The beauty industry is constantly moving forward, and 2016 will be no exception. Let’s take a closer look at four trends to watch for in the upcoming year.
Anti-Pollution Products
This past fall, in the Eat, Drink and Apply Beauty: Cosmeceuticals article, we discussed several technologies, a few beauty trends and beauty’s sweet spot between oral and topical applications. But among these topics, Cosimo Palumbo, sales area manager for North America at Indena S.p.A., named three areas that are gaining traction within the cosmeceutical market, one being urban pollution products—antipollution active ingredients that may protect the skin from external pollutants such as heavy metals, free radicals, etc.
“City-exposed skin" needs a detox, and that’s where anti-pollution products come in: They offer an anti-inflammatory, anti-sun and anti-chemical solution that works to restores and reboot skin. Among the lineup of anti-pollution active ingredients are fermented ingredients, which enhance the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of natural extracts; they also offer calming and brightening effects.
For example, the brand Amarte uses ginkgo nut extract as a fermented ingredient in its Eyeconic Eye Cream and Aqua Mist Toner. According to the company, “Ginkgo biloba nut extract has antioxidant and possible anti-inflammatory properties. It appears to aid fibroblast production of collagen and elastin and exerts protective effects on vascular walls."
Multicultural Beauty
Multicultural beauty—skin and hair products created for different cultures, ethnicities and skin colors—has been emerging for years, but 2016 will see more growth with the expansion of the middle class in emerging markets. The key to multicultural beauty, at least in U.S. market (which is defined as Hispanics, Asians, African-American and other people of color) is recognizing their spending power. The multicultural demographic accounts for more than one-third of the U.S. population and the spending power of this group is growing at a faster pace than the country’s average. In 2014, Kline reported the multicultural beauty products market grew 3.7 percent in the United States, outpacing the growth of the overall market for cosmetics and toiletries.
Multi-Masking
Following in Asia’s footsteps, U.S. consumers are investing in multiple facial products, aka multi-masking. (According to a beauty rep for Peter Roth Thomas at Sephora, Asian women, on average, use 17 different products on their face!).
So why multi-masking? Because the eyes may (and most likely do) require a different product from the cheeks and the cheeks from the neck and so on. But this trend goes beyond facial masks; it incorporates every step of a skin-care regimen. And, as most women know all too well, skin is oily in some spots, dry in others, discolored, chapped, wrinkled, sunburned, broke out, etc., and often all at once, so multiple products makes sense. The question is: What does this mean for product development? Up until now, multi-purpose products—i.e., makeup-meets-skin-care products that tackle several issues at once: SPF, anti-aging, coverage, brightening, etc. (and now, a brand new trend is including fragrance + skin care)—have been the trend. But multi-masking takes this a step further, promoting multiple products with multi-purpose benefits. With that being said, it’s tough to say how this will impact product development. This will most likely impact product packaging—grouping four or five different products in one package, similar to makeup palettes, enables consumers to knock out their skin-care purchase in one fell swoop (package).
Bottoms Up
The idea of eating and drinking your way to beauty is still a novel concept in the west, but it’s also a broadening edible market, given there are so many avenues to deliver beauty nutrients: foods, tablets, chews, capsules, jellies and beverages. But these products, be it supplement, food or beverage, are not just for the skin; they are for hair and nails and, often, conditions unrelated to beauty such as in the case of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and joint health, or probiotics and gut health.
You know the ingredients consumers are hot on: vitamin C, collagen, omega-3 fatty acids, coenzymes Q10 (CoQ10), carotenes, glutathione and flavonoids. But what you may not know are the elixirs consumers are willing to experiment with and, maybe, add to their beauty regimen: herbal teas (black, red and green), fortified waters (with vitamins A, E, C, zinc and selenium) and exotic fruit juices (such as pomegranate, acai and goji), just to name a few. And, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc.’s (GIA) report, “Nutricosmetics: A Global Strategic Business Report", ready-to-drink (RTD) beauty beverages are experiencing the strongest growth in the nutricosmetics market.
On the science side, however, nutricosmetics need more research. Or, better yet, they need more face time coupled with smart positioning that “shows off" their science. Think about it, beauty hubs such as Sephora are still heavily focused on topical applications delivered through a sensory experience in which customers can smell, touch, see and feel. So, a beauty (side)bar that offers consumers a tasteful experience to satisfy their fifth sense makes sense, doesn’t it?