Black and Asian consumers are not being adequately catered for by the beauty industry, according to research by a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence.

Mintel has found that the UK market for ethnic cosmetics and toiletries has grown by some 24% since 2002. Yet it is still only worth £65 million - less than 2% of the total £3.7 billion UK beauty market.

According to the Office of National Statistics, one in every ten adults in the UK is now of ethnic origin. Thus it would seem that the beauty industry is failing to meet the needs of modern day Britain. But where does the problem lie?

"Today there is clearly a demand for products specifically designed for the growing number of ethnic consumers."

Alexandra Richmond, senior consumer analyst at Mintel, comments: "A lack of new product development on the part of manufacturers as well as limited availability, has undoubtedly been a major barrier in the ethnic beauty market."

"Today there is clearly a demand for products specifically designed for the growing number of ethnic consumers. Although there are luxury beauty ranges for those with darker skin tones, mass market alternatives on the high street are still few and far between."

The amount of investment companies spent on the ethnic beauty market, in terms of advertising and packaging, was just £150,000 last year. In comparison to the £45 million spent on advertising in 2005 by the overall beauty sector, this figure pales into insignificance.

Packaging too has not kept up with the modern day beauty market. When many US ethnic brands were launched in the UK in the 1980s, the American look was very appealing, with an emphasis on white teeth and big hair. But while fashion trends have moved far away from this image in modern Britain, cosmetics packaging has barely changed.

Mintel terms an 'ethnic' consumer as Black, Black British, Asian, Asian British, or Mixed Race. But an ethnic consumer does not have to purchase exclusively from the ethnic cosmetics market. Therefore statistical figures are not necessarily realistically representing the numbers of ethnic consumers that make up the overall beauty market.

Mintel believes that a little investment could turn the ethnic cosmetics and toiletries market into one of the beauty industry's most promising sectors, with forecast growth by as much as 35% in the next five years alone, to reach £88 million by 2012.

Alexandra Richmond concludes: "In today's mainstream market we are seeing ever more products targeting very specific beauty needs, from anti-ageing creams for different age groups to shampoos for any number of hair types. There is clearly the potential for the industry to apply this approach to the ethnic beauty market, which would undoubtedly be welcomed by ethnic consumers and give the market a much needed boost."

The article Beauty industry covers up ethnic market originally appeared on 999 Today