2023 BEAUTY TREND FORECAST

2022 was a huge year for beauty trends, as we carried through habits formed during the pandemic and rediscovered beauty that we put aside in lockdown.

From the fast beauty trends (shaggy mullet anyone?) through to the trend winners (glowy skin!) 2022 was a year we could have fun and be experimental with beauty again.

So what does that mean for beauty in 2023? read on to find out more about our top 5 trend predictions set to dominate the beauty world over the next 12 months…..

SKIN WELLNESS

Barrier care has been a hot topic in the beauty world for some time now and it’s only going to get bigger in 2023 as more consumers become aware of the benefits of a healthy barrier. If your skin barrier is functioning at its best to retain hydration and protect against external aggressors, then skin is less prone to issues such as dryness, sensitivity, or acne.

So, what does that mean for the beauty world? Ingredients that help to strengthen the skin barrier such as Ceramides, Niacinamide and Omega Fatty Acids will be must-have inclusions in new beauty launches.

Ingredients that focus on the repair of a damaged barrier will also be in demand, such as humectants like Hyaluronic Acid and skin soothers like Aloe Extract. Skin slugging will evolve into skin flooding with a focus on intense hydration. So not exactly new news in terms of ingredients, but the education around why they are important, their inclusion in products, and the consumer demand for these ingredients will all grow in strength.

Finally, skincare launches will layer in multiple ingredients that are formulated to take the guesswork out of layering and focus on accessible ways to achieve healthy skin. Community66 is a example of a brand leading the way with this trend.

SKIN TINT HYBRIDS

As we invest in skin wellness for a dewy skin glow, there becomes less need to cover it up. As a result, we see the trend for lightweight skin tints, tinted moisturisers, serums and SPFs continuing to grow in 2023.

Designed to enhance your natural skin glow and infused with skin-loving ingredients, lightweight skin perfecters are not new formats - BB creams blew up this trend in 2011.

However, ingredient and texture innovation will continue to engage new consumers, especially with hybrid benefits appealing to consumers with tighter budgets in the cost-of-living crisis.

NAILED IT

2022 officially saw Hailey Bieber bringing back nail trends.

During the pandemic and economic downturn, nails were deprioritised with nail salons taking a hit. The glazed donut nails changed that, with a renewed focus on nail colour, finishes and shapes once again.

Heading in 2023 ombre nails, chrome nails and clean girl nails are already hot, but it’s the next viral Hailey nail moment that will get us all posting our latest nail look.

EYE LINER EXPERIMENTATION

Eyeliner always offers up the opportunity for application innovation and trend looks, and 2023 will be no different. Following Wednesday inspiring a new surge of gothic grunge makeup, eyeliner will continue to be bold and heavy in 2023. Whether its flicks, fully layered or criss-crossed in the corner, liner is easier than ever to master with social tutorials and product innovation. Gemstones will also offer a new way to play with accent liner looks.

NEXT GEN ACTIVE AGING

Anti-ageing is long gone and for years pro-age has been more of a focus, with the attitude that aging is a privilege and should be celebrated.

In 2023 products and ingredients for addressing mature skin needs such as lines and dullness will be a focus, in parallel with the “notox” trend for supporting the skin without the need for invasive treatments. This will be done with an attitude of transparency and honest conversations, with ageing being nothing to be ashamed of but also not brushed aside or deemed irrelevant for beauty users.

As a result, much- loved ingredients such as Peptides, Collagen, Retinol will all be prioritised, alongside new age supportive ingredient heroes such as Chebula and Resveratrol.

Thanks for reading! For more info on these trend predictions please get in touch for a chat.

THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH

Skin Wellbeing

WITH THE PANDEMIC ENSURING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH WILL CONTINUE TO BE MAIN PRIORITIES FOR CONSUMER IN 2021, WE ARE SEEING THE CONSUMER DEMAND MORE FROM THEIR BEAUTY PRODUCTS; NOT ONLY MUST THEY MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD, THEY NEED TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD TOO- IT’S ABOUT THE TOTAL 360 EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST EVER LARGE SCALE STUDY EXAMINING THE LINK BETWEEN STRESS AND BEAUTY, FOUND THAT 75% OF WOMEN SAY STRESS AFFECTS THEIR SENSE OF FEELING BEAUTIFUL.

