Beyond SPF 50+: What’s Next for Sunscreen Innovation in India

The suncare class in India is heating up—not slightly below the nation’s tropical solar, however in courtrooms and marketing campaign battles. A current showdown between legacy model Lakmé and D2C challenger The Derma Co. has introduced SPF efficacy claims into the highlight, igniting broader questions on belief, transparency, and testing within the sunscreen market.

India’s suncare market is rising quickly. As per Mintel’s International New Product Database, suncare launches have risen by over 20 share factors from 2019-2024. However regardless of this progress, a better take a look at shopper habits and perceptions reveals a class nonetheless evolving—and ripe for transformation.

India presents a fancy panorama for sunscreen producers. A 2024 Mintel report on suncare developments discovered that solely 21% of Indian sunscreen customers prioritise SPF ranges of their buying choices. As an alternative, value, skincare advantages, and skin-friendly components considerably affect buy choices within the class. 

On the similar time, Indian manufacturers are quickly upping the ante on SPF claims. In 2024 alone, 8 out of 10 new sunscreen launches supplied SPF 50+. Whereas this aligns with world product developments, it additionally brings a brand new problem: sameness.

The push for high-SPF merchandise, although commendable, has made SPF 50+ a class norm somewhat than a differentiator. In a market the place solely a small fraction of customers actually perceive or prioritise SPF ranges, this oversupply of comparable claims dangers making sunscreens really feel interchangeable. With out clear factors of distinction, manufacturers might face elevated price-based switching and eroded loyalty.

To really stand out, it is necessary for manufacturers to transcend simply the quantity. Future differentiation will rely upon:

In a sea of SPF 50+, success will hinge on crafting compelling narratives round efficacy, consumer expertise, and scientific integrity.

Closing the Data Hole

Regardless of the SPF 50 push from manufacturers, shopper understanding stays low. By prioritising schooling and emphasising product efficacy in advertising efforts, manufacturers can foster stronger connections and progressively shift shopper priorities.

Lakmé’s current “SPF Lie Detector” marketing campaign is one such try—utilizing comparative testing to carry SPF efficacy to the forefront. Whereas the marketing campaign stirred authorized debate, it undeniably succeeded in sparking dialog round SPF requirements and belief.

International skincare developments sign a transfer towards extra knowledgeable, efficacy-driven buying. Mintel’s 2024 BPC Pattern “Subtle Simplicity” highlights that at this time’s consumers worth efficacy over flashiness. This drives the demand for accountability and transparency. To fulfill these calls for, manufacturers might want to underscore scientific options, strong scientific testing, and confirmed ends in their advertising methods.

Listed below are the Key Shifts Suncare Manufacturers can Anticipate and Put together for:

The times of imprecise product claims are numbered. Future success will belong to manufacturers that publicise strong scientific testing credentials. Clear knowledge on in-vivo and in-vitro SPF testing and adherence to ISO requirements will doubtless change into a promoting level, constructing shopper belief.

As authorized scrutiny will increase, there’s additionally a rising probability of stricter laws or SPF labelling mandates in India. Manufacturers that self-regulate and embrace testing transparency now will keep forward of the curve.

Regardless of rising UV ranges and growing solar publicity as a consequence of local weather change, many Indian customers nonetheless don’t understand day by day solar safety as essential. A 2002 examine by van der Leun and de Gruijl estimated an 11% world rise in pores and skin most cancers incidence by 2050 with only a 2°C enhance in temperature—underscoring the rising significance of SPF. Manufacturers have a vital position to play in educating customers about the true dangers of solar injury, and in reframing sunscreen as an on a regular basis well being important, not an non-compulsory magnificence add-on.

Indian customers search multi-functional skincare merchandise for his or her added advantages and enhanced worth. In 2024, 39% of Indians reported utilizing much less suncare merchandise as a consequence of perceived excessive prices, highlighting the rising significance of providing value-driven options. Sunscreens that mix broad-spectrum SPF with further skincare advantages, like anti-aging properties or hydration, will acquire prominence. Manufacturers can use this perception to innovate and attraction to a price-sensitive but quality-demanding viewers.

As sophistication deepens, customers will more and more consider sunscreens by formulation high quality and testing requirements—not simply affordability. Mintel’s “Subtle Simplicity” development reveals a shift from cost-driven selections to efficacy-driven buying patterns. With extra knowledgeable customers actively searching for worth in formulations, manufacturers should prioritise high quality over shortcuts. Going ahead, manufacturers can give attention to innovating know-how that protects pores and skin from lengthy UVA rays.

The sunscreen market will profit from peer validation and skilled endorsement. Shopper evaluations and testimonials will proceed to affect choices, particularly in youthful segments. However with SPF being science-heavy, customers additionally need readability from trusted voices. Dermatologists and scientifically credible influencers will play a significant position in bridging the “understanding hole” between advanced claims and day by day use. By nurturing communities of educated, glad customers, manufacturers can create ripple results throughout digital platforms.

With shopper mindsets shifting towards sophistication and efficacy, now’s the second for the suncare market in India to rise to the problem. The model battles we’re seeing are simply the tip of the iceberg—they sign a market in flux, demanding extra science, extra readability, and extra belief.

Manufacturers, take word. The way forward for SPF is shiny—however manufacturers that again their claims with credible scientific proof, educate customers, and construct belief by clear, empathetic messaging, will shine the brightest.

At Mintel, we monitor innovation, shopper sentiment, and class shifts throughout magnificence and private care. Join with our specialists to uncover white house alternatives and construct data-backed methods on your model’s success in India’s evolving suncare panorama.