A Skincare Routine – for Your Dog

Pets are starting to be as pampered as their owners.

The market for premium beauty offerings for pets is growing. Earlier this month, Dolce & Gabbana unveiled a dog perfume called Fefé. Named for co-founder Domenico Dolce’s dog, the scent has notes of ylang ylang, features a 24-carat gold-plated paw on the bottle and retails for $99.

The headline-grabbing Dolce & Gabbana perfume is one of a growing number of luxury offerings in pet care. Miu Miu, Fendi and Prada all offer luxury dog clothes. Prestige brands like Ouai and Malin + Goetz have offered pet shampoos for a few years, while newer entrants include dedicated pet care brand Artemis, which is founded by former beauty journalist Noël Duan and backed by the makeup artist and founder Bobbi Brown and Glossier’s former chief financial officer Vanessa Wittman. The brand sells an unscented dog wash made of algae, colloidal oatmeal and prebiotics for $28.50.

Many now see their pets as part of the family, and in doing so, anthropomorphise them to the point where depriving them of human-grade sundries feels cruel.

That represents a big opportunity for beauty companies: Pet owners who choose premium body washes, perfumes and skincare for themselves could easily be persuaded to do the same for their furry friends.

Research from Morgan Stanley estimates that spending on toys and treats totalled $147 billion in 2023, and annual household spending will increase 113 percent to $1,733 per animal by 2030. In the UK, 34 percent of households have a dog, and in the US, 70 percent of Americans now have pets, while only 40 percent have children. Private equity firms have shown particular interest in veterinary clinics, rapidly becoming their biggest buyer, as pet ownership has increased.

“Since around 2015, we’ve been very clear that the relationship between humans and animals was changing completely, especially in urban areas,” said Antoine Nussenbaum, co-founder at venture investment firm Felix Capital, which has previously invested in pet insurance platform Lassie, and soon will close another pet care investment.

“People don’t want their pets to eat kibble…they want them to eat something organic, something well-balanced.”

The Cat’s Meow

Nussenbaum said these pet spas also usually create valuable shelf space for brands who can position their offerings as either an impulse purchase or a continuation of the spa experience for home.

There’s also opportunities in services. Liberty, the upmarket London department store said its bookings at its dog grooming salon are up 12 percent year-on-year. It offers services including a £500 ($655) “Dogviar Deluxe Spa Day Experience”, as well as mud baths, fruit facials and massage.

Even as an investor in the sector, Nussenbaum said he’s still surprised by its grandiosity.

“I went to go and collect my dog, Hiro, from the groomers recently,” he said, recalling a specific groomer in London’s well-heeled Notting Hill had been selected by his wife. “I get the bill, and it’s £300. I’ve never even had a haircut that cost that much.”

Online commentators are also divided. After Dolce & Gabbana launched Fefé, the discourse was divided between those who thought it was adorable, while others claimed it was superfluous or even abusive.

“No! Leave those dogs alone!” said one comment on an Instagram post revealing its launch, while another said it would be “torture” for the dog, citing their super-sensitive smell.

Alice Potter, a senior scientific officer with the British animal welfare association RSPCA said strong-scented products such as perfumes should usually be avoided, as they can be unpleasant for dogs, and also impede their communication skills, which are largely scent-based. Lighter-scented products such as dog shampoos are generally fine and can even be calming, she said.

That likely won’t deter brands from launching them, or pet parents from buying them. One UK-based retailer, The Pawfume Shop, sells more than 20 varieties of what it describes as “long lasting designer fragrances” for dogs modelled after popular human scents. It describes its take on the Dior perfume Sauvage, £10 (about $13) as a “gorgeous masculine fragrance for male dogs.”

Nussbaum said he’d seen research that indicated almost half of pet owners would spend as much on their pets as they would on their children, with the US and Japan some of the biggest spenders.

“It’s obviously a growing market,” he said.

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