Image: Spas and salons experienced growth in retail sales

The professional skin care market experienced a second year of growth after posting a 5.3 per cent increase in total product sales during 2011, according to market analyst Kline and Company.

In its latest Professional Skin Care Global Series: Market Analysis and Opportunities report, the research firm attributed the increases partly to spas and salons being able to stimulate traffic by modernizing facilities and implementing new communication tools.

These include social networking and tablet devices that enable therapists to complete medical questionnaires or recommend products without interrupting the treatment.

Growth has been particularly strong in Europe, where spas, salons and beauty institutions remain the largest purchase channel in Europe, representing almost 60 per cent of the skincare market - up 3.7 per cent on 2010.

Spas remain the largest channel in the US too, although there has been a slight decline in the North American market as spas continue to reduce the number of brands carried, under-performing spas are closed down and more salons and hotels are divesting their spa business to re-focus on their core businesses.

In its report, Kline adds that a surge in at-home beauty devices has also impeded business at US spas. The report also outlines the strength of brands.

"The European market is highly fragmented with leading brands, Guinot, followed by Clarins, enjoying strong growth," the report states. "The US market is relatively consolidated, with the top five brands accounting for a 38 per cent market share.

"Brands entrenched in the medical care providers channel – such as SkinCeuticals and SkinMedica in the US and Dermaceutic and Pangaea Laboratories' Medik8 in Europe – post the strongest gains in 2011."

• Earlier this month, Spa Business reported how a Kline and Company study had found that internet beauty sales in China are expected to be worth more than US$20bn (EUR16.5bn £12.9bn) by 2016.

To read the full press release on the report, click here.

To register for a webinar organised by Kline, which discusses the report's findings, click here.