in the U.S. lags skincare, which generates $33.9 billion in annual sales, according to Circana data.
- L’Oréal has set out to build sunscreen into a year-round business via its Sun Responsibly campaign (which echoes the iconic ‘Got Milk?’ campaign of the ’90s), tapping consumer education, retail partnerships, and product innovation to stoke purchases 12 months a year.
L’Oréal is on a mission to educate consumers on the benefits of sun care and build it into a year-round business while helping retailers (even other brands) drive sun care sales 12 months a year.
The biggest U.S. beauty brand’s Sun Responsibly campaign comes as the nation's big-box retailers still have significant growth potential in sun care, especially compared to skincare.
L’Oréal is now leaning into consumer education, retail merchandising muscle, and product category innovation to turn seasonal business into an everyday sale.
L’Oréal wouldn’t be the first brand looking to generate year-round sales from a business that’s largely seasonal.
The LumiStella Company, which owns the staple holiday brand Elf on the Shelf, taps its off-season for product development and partnerships, including licensing deals such as cereal collaborations and product lines like its Elftacular Year-Round Celebration Sets, where its elves are merchandised Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day through Halloween.
Meanwhile, UGG, known initially for its cold-weather boots, broadened its footwear to include sandals, sneakers, and more and even expanded into home goods to grow its customer base and generate year-round sales.
L’Oréal, for its part, is leaning into consumers, particularly younger ones, who reserve sun care for beach vacations and warm weather or eschew it altogether, to grow the sunscreen business year-round.
There are missed sales from not stocking sun care year-round. 'We need to encourage a new era of SPF use — one that defies traditional notions of seasonal sun care,' explained L’Oréal’s Gina Daley.
The company is now targeting shoppers in the U.S., particularly younger ones, who don’t follow recommended health guidelines regarding sunscreen usage, which is daily, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.
As a result, the sunscreen business needs “supplemental channels to promote the importance of daily sun protection,” Gina Daley, Assistant Vice President of Integrated Health at L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, told CO —.
Sizing up the sun care business at retail: Mass merchants seek to retain market share lead by promoting everyday use
Sunscreen sales are an estimated $2.5 billion U.S. business, lagging the $33.9 billion year-round skincare business, according to data provided by Circana. Mass channels dominate the sun care business and have delivered double-digit sales in the category over the past five years.
Supported by dermatologist recommendations, many consumers consider mass sun care brands such as L’Oréal’s CeraVe and La Roche-Posay on a par with prestige lines. But prestige sales have grown faster this past year, according to Circana, as premium brands look to court customers.
As mass merchants look to defend their market share, one avenue is to promote the category all year with a wide array of product options, which is where L’Oréal’s Sun Responsibly initiative comes in.
Also, consumers have a high level of trust in mass market skincare and sun products. Circana survey data found that two-thirds of consumers rate drugstore skincare (which includes sun products) as equal in quality to department-store brands, suggesting that building out the sun care business can help keep shoppers in mass stores.
Tapping consumer education to drive sun care health awareness and business
Informed by its relationships with dermatologists and retailers, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty created a Sun Care Consortium that worked for two years on a nonbranded campaign to promote sun safety.
The Sun Responsibly campaign debuted at the American Academy of Dermatology Meeting and has rolled out across thousands of retail stores and digital platforms supported by Ulta Beauty, CVS Health, Walgreens, Hy-Vee, and Meijer.
“The images [in the campaign] were designed to reflect consumers in unexpected, year-round settings where using sunscreen may not be intuitive,” Daley said.
[Read more: Scents of Change: Generation Z and Men Drive Fragrance Boom]
Leveraging buy-in from retailers and dermatologists
What’s unique about the campaign, according to Scott Emerson, President of The Emerson Group, is that it unites competing retailers, rallying them together for the greater good.
It is a message retailers believe needs to be amplified. “In a world where misinformation around health topics is common, this united effort allows us to combat potential confusion on a wider scale and show up as one voice to make a clear, meaningful impact on consumers,” said Michelle LeBlanc, Vice President of Merchandising for Beauty, Personal Care, and Hispanic Excellence at CVS, told CO—.
Dermatologists, who have been a force propelling L’Oréal’s CeraVe and La Roche-Posay brands, are on board too.
“I 100% will be using this campaign in my practice. We aspire for this campaign to become a household slogan, much like the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign,” said Dr. Mamina Turegano, a board-certified dermatologist.
That iconic ’90s campaign helped reverse declining milk consumption in the United States by positioning milk as an essential food and making it culturally resonant, particularly among younger consumers.
With L’Oréal’s Sun Responsibly campaign, “By embedding the message of responsible sun exposure into everyday conversations,” LeBlanc said, “we aim to promote awareness and encourage healthy sun practices across all communities.”
Building a year-round business that ‘defies traditional notions of seasonal sun care’
L’Oréal research found that the use of sun protection is up 40%, but more than half of those surveyed don't use the products consistently. Some deterrents included heavy textures, strong scents, or a white cast.
There are missed sales from not stocking sun care year-round.
“We need to encourage a new era of SPF use — one that defies traditional notions of seasonal sun care,” explained L’Oréal’s Daley.
There is also a critical inclusivity gap: While white and Asian consumers overindex on SPF use, fewer than 50% of Black consumers report regular application.
“As the population becomes more diverse, addressing formulation concerns and broadening representation in sun care messaging is essential,” she said.
“The aim of Sun Responsibly is not to compete for share but to expand the market through education and access. If more consumers understand the importance of sun protection, all brands have a greater opportunity to meet their needs,” she added, noting that L’Oréal invites other brands to join the effort.
[Read more: How CEOs Who Became Influencers Are Supercharging Company Sales]
Retailers shine a light on sun care with in-store events and beauty experts as brands beef up category innovation
Retailers are getting on board to expose more consumers to a wide array of sun care products. Ulta Beauty, for example, has displays highlighting research-backed information on the benefits of SPF to reinforce daily use through the years.
“While we're already seeing guests integrate SPF into their daily routines more than ever before — especially among younger guests who prioritize skincare as a form of self-care — we see a future where sun protection is more universally integrated into the morning routines of all guests,” Penny Coy, Ulta Beauty’s Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Skincare, Body Care, Hair Care, and Wellness, told CO—.
Walgreens, in conjunction with Sun Responsibly, is featuring sampling and couponing events in stores, and its beauty experts are on hand to help shoppers find the right products.
According to Circana, CeraVe is the top seller in several skincare subcategories, including facial lotions and moisturizers. It's gaining traction in the sun category against traditional stalwarts such as Coppertone, Sun Bum, and quickly growing brand Vacation, with sales advancing 14% over the past year. L’Oréal’s La Roche-Posay is also on an upward trajectory, with its sales jumping 18% in the suntan products mass market.
L'Oréal is ratcheting up innovations in the category to mirror its leadership in skincare. New on shelves is a CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Sheer Tint SPF, a 100% mineral sunscreen. La Roche-Posay expanded its assortment to include four shades of tinted mineral (SPF 40) sunscreens.
L’Oréal can be a pacesetter in building overall category sales, according to industry consultant Allan Mottus.
“L’Oréal turned the CeraVe brand into a blockbuster brand and can do the same for its sun products. When they bought CeraVe in 2017, it was an unknown, but they’ve made it successful with derm and social media support. They are pumping up La Roche-Posay now.”
Barbara Thau contributed to this story.
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