INFORMS Open Forum

The GLP-1 Effect: What Search Data Reveals About Evolving Beauty Needs

  • 1.  The GLP-1 Effect: What Search Data Reveals About Evolving Beauty Needs

    Posted 11 hours ago

    ๐Ÿ’Š + ๐Ÿ’„ = ๐Ÿ“Š What does GLP-1 have to do with beauty innovation? More than you might think - and the data tells a compelling story.

    As an analytics and operations research professional, I'm always excited when consumer behavior shifts create rich opportunities to apply data-driven decision-making. The rise of GLP-1 medications (think Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) is one of the most significant macro trends reshaping the beauty industry right now - and Amazon search data is one of the clearest signals of where product development needs to go.

    ๐Ÿ“ˆ The numbers are striking:
    โ€ข GLP-1 is projected to become a $115B market in the US by 2030 - roughly the size of the entire beauty market (skin, hair, makeup, fragrance combined)
    โ€ข There are currently ~16.5M GLP-1 beauty shoppers, and they outspend non-users across every single beauty category
    โ€ข 54% of GLP-1 users report hair loss and thinning, and 39% report sagging skin - driving a surge in new product needs

    ๐Ÿ” On Amazon, the search data is already reflecting this shift:
    โ€ข "Hair Loss / Regrowth" is now the #1 hair care benefit searched on Amazon
    โ€ข Searches for "scalp massager hair growth" are up 95% YoY
    โ€ข "Hair growth shampoo and conditioner" searches surged 115% YoY
    โ€ข Functional oils and supplements are growing fast, while thickening sprays and color-treated products are declining

    This is exactly where analytics creates competitive advantage. By mining search frequency data, consumer survey panels (like the NielsenIQ Omnishopper data referenced here), and behavioral purchase patterns, beauty brands can:
    โœ… Identify unmet needs before competitors do
    โœ… Prioritize R&D investment around GLP-1-specific formulations
    โœ… Optimize media targeting using condition-related keywords
    โœ… Anticipate evolving beauty standards with predictive modeling

    The intersection of pharma trends, consumer behavior analytics, and product innovation is a fascinating space - and a reminder that the best business decisions are grounded in data, not intuition.

    As INFORMS members, we are uniquely positioned to help industries like beauty navigate these kinds of complex, data-rich transformations. Whether through demand forecasting, search analytics, or consumer segmentation, the toolkit of operations research and analytics is exactly what this moment calls for.

    Would love to hear from fellow INFORMS members - are you seeing analytics play a bigger role in consumer goods innovation? Drop your thoughts below! ๐Ÿ‘‡

    #Analytics #OperationsResearch #INFORMS #BeautyInnovation #GLP1 #ConsumerInsights #DataDriven #ProductDevelopment #AmazonAnalytics



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    Daniela Carmash
    Head of Mass Skin care category
    Amazon

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