Things are finally looking up for the Spanish beauty market. For the first time in nearly a decade, cosmetics and fragrance sales are beginning to rise as consumers regain confidence in the economy and start spending again after several years of recession. In 2014, total beauty sales fell 1.1% to $9.09 billion, according to Euromonitor International.

“The market is very dynamic, especially in fragrance,” said Isabel Alonso, Executive Director, NPD Beauty Spain. The selective market grew 5% in the five months ended May 2015, Isabel said, after a drop of 2.5% last year. “The economy is better, and families are daring to spend; there is a momentum that will be difficult to slow down. People want to spend and to treat themselves, and perfumery offers that opportunity to the consumer,” she said.

Additionally, tourism in Spain is on the rise, providing an additional boost to spending as consumers choose destinations in Spain over areas such as North Africa and Turkey, which is experiencing insecurity, and Greece due to the country’s economic problems.

Overall, fragrance and makeup are seeing relatively strong growth so far this year, boosted notably by new products, said Isabel. Prestige fragrance sales rose 7.3% from January to May this year, while the makeup category was up 6.2%, according to NPD. “Certain brands have grown their market share through good innovation as well as by strengthening their pillars,” said Isabel, citing the successes of Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium (L’Oréal) and Paco Rabanne Invictus (Puig) as examples. The skin care category, meanwhile, is suffering from a lack of innovation compared with previous years, mirroring its performance in other markets, and is seeing flat to declining sales. Prestige skin care sales from January to May this year fell by 0.1%.

To read BW Confidential’s full report on Spain’s beauty market click here.