Advertisers splash the cash on skincare

New Zealanders are heavy users of skincare products

Advertisers are spending more to push skincare products at New Zealanders - already heavy users - a Nielsen Media Research survey has found.

Spending on advertising the products in New Zealand rose 8 per cent in the year to June to almost $35 million.

Top-spending L'Oreal increased its local ad bill by 20 per cent to nearly $5.18 million, the survey found, and the second-biggest spender, Garnier, spent 35 per cent more at $5.16 million.

Nivea, Olay and Neutrogena completed the top five.

Nielsen Media Research executive director Stuart Jamieson said the survey examined skincare advertising and attitudes to the products throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

New Zealanders were one of the region's heaviest users of skincare products, particularly facial products. Use varied market by market, said Jamieson - Indonesians, for example, placed greater emphasis on body skincare than facial care.

Throughout the region, advertising spending for skincare products rose 12 per cent in the year to June to US$3.8 billion ($5.75 billion).

The single biggest amount spent on selling a product was US$89 million ($135 million) for a treatment called Arche Cathay, advertised only in China.

The biggest brand spender in the region was Olay, which increased 5 per cent to US$714.8 million ($1.1 billion) in nine markets, followed by Ponds and L'Oreal.