Best Market Research Firms for Personal Care Industry Reports and Consumer

Personal care has become one of the most closely watched consumer categories. Skincare, haircare, grooming, oral care and fragrance now compete for attention in stores, on marketplaces and on social feeds. Mintel notes that the global skincare market has passed $100 billion, and growth is increasingly shaped by new forces rather than just rising demand.

Consumer preferences are shifting quickly. Shoppers read ingredient lists, ask whether a product is clean, cruelty-free or vegan, and scrutinize sustainable packaging. Premium skincare keeps attracting buyers who see it as part of wellbeing, and interest in personalized products continues to grow. Kantar's search-trend analysis points to consumers who are more intentional about what they spend on and who want custom-built care with wellbeing benefits.

For brands, manufacturers and investors, this complexity makes personal care industry market research a practical necessity. The right research partner shows where demand is heading, what shoppers will pay for, and where competitors are exposed. This guide compares leading firms and explains how to choose among them.

Top Market Research Firms for the Personal Care Industry

The firms below were assessed on industry expertise, report coverage, consumer behavior analysis, forecasting, competitive intelligence and regional depth. Capabilities are drawn from each firm's own published materials. The order reflects this article's editorial framing, and the right choice depends on your question, budget and markets.

1. IMARC Group

IMARC Group publishes more than 15,000 off-the-shelf industry reports, and its beauty and personal care category covers hair care, skincare, sun care, fragrances, oral hygiene, baby care and more. Its reports typically include market size, segmentation, forecasts, key players and regional breakdowns. The India beauty and personal care report, for example, sizes the market at US$ 28.0 billion in 2023 and projects US$ 46.6 billion by 2032.

Beyond syndicated reports, IMARC offers customized research built on primary and secondary methods, including industry surveys and expert interviews. Its published services also include competitive benchmarking, pricing and cost research, and market entry support. That mix suits teams that want ready-made forecasts and the option to tailor the work.

2. Euromonitor International

Euromonitor has published market research for more than 40 years and covers beauty and personal care in depth, including men's grooming, premium products, skincare and sun care. Its country-level reports include forecasts, and its company profiles benchmark global players such as Beiersdorf. It also launched Via, a pricing intelligence tool that analyzes assortment and price mix. It is a strong choice for multi-country comparisons and competitor tracking.

3. Mintel

Mintel organizes its beauty and personal care research around consumers, innovation, markets, trends and competitors. Its reports cover topics from ingredient trends to teenage beauty consumers and AI in beauty, across regions including Europe, India, Thailand and Brazil. Mintel is particularly useful for consumer attitudes and product innovation tracking.

4. NielsenIQ (NIQ)

NIQ combines retail measurement with consumer insights, and says its beauty insights span 90 global markets. It offers Omnisales data, a Beauty Inner Circle for premium insights, and Byzzer, a tool for emerging brands. Its analysis of omnichannel shopping, including the split between stores and online, helps brands plan channel strategy.

5. Kantar (Worldpanel)

Kantar tracks what people buy and how they use products through purchase and usage panels. These cover face care, bath, hair care, shaving, cosmetics and fragrance in countries including the US, UK, India, China and Brazil. This panel approach is valuable for understanding who buys a brand, how often and in what routines.

Comparison Table

Key Services Offered by Personal Care Research Firms

Most firms combine several of these services, though depth varies.

• Market sizing and segmentation: Estimating category value and splitting it by product, price tier, channel and region.
• Consumer surveys and purchasing behavior: Learning who buys, how often and why.
• Brand perception: Measuring awareness, trust and loyalty against rivals.
• Competitor benchmarking: Comparing portfolios, positioning and go-to-market approaches.
• Pricing analysis: Mapping price ladders and premium thresholds.
• Demand forecasting: Projecting category and sub-category growth to guide capacity and investment.

Emerging Consumer Behavior Trends in Personal Care

Strong consumer behavior trends research should help you tell lasting shifts from short-lived fads. These themes keep appearing in published research.

Clean and natural ingredients. Ingredient transparency is a major purchase driver. Mintel's ingredient trend reports exist because consumer interest in what goes into products keeps growing.

Cruelty-free and vegan products. IMARC's India organic personal care report highlights vegan and cruelty-free demand as part of ethical consumerism.

Sustainability. Mintel has reported that many US beauty shoppers sacrifice packaging quality to save money, which shows the tension between sustainable packaging and cost pressure.

Men's grooming. Euromonitor tracks men's grooming as its own category, and Mintel reports the segment is stabilizing while spending stays cautious.

Personalized skincare and anti-aging. Skincare demand continues to center on anti-aging and sun protection, and customization is becoming a differentiator.

Social media influence and online shopping. NIQ reports that UK beauty spend is nearly split between stores and online, and that TikTok has become a leading e-retailer in health, beauty and home in that market. Discovery and conversion increasingly happen in the same place.

These themes feed directly into skincare market analysis and wider personal care market trends, but their weight differs by country and age group, which is why regional data matters.

How to Choose the Right Market Research Firm

Check methodology. Ask how data is gathered. Strong reports combine primary research, such as expert interviews and surveys, with credible secondary sources.

Assess data quality. Look at sample size, update frequency and how forecasts are built. Request a sample report or table of contents.

Confirm geographic coverage. A firm strong in the US or Europe may be thin in Southeast Asia or the Middle East.

Evaluate customization. Off-the-shelf reports rarely answer a niche question. Find out whether the firm can tailor scope, segments or regions.

Verify industry expertise. Look for dedicated beauty and personal care analysts and relevant past work.

Compare pricing. Syndicated reports, subscriptions and custom projects differ widely in cost. Match the format to the decision you are making.

Benefits of Personal Care Industry Reports

• Product innovation: Trend and ingredient data show unmet needs, helping teams prioritize formulations and claims.
• Market entry: Sizing, channel mix and competitor maps reduce the risk of launching in a new country.
• Brand positioning: Perception and pricing data reveal where a brand can credibly stand out.
• Marketing strategy: Knowing how consumers discover and buy helps allocate spend across retail, marketplaces and social media.
• Investment decisions: Forecasts and competitive analysis give investors a basis for evaluating categories and companies.

Conclusion

Personal care is shaped by shifting consumer values, new sales channels and intense competition. Reliable market intelligence helps companies respond to those changes with evidence rather than guesswork. Whichever firm you choose, match its strengths to your question, check its methodology and ask for samples first.

For readers who want market sizing, forecasts and segment detail, explore IMARC Group's beauty and personal care market research reports or request customized research for your category and region.