A rise in the number of visits to spas and other professional outlets for skin care treatments in 2010 gave way to sales growth for the global professional skin care products market.

A report on the sector by research company Kline & Company shows that while Japan remained flat with 0.1 per cent growth, Europe recovered in 2010, posting a 3.0 per cent increase and sales in the US increased by 2.7 per cent in 2010.

The report, Skin Care 2010 Global Series: Market Analysis and Opportunities, also reveals that most of the leading professional skin care companies enjoyed respectable sales gains in 2010.

Brands from the medical care providers channel reaped the strongest growth, with companies such as SkinMedica and SkinCeuticals posting double-digit gains.

Spas and salons remains the largest purchase channel in the US, but market share for the channel continues to decline due to stiff competition from other channels and the general market for facial treatment products.

Elsewhere, beauty institutes are the leaders in both Europe with 59 per cent and Japan with nearly 68 per cent of market share.