It's mid-way through 2024, and global events are still not looking up. The risk of nuclear war is much higher than it should be, people either feel guilty about not doing enough to stop the (other) war, or they feel guilty about enjoying luxuries whilst horrors are being committed in the Middle East. Closer to home, we feel like we’re getting gaslit by the media, saying that the economy is improving, but our real life experiences aren’t, and going to the supermarket continues to be a depressing affair.
The general sentiment is helplessness, as we watch the World seemingly spiral out of control. Such emotions take a hit on one’s mental wellness. Therefore, we see consumers spending more money on products that may improve their overall state of mind, and create little luxuries in the areas that they can control or have a strong connection to.
personalisation.
Personalisation of products brings a little bit of you onto your bathroom shelf. 72% of consumers are willing to pay for customised products. Personalisation is usually synonymous with luxury, due to the operational costs - however, there are many creative ways a brand can incorporate this trend, from a simple online quiz to diagnostics, to shade and skin analysis service. Even something as simple as a personalised label can help add that special touch. Research by Mckinsey shows that 71 percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. And 76 percent get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. As a brand you can use small personalised touches to bring loyalty to your brand.
hyper-intentional skincare.
If you are a small brand looking to scale and personalised products are just not feasible (or just not your style), you can also create a slice of personalisation through hyper-intentional product design. Hyper-intentional skincare is like house music, it doesn’t judge you, and it will love you back. It gives love to the identities who are usually overlooked,
Hyper-intentional products needs to be able to serve to specific niches within each consumer base. It is more important than ever for brands to create products that encourages a more individual experience – ideally a product that can be experienced differently by different people. Community and empathy are incredibly important when designing such product types. This means, going back to basics, to address modern issues from the core using with modern solutions. For example, Dissolvable Salicylic Peel Pads could be created for the consumers who enjoy hanging out at the sustainability and Peel Pad trend intersection.
skin hacking for wellness.
The skin is a good marker of overall health, and thus consumers are ferociously looking for science based solutions with visible results. Just like how a sculpted body is a manifestation of years of training and clean eating, showing off your visibly healthy skin is a hallmark of how much work you’ve put into your body. We are looking younger than ever for our age. And its because consumers know exactly what to do to achieve that well-looking skin. They are looking for Collagen enhancing, lipid barrier rebuilding, microbiome balancing claims, to enhance their natural beauty. A Ceramide lip oil can help to rebuild and protect chapped lips, and give it a soft, juicy glow.
modern ethnobotany.
As the world gets smaller, and cultures start to blur together, we start to see individuals looking back into the past for more inspiration and grounding guidance. Ethnobotany refers to the study of how plants have influenced and appeared in human cultures, especially within traditional or indigenous knowledge. As we always know, there is wisdom in the wise. Start to look for stories of ingredients that may have been accidentally erased through agricultural revolutions , or may have been tainted by certain movements. However, it is very important to ensure that you are not marginalising any community, especially if your muse was someone else’s traditional knowledge base. Better yet, work with herbal ingredients that resonate with your brand and personal culture. Taking inspiration from such herbal ingredients and elevating it though science and biotechnology can also help to create a hyper-intentional brand.
nutricosmetics.
Just as mental and physical wellness is interconnected, so is the relationship between food and beauty. Consumers are not only looking to target skin concerns through topical products, but are increasingly turning to food ingredients (usually based on traditional remedies, just like ethnobotany) that might help improve our overall appearance.
It is thought that the nutricosmetic market is thought to grow at a CAGR or 8.1% from 2020 to 2027, of a 12.85 Billion USD.
For example, ingestible collagen is not a new concept (bone-broth has been consumed for centuries due to its high collagen content)but it has now taken on a more modern trajectory. Collagen supplements and drinks have now infiltrated the beauty world, as there have been some preliminary studies that show that taking them have been shown to increase protein levels in the blood – pre-cursors that are important for building collagen.
To stand out in the nutricosmetic space as a beauty brand, it is important to ensure that your product is designed to be hyper-intentional to your brand values. It is also imperative to ensure that your active at the dose it is included has been proven for efficacy. Different formats of an ingredient can have significantly different efficacies. For example, you could create a Hydrolysed Collagen Probiotic (blend specific to skin health) drink, if you have a microbiome-friendly brand.
For products launching in 2025, consider these trends, to ensure you are on the path to a successful brand.
