What’s hot and what’s not in beauty right now?

What’s HOT?​

A focus on 'skinflamm-ageing'​

Mintel senior beauty analyst Maddie Malone shared that she has been analysing beauty trends on social media channels over the past year and had noted that the ‘Skinflamm-ageing’ trend was on an upward trajectory.  

“This is basically the notion of kind of skin ageing and inflammation being an undesirable result of that and we're starting to see brands come through and talk about this more generally as well,” she shared.

Skincare smoothies​

Consumers making ‘skin smoothies’ was another area to watch, said Malone, who explained that this involved cocktailing various skin care products before applying them to the skin.

“I feel like we've seen a bit of a shift away from skincare layering,” she shared. Malone also noted that this was a good way for beauty consumers to save time as “layering products one after the other can be quite time intensive.”

Skin streaming​

On that note, streamlining skincare routines was another trend Malone was watching, around the “notion of simplicity.”

She explained this this involved beauty consumers using just three highly effective, ingredient-led products” – namely cleanser, moisturiser, and SPF – to save time and money.

Active beauty: cosmetics for use during or after sport ​ 

Meanwhile, Mintel associate director Rosalia Di Gesu said that she was anticipating a revival in ‘active beauty’ cosmetics – joining the dots between exercise and beauty and personal care products.

On this topic, Di Gesu highlighted tennis star Serena Williams’ recent water-proof and sweat-resistant colour cosmetics range launch, Wyn Beauty.

“With the Paris Olympic Games around the corner, it's an ideal time for brands to recognise that link between exercise and beauty and personal care,” she said.

What’s NOT?​

Kids using skin care products designed for adults​

Malone spoke on the topic of young children using skin care products that are designed for adult skin, which has been making headlines this year.

She noted that Mintel has specifically asked questions on this topic for an upcoming consumer report due to publish this month (May), to find out if parents are worried about their children's use of certain skin care ingredients, as well as to learn if they have concerns about the financial cost of these products, too.  

“We've seen a rise of Get Ready With Me videos and I think social status is now being tied to usage of facial skin care among that younger demographic,” shared Malone.

“But on the flip side of that, we're seeing some brands respond,” she said – highlighting Mantle Skincare, which has added an age limit to its website in the same way that many alcohol brands have done – as well as Dove and The Ordinary, which have both spoken out on this topic.

The term ‘anti-ageing’​

Di Gesu said that the issue of children using products designed to target skin ageing also raised another problem: the term ‘anti-ageing’ itself. 

She highlighted that 'anti-ageing' was a “negative and stigmatised term”, as it implied that as people got older, something needed to be fixed.

“To address that, I'm anticipating lots of potential for longevity​ and more positive links to ageing,” she explained.

“Longevity is more focused on living a long and healthy life. It's moving away from age in terms of a number and instead focusing on healthy ageing,” she continued. 

Di Gesu also expected that there would be more of a “BlueZone approach’ to ageing” (based around the ‘Blue Zone’ countries where people live longer and healthier lives) as well as “a focus on the science of longevity.”