Instead of being hit hard by COVID-19, skincare products get a pandemic boost from Taiwanese women, especially when increased face mask wear leads to skin problems. The brands should leverage such concerns and run campaigns in response. Comparing with last year, the younger the consumers are, the more they are planning to spend. Opinion elites and amplifiers are also the ones with the most budget increase.

Key findings

• The budget for face cleansers, hand creams, toner and lotion has increased by 10%.
• During the outbreak, skin conditions might worsen because of wearing masks for extended periods. Therefore, Taiwanese women are more concerned and prefer gentle and non irritating skin care products.
• In Taiwan, women still prefer getting skin care products at physical stores, but they do make fewer visits during the outbreak and use online shopping instead.

Recommendations

• Great opportunity for functional/medical grade beauty brands: Beauty brands should demonstrate that they fully understand how the responses to COVID-19 could bring problems to female consumers.
• Brands should quickly switch to "contactless" sales channels such as online shopping, television, and mail orders, and cut their dependence on physical stores.
• It's the best to target the elites and amplifiers, because they are more likely to spend more.