THIS MEANS THE LINK BETWEEN WELLNESS AND BEAUTY IS GROWING, WITH CONSUMERS SEARCHING FOR TRENDS WHICH SHOW A HOLISTIC APPROACH TOWARDS SKINCARE.

THE MARKET TREND DRIVERS

• As a result of the skincare market pivoting towards healthcare, the Skin Microbiome market will grow to $2.97bn by 2030.

• Messages that encourage confidence and naturalness will have greater appeal, particularly as body positivity continues to gain traction. For example, several brands and retailers have embraced skin imperfections and challenged the notion that healthy skin needs to be flawless in 2021, including Cult Beauty with its #UpCloseOnSkincare campaign.

• 13 to 26 years old see skincare as the Holy Grail of beauty routines. It’s now about nurturing and caring for skin, as the notion of health takes a growing place in the world of cosmetics.

The 4 consumer trends we are seeing are:

• Sensitive skin & scarring

  In the UK 32% of women claim to have sensitive skin, and 70% of people have skin conditions or scars that directly affect their confidence.

  We know that stress can trigger flare-ups of eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, hives, cold sores, fever blisters, and other skin rashes. With the ongoing impact of the pandemic on mental health (in December 2020 a US census found 42% of US adults were experiencing stress or depression) this explains why we’ve seen a surge in brand launches starring quintessential calming ingredients.

• Natural Skin health

  The demand for skincare to provide more than just aesthetic benefits is accelerating. 65% of beauty consumers link the beauty and wellness categories together.

  Skincare for health is emerging in tandem with global consumer interest in overall health as well as the need to communicate and educate skincare's health benefits for future success.

• Seasonal Skin

  Hot weather, cold and dry climates as well as changing seasons means consumers are looking for products which meet seasonal demands. Air con and central heating can impact skin, such as dehydrating and causing breakouts.

  39% of UK female facial skincare product users agree cold weather impacts the appearance of their skin.

• Skin Protection

  COVID-19 has renewed consumers focus on what's polluting skin. Stylight noted a 136% increase in Google searches for “blue light skincare” since the beginning of 2019, peaking at a 336% increase in May 2020. There is also an increased brand focus on protection and barrier repair ingredient call outs.

Hot Beauty trends for Beauty NPD

• Focus

  The pandemic has opened up new skin considerations whether its increased cleanliness, masks, or using skincare to de-stress. As a result, brands need to focus on skin wellness, not just aesthetics.

  Consumers are also looking for skincare that will help protect skin coming out of the pandemic, such as skin barrier and linking into overall wellness.

• Education

  As consumers are increasingly aware of external factors on skin, adaptive beauty products that can be customised to the user's changing skin needs willgain traction and brands should help educate on factors that can influence skin changes

  The conversation around the impact of hormonal changes is also opening up, presenting opportunities for targeted innovations.

• Packaging

  Packaging which tailors to 'freshness' or 'sealed' similar to probiotics. Consumers are even using 'beauty fridges' to keep skincare fresh, so this is something that would lend well to this trend.

• Ingredients

  "Natural" and  “clean” ingredient labelling has experienced  backlash as consumers education themselves on issues like ingredient safety and depletion of natural resources. Brands have the opportunity to instead focus on validating how ingredients promote skin health, sourced using transparent and sustainable  practices.

  Use of wellness focused ingredients continues to grow e.g. microbiome and 'fermented' ingredients- linking into the live ingredient trend.

Within our latest trends report, we explore the consumer insights shaping this trend and we can reach out to consumers through exciting and innovation NPD.

There is so much to uncover about this trend so please get in touch to discover more and find out how we can bring ideas to a commercial reality

THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH