Post Pandemic Beauty Trends: The New Normal

Our Thoughts

22/03/2021 by The Red Tree

During the national lockdown there has been an opportunity to slow down, rest and recalibrate. This led to consumers becoming more mindful in their routines and more educated in their choice of products.

More brands have encouraged and offered different approaches to all kinds of care, particularly soul care. Soul care is a holistic approach to improving and promoting wellbeing in individuals using various forms of modernized Ayurveda.

A brand can implement soul-care into their offering, that allows consumers to create an atmosphere at home that is serene and calming. Incorporating stress reducing ingredients such as high altitude lavender which is known for it’s sleep inducing properties as a calmative, adaptogenic herbs like Ashwanghda, a potent antioxidant thought to increase the skins ability to cope with external stress or CBD isolate which is known to have significant skin soothing properties.

Spa like disciplines have been encouraged at home. Prompting the use of Candles, pampering bath & body products and home ancillaries (such as electronic aroma diffusers and salt lamps). Curate Beauty, an Indie brand marketplace, reported ‘Candles’ to be their most popular search word in 2020.¹ Similarly, Vogue reported candle making to be the biggest trend of lockdown in their December editorial.² Creating an at home spa environment promotes a sense of wholeness, is mood boosting and gives people the opportunity to indulge in self care, something we can all appreciate at a time like this. Self-care helps one to maintain a healthy relationship with oneself and helps transmit the good feelings to others.

Many consumers are re-evaluating what is more valuable to them. As the COVID pandemic would have changed people’s spending habits, giving them the space to evaluate what personal care purchases are a priority. 58% of females are reported to be wearing less makeup than before and 43% of people have simplified their daily routines.³

The statistics convey a picture that people are enjoying ‘Skinimalism’ – minimalistic skincare routines where less is more. Encouraging brands to consider multifunctioning actives in product formulations. A example of this is Fenty Beauty’s – Fat Water, which is a 2-in-1 toner-serum combo that targets pores, improves the look of dark spots, brightens, smooths, and fights shine. The end user shortens their regimen and gets several benefits in a single use of the product.⁴

Multifunctioning active ingredients help to simplify a product whilst still maintaining a high level of efficacy and ability to improve many skin ailments in one go. A water soluble example of a high performance active ingredient is Bitop’s ‘Glycoin® Natural’⁵, a 100% natural active ingredient, that revitalizes aged cells, stimulates cell vitality and boosts anti-oxidative enzymes. It has in vitro and in vivo tests to confirm its capacity to enhance skin elasticity, smoothness, thickness and reduces sunburn and skin redness. A oil soluble example would be Chemyunion’s ‘AGEN’⁶ which uses the science of epigenetic regulation to improve the firmness, reduction of wrinkles, increasing elasticity and re-densification of the skin, guaranteeing a younger and healthier skin.

Both active ingredients, when considered in a simple product base, bring simplicity to a product whilst maintain high levels of efficacy, which is ideal for a consumer who is looking to streamline their skincare routines. Brands can formulate products to have less ingredients but more proven benefits, reducing the number of steps required to achieve a good routine.

A more conscious consumer has had time to research online; are aware, educated and mindful about what they are buying. Prize efficacy, sustainability and authenticity over fear mongering, off the shelf products and they make informed decisions on what products to buy based on their research.

The evolution of plant based food in raw material options, gives us the opportunity to incorporate nutritious foods that are well known, and have been extracted and tested for their exceptional benefits.

Mycelium from shiitake mushrooms, is used by Active Concepts⁷ to offer a anti- thermal damage and hair strengthening ingredient, or one can consider the jackfruit polysaccharides⁸, extracted from upcycled food industry waste, to create a functional cosmetic active capable of providing hydrating and anti-frizz benefits to the hair. In the same way, Chemyunion, have created Cellfie – ‘Botox in a bottle’⁹ which allows a skincare product to offer safe, non-invasive facial filling treatments using the Thyme extract!

Excellent examples of how natural food science is becoming more advanced within personal care developments. When these raw materials are listed in a products ingredients list, consumers can quickly identify these items and this builds their trust and rapport for the brand.

Brands have the opportunity to more innovative in their choice of ingredients, more streamlined in their offerings and more wellbeing centered in their offerings. A positive steering for 2021 and beyond.

Tumi Siwoku, also known as ‘The Beauty Chemist’ is a Cosmetic Chemist (BSc) & the Creative Director at Beauty Science Labs! A LCF Alumni and member of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists with over a decade of experience in the beauty & personal care industry; A passionate creative who enjoys helping independent brands balance the science and art of formulating.

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