3 niches to consider as your next product concept
Elham Eghbali
Showcasing ordinary ingredients in extraordinary formulations. Brand/ideation consultant for natural and sustainable skincare
Each year from early November to almost end of January of the proceeding year anybody who is somebody in the industry shares her insight on market trends. Since nobody has asked my opinion yet (;-)) and I have not much to add to all that the experts and celebrities have foreseen (the role of the AI in the research and retail, the popularity of injectables, the grow of customized products, etc.) I'll share my 50 cent of opinion about the 3 niches that are barely discussed or considered yet have a huge potential to tap into.
To declare the niche I'll refer to the brilliant definition of John Jimenez from this post in September 2023.
As I shovel the net and the market day in and day out, I observe a huge demand for all of these 3 niches. Bloggers and influencers are desperately waiting for the products to launch to be tested and introduced and don't you dare tell me that this is a very small fraction of the (almost) 8 billion humans on the earth.
These 3 niches are:
1- Menopausal skin care
2- Skin and hair care for cancer patients
3- ?Pre-maternity/pro-fertility skincare
Menopausal skincare
From all of the above, it's only the menopausal skin care that has recently been attended to. A taboo more than a decade ago, we have just started to understand and to study the biological/biochemical changes in menopausal women, the changes in the microbiome as well as the changes in the skin/hair chemistry.
Menopausal acne (which is completely different to teenage acne), hot-flashes, extreme dryness of skin and hair, vaginal dryness, changes in skin pH, hyperpigmentation or depigmentation are only a few symptoms and side-effects of the menopause (add to them the emotional rollercoaster).
There are a few brands covering this niche already but the market is a far cry from saturated and is open to creative and innovative skin care, hair care, nutricosmetics, supplements and neurocosmetics to cover the menopausal issues.
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Skin and hair care for cancer patients
This is really an uncomfortable and daring topic but again, has a huge potential to tap into and above that it is a social responsibility.
Cancer wreaks a havoc on all aspects of the life and being concerned about the skin and hair care, desperately trying product after product and falling into the trap of "no-toxins" nonsense must really not be added to the daily routine of the patients going through chemo- and radiotherapy.
Cancer patients need products to cover their essential daily needs without adding to the skin rashes and itchy scalp and bumps and bruises or the wounds and burns caused during the radiotherapy (I am well aware that this one belongs to the drug industry to take care of).
Before you throw stones at me, the look good, feel better program sponsored by some the biggest brands on the planet is not the solution to basic daily hygienic requirements.
These are a few brands that are available on the market right now
Cancer research UK has a list of recommended products
La Roche Posay has a range of products specifically for cancer patients
Skin and hair care for try-to-conceive (wannabe) parents
Either it is because of our daily exposure to oxidative stress or because
many individuals try to become a parent only after they have established a business or climbed the corporate ladder to a certain point or maybe a combination of both factors, there are tens of thousands of adults in industrial and modern countries who either can not easily conceive naturally or can not terminate a safe and full pregnancy. These individuals (who usually have a reasonable income) try to change their lifestyle as well as their diet and skincare routine to increase their chances of conceiving and a safe and full pregnancy. There are a few products and brands that address the pregnancy and maternity (even Clarins has a pregnancy set) but the number of products that are designed for "try to conceive" period are as good as non-existent.
When it comes to TTC (trying to conceive) skincare, it is rather about the omitting than adding. This means the fertility advisor or the gynecologist will provide the candidates and wanna-be parents with a long list of ingredients, products and activities to avoid. The first group of ingredients everybody agrees to avoid is the endocrine disruptors.
If you are interested to research more about this niche (which definitely is worth it) you can review a few blogs dedicated to this subject (and there are lots of blogs and online magazines there). I know that blogs are not always the best and most reasonable and reliable source of information but that is where our target customer hangs out and gets the information from. More reliable sources are fertility centers, dermatologists and gynecologists. Almost every women's magazine and blog has a list of ingredients to avoid while in TTC.
Although "clean" is a very vague term but the skincare routine for TTC and fertility purposes is as minimalist and as clean as possible.
Whereas the dietary nutrition market seems to be saturated with products for TTC parents, the skin and hair care market is next to non-existing. The ocean is blue and undisturbed and the gold mine is ready to be discovered.
Disclaimer: None of the links and brands mentioned here are in any kind of affiliate relationship with me. Nor have I tested, used or approved any of their products. They are just mentioned here as examples available on the market.