Permanent Makeup Google Search Trends

If you currently operate a business providing Cosmetic Tattoo services or if you are considering undergoing training in Cosmetic Tattooing then the trends in demand for cosmetic tattoo services will no doubt be of interest to you.

Cosmetic Tattooing is known by various other terms such as Permanent Makeup / MicroPigmentation / Semi-Permanent Makeup / Medical Tattooing / Permanent Cosmetics and a variety of lesser known phrases. Perhaps the best known term is Permanent Makeup simply because it has been the term that has been used for the longest period of time.

Researchers at the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom have recently published an interesting article on nature.com, the Warwick team discovered that by analysing changes in Google query volumes for specific search terms related to finance, they discovered patterns that could be used as early warning signs of stock market movements.

In essence the Warwick researchers were using aggregates of Google's search terms to tap into what is sometimes referred to as 'wisdom of the crowd' which put in the simplest of terms means that decisions/opinions of large groups of people with diverse backgrounds are more likely to be accurate than those of an average individual. If you think about it its almost common sense that increased search activity (people looking for information) will ultimately lead to a change in prices due to buyer or seller demand.

The marketing team here at CTshop.com.au decided it was time to revisit the search activity for Cosmetic Tattoo related terms and see what wisdom the crowd can share with us.

Figure 1:  "Permanent Makeup" Search Trend

In Figure 1 above you can see that after trending sideways for about 5 years searches for the term "Permanent Makeup" have started trending upward since 2011. The dotted line at the end is Google's forecast for the next few months, it appears that currently there is a steady uptrend in searches for Permanent Makeup.
 

Figure 2:  "Permanent Makeup" Search Regional Interest

Figure 3:  "Permanent Makeup" Search Regional Search Comparison

Interestingly in Figure 2 & 3 above you can see that South Africa & Norway seem to be hot spots for searches for "Permanent Makeup".
 

Figure 4:  Search Trend for;
"Cosmetic Tattoo" "Micropigmentation" & "Permanent Cosmetics"

In Figure 4 above you can see that searches for "Cosmetic Tattoo" and "Micropigmentation" appear to be beginning an uptrend but searches for "Permanent Cosmetics" may still be trending downwards.

Figure 5:  "Semi Permanent Makeup" Search Trend

In Figure 5 above you can see that searches for "Semi Permanent Makeup" is also in a strong uptrend, but interestingly this seems to be focused mostly in the United Kingdom which probably reflects a dominance of use of that terminology among industry members in the UK compared to other locations.

Arguably "semi permanent makeup" could easily be confused with longer lasting forms of traditional makeup which also use the same terminology, that may explain why it is less popular in search trends in most other countries.

Figure 6:  Search Trend for;
"Permanent Eyebrow" "Permanent Lip" & "Permanent Eyeliner"

In Figure 6 above you can see that searches for "Permanent Eyebrow" and "Permanent Eyeliner" are in breakout uptrends, searches for "Permanent Lips" are trending upwards as well but not as strongly. This will probably not come as any surprise to any experienced member of the industry as this also reflects the popularity of the relative services.

The interesting thing about these search trends is that there is a clearly a very strong upward momentum.

Figure 7:  Search Trend for;
"Permanent Makeup Cost" versus "Best Permanent Makeup"

Figure 7 above should be very pleasing for all those Cosmetic Tattooists who focus on providing high quality services for clients, on this graph we have a direct comparison between those searching for the Cost of Permanent Makeup services versus those searching for the Best Permanent Makeup services.

The searches for "Best Permanent Makeup" are in a steady uptrend but conversely searches for "Permanent Makeup Cost" seems to have entered a sharp downtrend. Once again the dotted lines at the ends of each line of the graph are purely predictive of future trends.

Hopefully this indicates a determined change in thinking among the client base with a strong recognition that it is better to focus on quality rather than to focus on price when looking for a Permanent Makeup Technician.

Figure 8:  "Medical Tattoo" Search Trend

Figure 8 above shows the search trend for "Medical Tattoo" here we can see the commencement of a slow but steady uptrend since 2007.

Figure 9:  "Medical Tattoo" Search Regional Interest

Figure 9 above shows the regional hot spots for searches for "Medical Tattooist" around the globe.

Figure 10:  "Medical Tattoo" Search Regional Comparative

Figure 10 above show the hot spots for searches for "Medical Tattooist" by specific  geographical location, it would be no surprise that both the USA and the UK feature in these results.

Interestingly though both Australia (pop 22M) and Canada (pop 34M) which have significantly smaller populations than the USA (pop 314M) and the UK (pop 62M) feature very strongly in the global breakdown in geographical search for "Medical Tattooist". This may reflect positively on both the quality of services and the general acceptance of the Medical Tattooing for both of those countries.

Summary

If we believe in the wisdom of the crowd then it appears as if Cosmetic tattooing is entering a period of solid demand with particular emphasis on certain kinds of services and with hot spots in some key geographical locations.

Some of this data should be very pleasing for Cosmetic Tattooists who aspire to high standards of service, for cosmetic tattoo trainers, and for the industry generally as it seems that we are entering a sweet spot.

Date of most recent revision: 26/04/2013 (mutatis mutandis)
Original publication date: 26/04/2013

Copyright © 2013 CTshop.com.au & the article author All Rights Reserved. No copying, transmission or reproduction of site content is permitted without our prior written consent.

Disclaimer: The content of this article should be regarded as general information & is provided solely for the purpose of discussion & is not intended to replace cosmetic tattoo training or medical advice in any instance, always check with a cosmetic tattoo master trainer and or a qualified medical practitioner before acting on any information regarding cosmetic tattooing or in relation to any medical condition or medical circumstance.

Printing Restriction: This article is print disabled, please read our Intellectual Property & Copyright Policies if you would like to request a copy or permission to use the article content for any purpose.