Fake tan out, soap in as coronavirus keeps people at home - Cussons

(Reuters) - Beauty products maker PZ Cussons is seeing a surge in demand for its Carex hand wash, sanitiser gels and Imperial Leather soap due to the coronavirus pandemic, while facing a slowdown in its fake tan brand St Tropez.

PZ Cussons said St Tropez, which has been namechecked by Kim Kardashian and other social media influencers, has been hit hard by the social distancing measures in place in Britain, the United States and across Europe.

"Our significant marketing activities planned for Q4 have been cancelled and we expect this business to be slow to recover," the company said.

The British company's personal care business, which includes beauty, made up almost 60% of group revenue last year. St Tropez was a big driver of beauty revenue, with sales in the United States up by 30% in 2019.

It pointed to a slow recovery in the beauty business as retailers are now stocking up on hygiene and personal care products rather than cosmetics.

"Our full year profit guidance remains within consensus range, albeit at the lower end," PZ Cussons, which recently hired Avon Products executive Jonathan Myers as its new CEO, said.

The company's shares were trading 1% lower at 177.9 pence by 0749 GMT.

The group reported a fall in overall revenue in the third quarter ended Feb. 29 year-on-year and said the impact of the coronavirus and the restrictions imposed to prevent its spread remained significant.

PZ Cussons' key manufacturing sites around the world remain open, despite the restrictions, it said.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru and Josephine Mason in London; Editing by Ramakrishnan M./ Saumyadeb Chakrabarty/Jane Merriman)