Global beauty and personal care trends have been unfolding swiftly in recent years, impacting and reshaping product innovations and consumerism. Looking ahead, Mintel has outlined five factors shaping the future of Beauty and Personal Care product innovation:
The line between humans and devices is increasingly blurred
As people become more reliant on technology, one beauty trend gaining momentum is the technological developments that have been filling the spaces within the industry. The integration of technology into beauty and personal care products promises to deliver a higher efficacy of product. From a retail perspective, technology has greatly enhanced the experience of consumers which has benefitted both store owners and brands. It has fuelled a greater desire for good old-fashioned customer service that combines high-efficiency and interaction with genuine customer service.
Sources of water will continue to change
Water scarcity, pollution and conservation will have a growing impact on consumers’ daily lives. As their awareness grows, it will drive beauty brands to review how they manufacture and formulate products in order to limit the dependence on water. As a result, innovative plant waters will grow in popularity and the source of the water used in products will change, adding an element of luxury to the concept.
Urban life results in energy crisis
Around the world, tiredness is one of the key health concerns for adults. This is triggering beauty brands to carry energy claims in their messaging. Innovations are developing along the line of textures, fragrance and ingredients to link energy benefits with sensorial cues to evoke emotions.
It’s what’s on the inside that counts
As consumers place more importance on healthy living, they are beginning to improve their knowledge of ingredients, and are prepared to roll up their sleeves to make their own beauty and personal care products. Brands are echoing this trend, offering products that carry the option of customisation, as well as magnifying the importance and benefits of natural ingredients. From brow-raising snail slime to centipede excrement used to combat ageing, the industry has raised the bar in scouting the globe to expand on the concept of natural ingredients. In the future, it will be a whole new cycle of warming up to new ingredients that are seemingly out of the norm.
Being in the forefront of trends
As the world continues to urbanise, it becomes increasingly challenging, yet more important, for brands and retailers to remain at the forefront of trends. In doing so, they have the opportunity to define the varying notion of beauty and satisfy the growing appetite of consumers to address different needs and concerns.
Sharon Kwek is Senior Innovation and Insights Analyst at Mintel. She will go into more depth on all of these emerging trends when she presents on Innovation in Beauty & Personal Care at in-cosmetics Asia in Bangkok on Tuesday, 8 November at 4pm.