Allergan is targeting a new growth market with its fat-fighting CoolSculpting treatment: Hispanic women.
The Dublin drugmaker surveyed 255 members of Latina influencer network #WeAllGrow to find that 63% were considering cosmetic surgery as they aged. Ninety-four percent said they had trouble losing weight on certain areas of their bodies, and 52% said they’d combine diet and exercise with a body contouring procedure to get it done.
The company, along with #WeAllGrow, also hosted an aesthetics conversation featuring a board-certified dermatologist and well-known trainer Gia Fey, whose Spanish-language workout videos made her a YouTube sensation. Mike Jafar, Allergan’s VP of body contouring, moderated the discussion.
“Our collaboration with #WeAllGrow is the first step in our desire to learn about Latina perspectives of beauty and their attitudes towards aesthetic procedures,” he said in a statement, adding that Latinas in the U.S. spent $2.49 billion last year on beauty-related products.
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When it comes to CoolSculpting, Latinas aren’t the only group Allergan is trying to bring into the fold. Earlier this year, it rolled out a multichannel campaign featuring figure skater Johnny Weir and golfer Ian Poulter in an attempt to reach men.
CoolScupting, which Allergan acquired in last year’s $2.47 Zeltiq buyout, has so far churned out solid sales. And Allergan has needed them to make up for underperforming Kybella, another fat-buster—targeted at double chins—from a different recent buyout.
Meanwhile, the company itself has pledged to slim down by hiving off its women’s health and anti-infectives unit, a move that would allow it to zero in on aesthetics and other businesses it deems “core.” Disgruntled investors, though, have called the idea “half-hearted” and instead called for change at the top of the company to revive slumping shares.