Fashion, benefits, price figure in equation.(NAIL CARE: For suppliers the desire for multifunctional items fits perfectly into their strategies.)(nail care products market trends )

NEW YORK -- One of the most up-and-down categories in all of chain drug retailing, nail care is just now starting to emerge from a downturn, those in the industry say.

Overall mass market sales in the combined nail care segments fell by nearly 3% during the 12 months ended August 7, Information Resources Inc. reports. Drug store volume declined 3.1%.

And while certain portions of the nail care market continue to experience double-digit drops--nail treatments fell 13.3% during the period and nail polish accessories declined 10.3%--suppliers and retailers are taking some comfort from the fact that much of the falloff is less than it was just a few months ago.

For the year ended in mid-May, for instance, IRI reported that sales of nail treatments had …