It’s only August but we’re already looking towards the top beauty trends for 2019. So what’s in store?
The Future Laboratory recently compiled its annual Beauty Futures 2018 Report which looked at key rising trends across skincare, cosmetics, haircare and fragrance, plus in-depth insight into algorithmic beauty, an advancing macrotrend.
According to the report, natural and niche brands will continue to grow, consumers will keep using makeup as a means of self-expression, and Instagram beauty will stick around through it all. Here are the top eight beauty trends retailers should prepare for next year, plus a look at how technology, social media and algorithms are changing the industry.
1. Products that work with your menstrual cycle
Consumers are looking for even more personalisation when it comes to their skin. Enter cyclical beauty, a developing phenomenon that will provide consumers with beauty products that cater for women’s changing skin during their menstrual cycle.
Brands such as Amareta and Knours are already providing these kinds of products that support the skin across each 28-day cycle, responding to dryness, dullness, and increased oil production. An app called U-Kno sits alongside Knours’ range which tracks the user’s monthly cycle to analyse changing beauty needs, and provides medical insight into skin condition and mood fluctuations throughout the month.
2. Bodycare no longer an afterthought
Bodycare products are often considered functional but not critical to consumer’s everyday beauty routine, but the launch of Glossier’s Body Hero range has arguably changed this. The range is inspired by facial skincare formulas and is designed to ‘clean, hydrate and enhance skin all over’, plus give the body a luminous, highlighted finish.
“The look your skin gets is an afterthought for a lot of drugstore creams. It’s more about the moisture they deliver,’ says Glossier CEO Emily Weiss. “But what finish will the product leave on your arms, your collar bone, your legs?”
The Body Hero campaign has also helped pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse beauty industry. The imagery shows a wide range of body types and skin tones to celebrate all women.
3. Instagram beauty is going offline
Instagram has officially become a key way for consumers to discover new and niche brands. As highlighted in the report, 44 per cent of cosmetics and skincare purchases are influenced by beauty brands on social media. So, retailers are now making these cult beauty brands, which have previously been hard for consumers to get, available offline. For example, Bloomingdale’s in store beauty boutique Glowhaus puts various popular Instagram brands under one roof.
Bloomingdale’s vice-president and divisional merchandise manager of cosmetics, Stacie Borteck, says, “With the rise of niche, socially born brands, it became clear to us that we needed to carve out a new space – to create a sort of incubator.”
4. Recreating the salon experience at home
Concerns over harsh chemicals in at-home hair dye products mean women are unlikely to DIY. But new innovations, from standard products to virtual reality, are making it easier for people to recreate the salon experience at home.
Celebrity hair colourist Josh Wood bought at-home hair dying to a more professional level with the launch of his convenient colourant kit that includes salon-grade gloves, protective barrier cream, stain-removing wipes and a deep conditioning treatment. Additionally, companies such as ModiFace and Splat have launched technology which allows consumers to try different hair colours and styles before they buy or commit to dyeing.
5. Embracing the natural and reclaiming braids
Young black women are increasingly embracing their natural hair and celebrating their heritage through traditional braiding. Braids are now being seen as an art form and a sign of resistance. In fact, chemical relaxer sales in the black haircare market fell by 36.6 percent between 2012 and 2017, according to Mintel.
6. Affordable, niche perfume on the rise
Perfume with a more accessible price point is an area that is steadily growing. Niche perfume sales in 2017 increased by 14 percent in the US.
Floral Street is a brand tapping into this trend with their range of more affordable perfumes that don’t bypass quality. Similarly, A N Other has a range of perfumes with a budget-friendly price tag. They choose to prioritise ingredient formulation over marketing in order to do this.
7. Unconventional scents are emerging
Unusual and more individualistic scents are turning the fragrance category on its head. Introducing ‘anti-perfumes’ – luxury scents made from waste that draw on decay and disorder. This concept is demonstrated by a few different brands. For example, Etat Libre d’Orange has fragrance based on the scent of blood, sweat, sperm and saliva; Ogilvy Paris draws on decomposing fruits and flowers; and heritage fragrance house Serge Lutens offers a perfume with milk, almond and metallic notes.
8. Makeup as self-expression
Brands are responding to a shift in beauty ideals by acknowledging makeup as a means of self-expression rather than a way to cover up flaws. One of the best examples of this is CoverGirl’s new slogan – ‘I Am What I Make Up’ – that aims to challenge beauty norms.
Algorithmic Beauty
As technology advances in the beauty industry, a new macro trend is steadily growing – algorithmic beauty, which involves the rise of smart beauty devices, social media, and artificial intelligence.
On the one hand, natural beauty still reigns yet technology is increasingly encouraging and helping us achieve perfection and flawlessness. Social media is also helping perpetuate this ideal.
Selfies and social media have bought forth a new beauty ideal where filters and Photoshop enable and normalise the flawless look. Products with perfecting qualities promising an airbrushed look are reaching cult status, and new cosmetic procedures are emerging as a result.
Smart devices are infiltrating the beauty space, with technology helping introduce more control and personalisation.
High-tech devices at a medical level are now becoming available at home. One example is Neutrogena’s Light Therapy Mask which enables users to clear up their acne without the need to visit a dermatologist’s office.
Facial recognition technology is starting to make its way into the beauty market and is already being used to scan users’ faces to give them advice or to help them choose which products to buy.
Despite the lean towards perfection and the flawless look, there is still the desire to consider diversity and inclusivity.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. We can only imagine what else algorithmic beauty will do for beauty ideals and the industry as a whole.
