The plethora of social media, beauty bloggers and YouTube stars has given Australian women more exposure to brands and inspiring looks than ever before, despite the cosmetics and toiletries market remaining dominated by global mega brands, according to a new report.

The Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (emma) Cosmetics and Toiletries Insights Report, FaceTime!, explores this fragmenting market, the attitudes of Australian women towards beauty and grooming products, and the sources they trust to discover and make their brand choices.

“Australian women are increasingly informed and sophisticated in their cosmetics and toiletries purchases,”Ipsos MediaCT managing director Simon Wake said.

“They expect their choices to reflect who they are as individuals, making it essential for brands to understand and speak effectively to their target market.”

Key trends included women of all ages turning to traditional information sources, such as magazines and in-store make-up staff, for advice on cosmetic and toiletry choices, however this could soon change given the influence that social media and style icons have over mainstream consumers groups.

Women under the age of 30 have a comparatively higher interest in beauty products, enjoy shopping for them more and spend more on an average shop in most categories than older women do.

Better-informed consumers are also proving to be more discriminating and are responding well to the explosion of brand choice.

“In a highly fragmented market, beauty and grooming brands need to speak clearly to their target audience – both in their positioning and communications channels,” Wake added.

“Emma data will continue to track this dynamic sector, providing marketers with current and personal insights on what drives Australian women’s consideration of cosmetics and toiletries.”