Women between 35 and 44 years old are Hong Kong’s biggest spenders in branded beauty shops, with overseas purchases rising, says new research.

Nielsen’s Cosmetic Consumer Panel has found that 96 per cent of Hong Kong female consumers buy skincare or cosmetic products, with the 35 to 44 age group spending HK$4021 (US$515) a head in the past year.

While brand flagship stores still take up most of the sales, overseas purchases are a rising trend, says the panel.

More Hong Kong women buy skincare products (93 per cent) than cosmetic products (81 per cent). Women between 25 and 34 years old make the most trips to buy skincare or cosmetic products, averaging 11 trips a year, followed by 18- to 24-year-olds who make 10.7 trips a year.

Following the 35-44 group of big spenders, female consumers in the 25-34 age bracket spent an average of about $4700 in the past year.

While $4 in every $10 spent on skincare and cosmetic products were through brand shops, when female consumers travel overseas more than 10 per cent of their spending goes on these products.

While younger females (18-24 years) are more likely to shop online, more mature women (45-55) prefer chain drug stores, says the panel. Also, the top 18 per cent of consumers account for about 40 per cent of spending.

Among cosmetic product categories, lipstick is the most popular item, yet consumers spend most on perfume. For skincare products, moisturiser is the most frequent purchase while face masks are the highest-spending category.

“While female consumers from all age groups use both cosmetic and skincare products, purchase frequency and total spending increases with age,” says Nielsen Hong Kong FMCG/retail verticals VP Michael Lee.

“We are seeing that consumers aged 35 to 44 are generally the biggest spenders. At the same time, different age groups vary in their preferences of purchase channel, so it’s really important for brands to tailor their marketing strategies and sales channels to focus on the most relevant age groups.”