Skin care, the essential
Even if the situation can vary significantly from one market to another, the pandemic has had a profound impact on consumer habits. Make-up is rather in decline, hygiene, hair and care have rather benefited from confinements. Perfume, after a global fall, has experienced a good recovery in many markets.
Not only has the interest in skincare products undeniably increased during the confinement period, but skincare habits have changed permanently: no more superimposing layers of products, the trend is towards simplification, respect for the skin, to ‘skin fasting‘ or even skin fasting.
Skinimalism, for fresh skin without artifice
The desired objective is above all the well-being of the skin for a fresh and natural complexion. We invest in daily care and hygiene rather than spending time hiding imperfections. We want perfect, luminous, unified skin… with a minimum of products while integrating new facial massage practices.
Skin fasting, relative abstinence
Another current, even more minimalist, the skin fasting, recommends using a minimum of products in order to let the skin self-regulate and regenerate itself. This cutaneous fast, which reduces the application of cosmetics to two or three essential products, would give results in just two weeks.
the skipcare also proposes to reduce the number of products, to do better with less, but also to fight against waste. The ritual is reduced to a cleanser and a moisturizer. The choice of products used is all the more relevant as they must be effective, more concentrated in active ingredients and multifunctional.
This minimalism does not mean that we will reduce the time given to the care of our skin. On the contrary, the use of accessories or optimization techniques for more efficiency are on the rise.
Towards a search for XXL efficiency
As proof, Google searches on these subjects have more than quadrupled in 2021. Self-massage, use of a jade or rose quartz roller depending on the benefits sought, gua sha technique (scraping, sand) or more high tech such as the Swedish brand Foreo offers it. Its bestseller LUNA 3 made up of silicone nubs, combined with T-Sonic pulsations, eliminates up to 99.5% of impurities. The latest BEAR combines advanced micro-currents, pulsations and Anti-Shock System to stimulate the 69 muscles of the face and neck. Firming effect guaranteed! Recently Estée Lauder filed two separate patents, one for a reusable dispenser capable of cooling the product before use in order to optimize its properties, the other for a multilayer heating pad. The product alone is no longer enough and the search for ever more optimal efficiency becomes the absolute quest.
The Glow, more than ever!
Women want luminous skin, with a perfect glow, smooth, without any imperfections… the perfect Glow. Brands have therefore reinvested in this niche by offering new formulations such as exfoliating foams and lotions that are easier to use, concentrated in active ingredients or based on patented enzymatic complexes. Deep cleansing of the face is once again becoming a fundamental gesture. And to bring a perfectionist touch, a BB or CC cream will replace the foundation that has become obsolete.
The formulation challenge
Faced with these new challenges, laboratories must review their formulas. On the one hand, we have to integrate these new skincare routines by working on the sensory aspect and on the other hand we have to find simpler, more natural formulas, without controversial ingredients… in short, more “eco-designed”.
According to Mintel [1], 62% of Millennials attach importance to INCI lists and other information appearing on the packaging, in particular respect for the environment. Hygiene and hand care is also a new line of work, COVID requires. Brands will have to imagine new solutions to meet demand. As for the ingredient suppliers, the challenge has been launched; reconcile all aspects of CSR keeping in mind the main requirements of consumers.
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Read the full article in the special issue: Cosmetic ingredients – October 2021
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Good skin, the return to natural beauty
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