Over the last several years, skincare and makeup has evolved a lot. In the past, the aesthetic outcome that a skincare product provided was, more or less, the only metric which it was judged on. Now, thanks to social media, social trends and the younger generations, skincare and beauty products are equally judged on how healthy they are for your skin, affordability, environmental sustainability, whether or not they are vegan and cruelty free, whether or not the plant-based materials in the product is organic and even the social causes associated with the company selling the product. Suffice to say, the landscape of the skincare products industry has widely broadened. Here we will delve into the specifics of various skincare meta trends which are sure to influence the skincare and beauty industry for years to come.
PERSONALIZED SKIN CARE SYSTEMS
One major trend which has picked up a lot of steam lately is personalized skin care systems. The personalization aspect can refer to any characteristic of the skincare product from the colors and tones of makeup to the active ingredients in acne creams or even just the gender for which the skincare product is intended. Some newer technologies even create the possibility for customers to make their own products such as lipstick unique lipstick colors generated machines that are economically within the reach of ordinary people and businesses. By broadening the number of choices which beauty consumers have, you increase the possibility of gaining loyal customers who are partial to one very specific type of skincare product.
CRUELTY-FREE BEAUTY AND SKINCARE PRODUCTS
Years back, the beauty and skincare industry gained the unfortunate reputation of mistreating animals in the course of testing out new beauty products on these animals. Well, consumers, especially younger consumers, took notice and, en masse, decided to pull their support from these products as well as the companies who made these products. As a result, new “cruelty-free” products began to emerge and old companies who previously engaged in animal testing found new ways to verify the safety of their products in order to add the coveted cruelty-free label to their products. Today, cruelty-free products are expected by nearly all beauty and skincare consumers and skincare companies are surely very cautious about any mistreatment of animals for which they could be outed on social media.
VEGAN PRODUCTS
This skincare meta trend has some crossover with the cruelty-free meta trend in that many consumers who support vegan products also protest the mistreatment (and use) of animals in making food and consumer goods such as beauty and skincare products. However, the desire for vegan products is also a health-conscious choice. Supporters of vegan beauty products argue that the use of animals in beauty products and food alike is detrimental to one’s health. The arguments that animal products are detrimental to one’s health tend to revolve around inflammation, cancer and heart health risks. For this reason, if a beauty company is legitimately able to stick a “vegan” label on their products, they do so proudly because it is a selling point for many consumers.
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
This skincare meta trend is really two, albeit very related, skincare trends rolled into one. In the age of social media, beauty consumers are aware of what companies are engaged in environmentally friendly practices and what, if any, social causes these beauty companies support. For this reason, practices such as sending in old, empty containers to have companies refill them instead of purchasing a whole new container is growing. Then there is the social cause side of the equation. For instance, some skincare companies will make promises such as that for every ten dollars spent with them, one dollar will be donated to conserving the rainforest or cleaning the ocean. Consumers appreciate this and opt for products which make them feel like they are participating in something positive aside from just buying a product.
CONCLUSION
These meta trends in beauty and skincare, many of which deal with matters outside of the actual product itself, are sure to continue shaping the future of product lines for years to come. More and more, consumers will probably expect that all or nearly all of the aforementioned boxes are ticked on every product they buy. Therefore, it is up to skincare and beauty companies to meet these expectations and keep consumers happy.