Guwahati, Oct. 29: Direct selling firm Amway is looking to cash in on the evolving skincare market in the smaller towns of the Northeast by coming up with anti-ageing products in the premium beauty segment.

The company today launched an intensive skincare anti-wrinkle firming serum under its Artistry brand in Guwahati and Imphal.

'The Northeast is an evolving market for beauty care products with consumers who are knowledgeable and open to international products. As a matter of fact, the beauty and personal care industry in the East and Northeast has grown by 17 per cent in 2013. Given the scenario, we have come up with anti-ageing products to work as a catalyst in further boosting our market share in the segment,' Diptarag Bhattacharjee, vice-president (eastern region), Amway India, told The Telegraph here today.

The size of the Indian skincare market is over Rs 8,000 crore, of which anti-ageing is around Rs 450 crore. Industry sources say the anti-ageing segment is poised to grow at over 100 per cent in the coming years.

The anti-wrinkle firming serum, which targets women who prefer purchase-at-home alternatives to professional treatments such as line filler injections and chemical peels, is the second to be launched in the Artistry intensive skincare line.

'We have launched the product in Guwahati and Imphal in the first phase and would subsequently take it to the other markets of the region. Given the scope for growth in this segment and the region posting 20 per cent growth in the prestige skincare brand, the product should do well,' Bhattacharjee said.

The company had in March opened a brand experience centre at Imphal, the second in the Northeast.

Artistry is a leading brand in the super premium segment of skincare and competes with brands like Lancome, Estee Lauder, Shiseido and Clinique. The brand contributed almost 6 per cent of Amway India's turnover (Rs 2,169 crore) in the year 2013-14. 'But unlike its competitors, Artistry is available in the non-metros of the country. Almost 40 per cent of the brand's sales come from tier-two and tier-three cities, which again is an indicator of its acceptability in the smaller cities,' he said.

Guwahati ranks among the top 10 cities in Amway's beauty market. The Northeast contributes 30 per cent to the direct selling FMCG major's beauty business in the eastern zone.