Following the record-breaking success of this year’s Cosmoprof Bologna earlier this year, BeautyStreams, the global beauty trend forecasting agency, has released its 2019 COSMOTRENDS report.
The report showcases the 12 key trends spotted among the 3033 exhibitors from over 70 countries at the five-day event:
The Cinderella Effect
“Beauty products that have ‘The Cinderella Effect’ deliver instant gratification, whether in the form of immediately visible skin care results or insta-glam. These products have a powerful transformative effect and obvious photogenic appeal, worthy of being captured on millennial livestreams and videos. However, like the fairy-tale name suggests, these fast-acting beauty boosts and visual effects only last a few hours. At the stroke of midnight, the results vanish. No matter! The products are fun to use and play with, they inspire self-expression, and offer irresistible sensorial experiences.”
Hyperactive Naturals
“As consumers become ever-more skilled at reading ingredient labels, they are rejecting toxic ingredients and fillers, and gravitating towards clean, natural ingredients that offer super-concentrated doses of skin care benefits. These highly active formulations are packed with high-performing, active naturals that deeply nourish the skin, repair its natural moisture, and boost skin’s renewal cycle. Waterless products, in particular, are more highly concentrated as they are not filled and diluted with water, which is inactive. Eliminating H2O also removes the need for preservatives and parabens as bacteria breeds in water, so the formulas are also cleaner.”
Intimate Care
“Intimate care, up until now a largely untapped market, is emerging as a new category in beauty and wellness, with products designed for external and internal use, and incorporating luxurious formulas, sensorial experiences, and high-quality natural ingredients. Benefits include personal cleansing, intimate skin care, maintaining a healthy pH level, and grooming regimes. Far from being a source of shame or stigma, intimate care, or ‘self-care’, occupies an elevated positioning on par with premium skin care, boasting elegant packaging and aesthetics that encourage display on bathroom shelves.”
Skin Defence Warriors
“Just like sun protection creams defend against UV exposure, environmental skin defenders protect the skin from damage and premature ageing caused by pollutants, free radicals, and digital overexposure. Prevention is the name of the game. Anti-pollution ingredients and complexes, such as protective antioxidants, act as invisible barriers, shielding and detoxifying the skin long before environmental toxins and aggressors wreak havoc on skin cells. Their barrier-supportive properties act as physical shields. These defenders are skin care warriors in the daily warfare against pollution.”
Redefining Masculinity
As beauty becomes ever more inclusive, we are moving beyond basic male grooming to a new era that incorporates sophisticated offerings for men that bring out their masculinity and beauty. Long-held attitudes that beautifying is inherently ‘feminine’ are dissolving. The rise of male beauty communicates that beauty is for all, and that men (like women) can be themselves, but better. The profusion of products aimed at male skin and scalps, and make-up that boosts appearance and self-esteem, are tools for men to feel good and put their best face forward.
It’s Playtime!
“Beauty isn’t taking itself too seriously! It’s time to step into the beauty playground. Kids and Gen Z are gravitating towards products that put the fun back into beauty, while also delivering effective skin benefits and gorgeous-looking results. These products inspire creativity and wide-eyed curiosity, as if to say, ‘Why not?’. Simply mix and match, experiment with new product forms, try new colours, and play with endless possibilities. Treat yourself to joyful, interactive, and uplifting beauty experiences.”
Glam Organic
“Luxury organic make-up is no longer an oxymoron. Not so long ago, consumers were forced to choose between serious, clean ingredients, or a premium user experience that focused predominantly on glamour (minus the eco-factor). Now, brands combine both in their offerings: top-quality, organic and vegan ingredients with safe pigments, together with a breadth of high-performing colors and formulations, and sleek, high-touch packaging. These are win-win products that look good, feel good, and are good for you.”
Raw Deli
“Just as a raw food diet nourishes the body from the inside out and is said to give flawless skin, so, too, raw ingredients in skin care revitalise the skin thanks to their high concentration of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, potent botanicals, and live enzymes. Raw ingredients are whole, unrefined, and minimally or cold-processed. The less processing, the more potent the ingredients. Raw ingredients are also super-fresh and responsibly sourced, and contain no toxins or irritants which are harmful to the skin.”
Hormonal Ageing
“Hormonal skin care is emerging as a new category, addressing the specific changes that occur when hormone levels plummet in the years leading up to, and beyond, menopause. Skin becomes dry, loose and thin, pH levels fluctuate, with an accompanying loss of collagen, and an increase in skin sensitivity. Various skin processes alternately slow down, such as regeneration and repair, or accelerate, such as increased and deeper facial wrinkles. Specially formulated products address the signs of hormonal aging, enhancing the texture of menopausal skin, minimizing lines, and giving it a fresh, new glow.”
Prickly Pear
“Prickly on the outside, water-storing capabilities on the inside. The prickly pear, also known as opuntia, is a fruit superstar that belongs to the cactus family and boasts extensive beauty benefits. Oil extracted from the seeds of this fruit is rich in fatty acids, omegas and antioxidant vitamin E, stimulating collagen production for faster cell turnover, and promoting skin elasticity. Prickly pear oil is also super-hydrating, as befits a plant that thrives in the desert. In hair care, the oil makes hair glossy, and helps relieve scalp conditions.”
Love Your Body
“Body positivity is in. Dare to flaunt imperfections and accentuate your unique features! Who and what is considered beautiful today is no longer constrained by monolithic beauty ideals. Love Your Body means loving who you are, no matter what shape or size, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. A healthy body is a beautiful body. When you love yourself and have good self-esteem, beauty is no longer skin deep, it radiates from within.”
States of Perfume
“The world of fragrance is evolving to seduce a new generation of consumers. The traditional eau de parfum format is stepping aside in favor of smaller, more playful and travel-friendly formats, often in non-liquid form, that are better suited to the modern nomadic lifestyle favored by millennials. Brands are taking inspiration from product forms seen in skin care, make-up, and even hair care, with an increasing number of solids, sticks, compacts, and fun textures that invite consumers to engage with fragrance in more dynamic ways throughout the day.”
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