November 8, 2021
NewsMake dates back as far as 5,000 years to the Sumerians. It’s evolved somewhat over time – developing from the way ancient civilizations used to the more practical styles that we use today. It wasn’t until the Romans that makeup became a tool for enhancing your beauty and natural features. Ever since, beauty products have been a part of our daily ritual and routine.
Since then – for hundreds of years – beauty and makeup products have evolved to meet the needs of society. Interestingly, looking at the beauty industry can give you insights into what society is thinking. During World War 1, women wore makeup as they started going out into the workforce. During the pandemic, we lightened our makeup to reflect the reality of working from home.
Societal influences are everywhere you look with the beauty industry. As we come through the other side of the pandemic, it’s not difficult to see the impact of the last 18 months on the beauty industry. From low-maintenance products to inclusive makeup lines and a simpler approach to beauty, the industry is continuing to evolve.
Looking at today’s trends, we can see where the beauty industry is heading to in the future. The trends of today determine the products of tomorrow. We’re looking at five trends that are the future of the beauty industry. You can expect to see these popping up in new collections and to be the focal point of your makeup bag in the months and years to come.
Thanks to the rise of social media, there were several years where everyone was wearing dramatic makeup looks that had an editorial style and looked more suited to a costume party than everyday life. Think heavily-contoured cheeks and dramatic eye makeup that would remind you of a reality TV star.
After living through a global pandemic, working from home, and the reality of mask wearing, heavy makeup looks have become a thing of the past. People want a more streamline and easy to use makeup routine that has a simpler approach. ‘Skinamlism’ focuses on embracing your natural beauty, focusing on evening your texture and creating a glowing radiance.
This trend is characterised by a ‘less is more’ approach, with fewer products and a focus on natural ingredients and so-called clean formulas. It’s all about giving your skin a healthy, dewy glow.
You can see the skinimalism trend in wider society through the rise of minimalism. Whether it’s Marie Kondo-ing your life or adopting lifestyle aesthetics like cottagecore, people want to look their best while embracing their natural skin.
The popularity of skinimalism is clear to see from Pinterest Predicts reports. The social media platform is the go-to choice for people looking for inspiration for changing their look or who wants to create a vision or mood board. The report saw a noticeable increase in the number of searches for natural skincare.
Users were searching for phrases like “natural everyday makeup”, which saw an increase of 180% in search volume. Another popular search term was “how to get glowing skin naturally”.
As part of the skinimalism trend, there’s been a shift in consumer behaviour away from makeup products and onto skincare. The NPD group reported makeup sales were down 34% in 2020, not surprising when you consider the circumstances.
The minimalistic approach and skinimalism has been on the rise in recent years, but it was turbo-charged by the pandemic. The industry has shifted its focus from makeup to skincare as people go back to basics and pay attention to their self-care routine through using skincare products.
You can see the ‘less is more’ approach of skinimalism everywhere that you look in the beauty routine right now. Even as life returns to normal and the impact of the pandemic starts to ease, most of us are choosing to keep our simplified beauty routines and stay on top of our skin’s health.
One trend that came out of the pandemic was the focus on eye makeup. While the pandemic turbocharged the already-growing trend of skinimalism, it brought back bold eye looks for the first time in years. It’s no surprise that with most of our face covered, we chose to pay more attention to our eyes.
Notable trends include reverse cat eye, bold eyeliner shades, pastel eyeshadows, and coloured mascaras. If it goes on your eyes and you can make it a colour, it’ll be part of this trend.
As part of the eye makeup trend, there’s been a heightened interest in semi-permanent makeup that can give you long-term benefits for your lashes. A lash lift is the perfect example of this, as it’s less stressful than extensions and works by using your natural lashes – essentially giving them a perm. Lash lifts work by curling and lifting your lashes from the base to create a more professional look.
While you’ll always want to go to a professional for a lash lift, the main attraction to the treatment is that it does away with the need for mascara. Other treatments such as brow lamination have risen in popularity as well as they help play-up your features and draw attention to your eyes, while also streamlining your makeup routine.
First it was perfumes, then it was celebrity makeup lines. We all know that celebrities can attach their name to just about everything and it’ll sell. For a few years, it seemed like everyone was coming out with a celebrity makeup line – none of which grabbed our attention or was worth our money.
Then Fenty happened – and everything changed.
Rihanna’s makeup brand served as a watershed movement for the beauty industry, showing that celebrities can have a makeup brand and compete with the most established names in the industry. Fenty Beauty offers a mouth-water 40 foundation shades and the brand was even named one of the ‘Best Inventions of the Year for 2017’ by Time magazine.
In 2020, Selena Gomez joined the club with her own makeup line ‘Rare Beauty’. Instead of contributing to unrealistic beauty trends, this brand focused instead on helping customers embrace their inner beauty and find acceptance in their makeup routine. This message has been at the heart of the brand since it launched.
It might be time that we give celebrity makeup brands a second chance. Celebrity perfumes came to dominate the industry in the early-to-mid 2000s, and the same might just happen in the makeup industry.
Have we ever spent so long looking at our own reflection? Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve spent more time in front of a camera than ever before. The so-called ‘Zoom Effect’ refers to the growth of dermatologist visits from consumers who have noticed imperfections in their skin after spending all day looking at their reflection.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that 64% of plastic surgeons had an increase in virtual consultations since the start of the pandemic. Most of these consultations were for treatments associated with issues you could see on camera – such as a double chin, wrinkles, and texture issues.
While the pandemic increased the skinimalism movement, it also made us more aware of our imperfections by forcing us to look at them every day.
The beauty industry – like almost every niche in society – is being impacted by the effects of climate change. There’s no denying that the industry has played more than its fair share in causing climate change. You only have to look at the unnecessary water and plastic usage by brands.
As consumers demand new sustainable formulas and packaging, brands are scrambling to get ahead of the curve with new alternatives and sustainable solutions to meet new consumer habits and preferences.
73% of consumers have said that they would change their consumption habits to lower their environmental impact. 41% of those interviewed by Nielsen said that they would be ‘highly willing’ to spend more on products that have a natural or organic formula.
For most beauty brands, this forms the foundation of their sustainability mission – looking for ways to make their formulas more organic, while changing their packaging. It’s worth remembering that consumers are becoming more educated than ever before, meaning they’re covered about the overall environmental impact and carbon footprint of their beauty products.
Some beauty brands have reacted quickly to growing consumer demands for sustainability. L’Occitane has developed their refill program across 25 product ranges, which require up to 90% less packaging, while offering consumers a better price for the product. They’ve said that the initiative have saved around 200 tons of plastic going to landfill every year. Unilever – one of the biggest beauty conglomerates - have committed to making their packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
What do you think the future of the beauty industry will look like? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Every time we click on TikTok or Instagram, there seems to be a new makeup trend that everyone is talking about. After a year in quarantine, we’re all ready to brush away the cobwebs and rediscover the content of our makeup bags. Staying on top – and predicting – the beauty trends for 2021 is a difficult task. We’ve all seen how quickly trends can be born and die under the influence of social media.
Do you subscribe to the philosophy of “change the hair, change the woman”? If you do, then you might be considering a fresh haircut after the year that was 2020. Changing up your hairstyle can be as much a statement of your personality and development as it is about fashion. In 2020, many of us had to do our hair from home and master the art of the box-dye and even cutting our own fringe. We hope that this year we get to return to the salons for a professional cut. With this in mind, we’re rounding up the 5 biggest haircut trends that you’ll want to consider trying in 2021.
Summer is in full swing and it’s time to shake up your makeup routine. Whether it’s metallic lips, dewy skin, or orange blush, these trends are here to stay. Summer is the perfect time to experiment with your makeup routine and add a pop of colour. It’s officially time for ‘hot girl summer’ and we’re here to round up all the beauty trends that everyone is talking about.
Whether you spend hours scrolling through your TikTok app or have never opened the platform, this article is for you. It gives you an insight into the trends that are dominating the platform and that you can expect to see more people rocking in real life. Another knock-on effect of TikTok trends is that it impacts which products beauty brands choose to release. If a beauty brand spots a trend about to go viral on TikTok, they’ll rush to get ahead of it.
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