We all love Superdrug in my house, and here’s why

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/29/superdrug-boots-profits-teenage-girls

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In my house, we have entered what I call “the body spray years”. It is an unwritten law that at some stage all teenagers discover they can go round smelling like the interior of a dodgy minivan. Some boys do it in the name of “antiperspirant”, whereas some girls coat themselves with a combustible mix of dry shampoo, super-strong deodorant and the inevitable cheap body spay. One can choke of a morning while they are putting on their school uniform, but this phase will pass and they will move on to more subtle smells (though quite frankly, Dettol is more subtle than some of the stuff).

The source of much of this body spray is that mecca for teenage girls – Superdrug. It is a key destination for my teen and her mates (although to be honest, we all like Superdrug in my house), and provides them with untold joy.

For many of us, and not just teenagers, make up is a form of play

It’s no surprise all that their sales are booming. There may indeed be a squeeze in living standards, and household income may have only just returned to pre-recession levels, but the latest figures show how buoyant the health and beauty market remains. Superdrug profits have sharply: AS Watson, who own Superdrug, Savers and The Perfume Shop says that sales have increased 7% to £1.6 billion. All this is the face of a supermarket price war.

Not all of this can be driven by gangs of girls buying Boo Boo Fluff Fur-Effect nails or glittery varnish that comes in “constellations” according to your star sign, or 2True Cheek n Lip tint (all these things are £3 or less), but much of it is. Superdrug is cheap and cheerful and full of delights. Boots continues to appear trapped in some timewarp with a shonky website and a much more middle-aged feel. Indeed its Protect and Perfect anti-ageing range with a bit of scientific backing has produced huge sales for them. The experience of shopping there though is to be bombarded with incomprehensible 3-for-2 offers on stuff you don’t want and reams of vouchers.

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Superdrug has its range of luxury as well as value products, and its cheap makeup ranges are not tested on animals.

Anyone who underestimates the savviness of young girls is making a big mistake. Sure they do go through a body spray and fizzy bath-bomb stage and think the best thing you can ever smell of is some sickly fruit, but they will graduate to other products. All of us want a cheap feelgood hit when times are rough. This is why nail bars boom in a recession and this is why this market is so resilient. Economists may call this “the lipstick effect,” and weirdly put it down to some Darwinian urge for women to attract mates in tough economic times, but this is to misunderstand how we use cosmetics.

For many of us, and not just teenagers, make up is a form of play. A possible experiment. A little treat. When we can’t afford a dress or a face cream made of crushed barnacles or whatever the new super miracle ingredient is, spending a fiver for a little feelgood, a splash of fun is understandable. The little girls always know, and yet some think that all this is all frivolous nonsense. The things women like are often seen this way. But this company’s pre-tax profits rose from £44.7m to £64.4m according it 2014 account. That’s not so frivolous and it’s one heck of a blast of vanilla body spray.