In Keon Zhang91裸聊视频檚 household, it started with a rite of passage: his eight-year-old discovering a pimple.

91裸聊视频淪he was like, 91裸聊视频楧addy, I need to get rid of them 91裸聊视频� I need a skin care routine,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� said the chief executive of beauty brand Back to Earth Skin.

91裸聊视频淎nd then, here my son comes up and he91裸聊视频檚 like, 91裸聊视频楧o I need it?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

For others, the impulse to dive into a beauty regimen has come from the endless scroll of social media posts showing influencers slathering on Drunk Elephant skin care products, reaching for Dior91裸聊视频檚 lip oil and swearing by Sol de Janeiro91裸聊视频檚 Brazilian Bum Bum cream.

The flurry of purchases they have inspired in the middle of an economic downturn has confirmed what the industry has long known: beauty is hot, even when the propensity to spend is not.

Leonard Lauder 91裸聊视频� heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire 91裸聊视频� coined the term 91裸聊视频渓ipstick effect91裸聊视频� in the early aughts, when many countries were in the throes of a recession, to describe the way customers with less to spend were still willing to splurge on a small item.

Now, the trend is playing out again as younger shoppers flood the market and inflation remains above the Bank of Canada91裸聊视频檚 two per cent target, weighing on spending power but not dampening the inclination to 91裸聊视频渢reat yourself.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲hen you91裸聊视频檙e a little bit constrained and you91裸聊视频檙e a little stressed on your financial side, you tend to cut the big luxury items, so then you spend on smaller luxury items,91裸聊视频� Zhang said.

91裸聊视频淪kin care is sometimes pricey, but it91裸聊视频檚 not like going on a cruise. You91裸聊视频檙e spending on something that gives you gratification immediately.91裸聊视频�

And shoppers aren91裸聊视频檛 the only ones getting a glow.

LVMH reported about $12 billion in revenue last year across its perfume and cosmetics businesses, which includes Christian Dior, Guerlain, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Loewe and Benefit.

In its selective retailing category, where beauty mecca Sephora resides, revenue hit $25.9 billion, up from $21.5 billion in 2022. Sephora declined to comment.

LVMH91裸聊视频檚 experience was part of a wider pattern. Research firm Circana found beauty category sales grew 18 per cent in the first nine months of 2023 in Canada from the same period in 2022. They were up 91裸聊视频渁n astonishing91裸聊视频� 47 per cent from 2021, despite almost 80 per cent of Canadians it surveyed saying the high cost of living had them curtailing spending.

The firm named skin care, makeup and fragrances as the fastest-growing general merchandise categories, outranking video game hardware, toy-building sets and even portable beverageware (hello, Stanley cup boom).

While some of the beauty industry91裸聊视频檚 resiliency comes from the lipstick effect, Angus McOuat said social media and influencing are also driving recent growth.

91裸聊视频淎t least 50 per cent, if not more, of millennials, gen Z are making their product decisions in this category based on social media and directly what they saw online,91裸聊视频� said the McKinsey & Co. partner, who leads the consultancy firm91裸聊视频檚 Canadian consumer and retail practice.

His daughter, for example, picked up a beauty regimen after watching 91裸聊视频済et ready with me91裸聊视频� videos, where posters explain their makeup and wardrobe choices.

91裸聊视频淪he does it every night,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 not sure why she needs skin care at 12, but she feels she does.91裸聊视频�

Skin care has been a particular boon for the industry because brands see more elasticity in this part of beauty budgets and shoppers picking up these kinds of products are less likely to trade down when prices rise.

They also believe the more they spend on a product in the category, the better results they will see, McOuat said.

91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檙e with a skin cream that you like and it works and you feel like it91裸聊视频檚 sort of making your skin feel better and look younger 91裸聊视频� that91裸聊视频檒l be one of the last things you would want to drop,91裸聊视频� he said.

Back to Earth Skin, a Vernon, B.C.-based company specializing in natural, vegan and cruelty-free products, is one of the many companies benefitting from this thinking.

Its business grew 18.4 per cent between 2022 and 2023 and its online division increased 24.8 per cent over the same time period.

91裸聊视频淲e just skyrocketed, flew and I can tell you 2024, it91裸聊视频檚 even going to be higher than that for us,91裸聊视频� Zhang said.

Irene Doody, who leads category management for beauty at Shoppers Drug Mart, also foresees the the sector remaining hot.

In its most recent quarter, Shoppers91裸聊视频� parent company Loblaw Cos. Ltd. reported drug retail sales, which includes cosmetics, rose 7.4 per cent to $2.6 billion. The increase reflected 91裸聊视频渙ngoing strength91裸聊视频� in beauty sales, Loblaw said.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 always a reason to buy beauty. There91裸聊视频檚 always something new,91裸聊视频� Doody said.

91裸聊视频淐ertain parts of our population, they are definitely interested in that innovation, and I don91裸聊视频檛 know where they get their money, but they definitely are buying.91裸聊视频�

Some of those buyers are looking for 91裸聊视频渋ndulgence91裸聊视频� or an 91裸聊视频渆motional lift.91裸聊视频� Others are opening their wallets because of influencers who can make a product go viral overnight.

And yes, many of these shoppers are young, 91裸聊视频渃urious91裸聊视频� shoppers with 91裸聊视频渢ime on their hands, so they91裸聊视频檙e at the malls.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淏ut I was at the mall when I was that age, too,91裸聊视频� Doody pointed out.

All of these shoppers, along with skin care and products to repair damaged hair she sees gaining ground this year, will help the beauty market continue to rise, Doody predicted.

91裸聊视频淚 think we91裸聊视频檝e only scraped the surface.91裸聊视频�

Companies in this story: (TSX:L)

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press