MAM
Glow and behold, APAC drives the global self-care cart into overdrive
MUMBAI: Glow with the flow, APAC is putting the “care” in self-care like never before. From double-digit shopping days to double-duty products, Asia Pacific shoppers are rewriting the beauty playbook by blending wellness and beauty in one irresistible glow-up. According to Criteo’s Global Health & Beauty Pulse 2025, this region isn’t just riding the beauty boom, it’s fuelling it, one premium cart at a time.
The report, based on data from beauty brands, ecommerce partners, and 14,000 plus shoppers globally, shows that during Q4 2024’s mega shopping festivals 10/10, 11/11, and 12/12, APAC shoppers triggered seismic spikes across self-care categories. Power flossers surged by a gleaming 353 per cent, deodorants and antiperspirants spiked 224 per cent, makeup swatched up 196 per cent, while skincare (up 154 per cent), massage oils (128 per cent), and ear drops (148 per cent) also saw radiant gains.
The appetite for premium wellness products also signals a shift in spending behaviour: APAC consumers are buying fewer, but better.
Year-on-year sales in Q2 2025 reflect this trend: health and beauty products rose 5 per cent in APAC, with order values growing by 6.78 per cent. Globally, EMEA led with a 14 per cent rise in sales, and the Americas followed at 1 per cent. In terms of order value, the Americas saw the highest bump at 9.8 per cent, while EMEA trailed with 4.36 per cent.
APAC consumers, however, stand out as confident, discovery-driven shoppers 40 per cent of health and beauty buyers are first-time users of the brand. This open-mindedness, combined with omnichannel habits, is creating fertile ground for marketers.
Globally, 84 per cent of beauty buyers have either maintained or increased their spending in the last six months up 11 points since 2023. Shoppers are also digitally engaged: 57 per cent discover products via marketplaces, while 52 per cent rely on search engines.
And the channel switch is real 48 per cent of beauty consumers research online but buy in-store, while 41 per cent do the reverse. For brands, that means AI-driven tools are no longer optional, they’re essential to stitch together the journey from scroll to shelf.
“Beauty shoppers today are deeply informed, digitally savvy, and ready to try new brands,” said Criteo India country head Medhavi Singh. “This report reaffirms beauty’s emotional resilience as a category driven by personalisation, relevance, and real-time discovery.”
Criteo’s data suggests that for brands to win in this glow economy, they must be omnipresent, omnichannel, and on point. Think retail media, AI-powered product recommendations, and frictionless shopping across all touchpoints.
In a world of smarter skincare, fragrant purchases, and flossers that fly off virtual shelves, one thing’s clear beauty’s new frontier is cross-category, cross-platform, and deeply connected to wellness.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
