Beauty market research.

From skincare and color cosmetics to haircare, fragrance and grooming, we help beauty brands understand the consumers and trends driving the category - and turn that understanding into the products, messaging and campaigns that win loyalty. A sharper approach to beauty market research, with answers to your most difficult questions, even from the audiences others find hardest to reach.

Beauty banner image

Who we work with

  • Consumer communities and panels
  • Trend and cultural insight studies
  • Product, concept and proposition testing
  • Brand equity, positioning and pricing research
  • Path-to-purchase and shopper research
  • Brand, advertising and campaign effectiveness
  • Market sizing and opportunity identification across beauty categories and markets

Beauty market research that gets beneath the surface

Beauty is personal, emotional and fast-moving, shaped by routines, identity, culture and a constant stream of new launches and trends. We've spent years getting close to beauty consumers across skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance, understanding what they really want from a product and a brand. From global houses to indie challengers, we help you test concepts and messaging, sharpen positioning and pricing, and read the trends - including the influence of Asian beauty - before they hit the mainstream. Whatever the question, we connect the dots - turning consumer insight into the elevated decisions that move your brand forward.

Why choose Kadence for your Beauty market research?

icon

Reaching the audiences others can't

Beauty consumers, enthusiasts and niche communities worldwide, including the hard-to-reach. We're known for excelling when other agencies stumble.

icon

Beneath the surface

We understand the emotional and identity-driven side of beauty, not just the routine and the purchase.

icon

Global reach, local understanding

With offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, we read beauty through the right cultural lens, with real strength in the trend-setting Asian markets.

icon

Traditional methods, modern tools

Qualitative depth, quantitative scale and advanced analytics under one roof, including social and sensory approaches.

icon

From data to decisions

Clear, decision-ready recommendations that shape collections and campaigns, not just data.

icon

Concept and proposition testing

We help you test products, concepts and messaging with consumers so you launch with confidence.

Specific research approaches for luxury

  • Consumer communities and panels
  • Trend and cultural insight studies
  • Product, concept and proposition testing
  • Brand equity, positioning and pricing research


  • Path-to-purchase and shopper research
  • Brand, advertising and campaign effectiveness
  • Market sizing and opportunity identification across beauty categories and markets

Our Results

Our mission is to raise the impact of research – and we're delivering

Kadence International Market Research Agency of the Year Singapore

Market Research Agency of the Year

Winner

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2019

Market Research Agency of the Year

Finalist

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2020
Quirks Supplier of the Year Kadence International

Market Research Supplier of the Year

Winner

— Marketing Research & Insight Excellence Awards – 2019
Kadence International is Highly Commended for Global Agency of The Year

Global Agency of the Year

Highly Commended

— Market Research Society Awards, 2019
MRS Opperations Awards Trophy

Best Training and Development

Highly Commended

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019

Best Data Collection (telephone)

Finalist

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019

Best Data Collection (face-to-face)

Finalist

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards – 2019

The global boutique for data and insight

Our global footprint makes us the go-to partner for international market research. We offer all qualitative and quantitative methodologies across our office network and beyond.
Testimonials_3_903x651_001
Testimonials_3_304x304_002

We have been engaged with Kadence since 2016. Since our first partnership, Kadence has been instrumental in supporting our business efforts and have continuously proven their value in research, insights and analysis that have helped us to gain many wins. Kadence consistently pushes the boundaries and offer inspirations that provide deep business insights and drive business strategies.

Head of Research
Bloomberg

We’ve been working with Kadence on a couple of strategic projects, which influenced our product roadmap roll-out within the region. Their work has been exceptional in providing me the insights that I need.

Senior Marketing Executive
Arla Foods

Kadence were an excellent partner on this project; they took time to really understand our business challenges, and developed a research approach that would tackle the exam question from all directions.  The impact of the work is still being felt now, several years later.

Customer Intelligence Director
Wall Street Journal

Kadence has produced an exceptional body of work which plays a crucial part in planning marketing strategies and understanding the opportunities for our business as we continue to grow. We couldn’t ask for a better partner; they provided true expertise, valuable insights and commitment to quality across each project.

Performance Marketing Analytics Director
Treatwell

Trusted by

Other sectors we serve

Our market research capabilities extend beyond education. With over 30 years of experience in market research, we have a wealth of expertise and in-depth knowledge across various sectors.

Whether you’re in retail, tech, healthcare, or food and beverage, Kadence applies the same level of dedication and insight to help you meet your unique objectives.

Beauty categories we specialize in

Skincare - we research routines, concerns and what consumers look for, from everyday ranges to premium and the rise of skinification across the category.

Color cosmetics and makeup - we understand how trends, shades and formats move, and what drives discovery and loyalty in a fast-churning category.

Haircare - we research needs across hair types, textures and routines, and the growing demand for tailored and inclusive ranges.

Fragrance - we explore the emotional and sensory drivers of scent, gifting and self-purchase, and the growth of premium and niche fragrance.

Men's grooming - we understand a fast-growing audience, from routines and barriers to the brands and language that resonate.

Clean, natural and indie beauty - we research how consumers think about ingredients, sustainability and value, and how challenger brands earn trust.

Our approach to beauty research

Beauty choices are personal and emotional, and trends often start in specific markets and communities before going global. We combine qualitative depth and quantitative scale, draw on social, sensory and cultural insight, and design studies around real routines and decisions. Through our global office network we run multi-market studies that read beauty through the right cultural lens, bringing global reach with genuine local understanding, including across the trend-setting Asian markets.

What's shaping beauty research now

The beauty landscape is moving fast, from the global influence of Asian beauty and the growth of men's grooming to clean and sustainable beauty, social and influencer discovery, and the role of AI and personalisation. We help brands stay ahead of these shifts with insight that connects what is changing to what to do about it.

Advertising
Advertising
Agriculture
Agriculture
Animal Health
Animal health
Automotive
Automotive
Consumer Goods
Consumer goods
Ecommerce
Ecommerce
Financial Services
Financial services
Food and beverage
Food and beverage
Kids and youth
Kids and youth
Media
Media
Technology
Technology
Telecommunications
Telecommunications

FAQs

What is beauty market research?

Beauty market research is how you build a clear picture of the consumers, routines and trends driving the category - so you can develop products, claims, pricing and campaigns that genuinely connect.

Why is market research important for beauty brands?

Beauty is crowded, fast-moving and emotional, with launches and trends arriving constantly. Research removes the guesswork from product, claim and brand decisions, helping you back what consumers will actually buy and love.

How do you research what beauty consumers really want?

We combine consumer communities, in-depth qualitative work and quantitative testing to get beneath stated preferences to the routines, emotions and identity that drive beauty choices.

Which beauty categories do you work across?

Skincare, color cosmetics and makeup, haircare, fragrance, men's grooming, and clean, natural and indie beauty.

Which research methods do you use for beauty clients?

We combine qualitative and quantitative methods - communities and panels, in-depth interviews, surveys, product, concept and proposition testing, and advanced analytics - chosen to fit the question and the audience.

Can you run beauty research internationally?

Yes. Through our global office network we run multi-market beauty research, with particular strength in the trend-setting Asian markets, reading beauty through the right cultural lens in each market.

How do you test beauty products and concepts before launch?

We test concepts, products and messaging with the right consumers so you understand appeal, differentiation and how propositions land - well before launch.

Please select the type of enquiry