100 Keyword Predictions for 2023 | Beauty (51-60): Adaptogens, Anti-hair loss and Skin circulation

WPP's brand Wunderman Intelligence released its latest trend report, which has a bright outlook for 2023. They predicted 100 keywords for 2023, and people are determined to fight against the ongoing difficulties with resilience, innovation and joy. This series shares 10 sections. The following is the sixth article in this series - Beauty. I hope it will be helpful to everyone.

Continuing from the previous "Global Top 100 Trends Report in 2023", the first part: Culture; the second part: Technology and the Metaverse; the third part: Qiwu B&B and Meta Travel; the fourth part: Brand and Marketing; the fifth part: Food and Beverages. Today we will take a look at the sixth part.

Chapter 6: Beauty

51. Biorhythm skin care products

Various skincare solutions are taking advantage of the body’s circadian rhythm for enhanced results.

Beauty sleep has inspired brands to incorporate the concept of the skin’s natural circadian rhythm into their latest product formulations.

• In February 2022, Noble Panacea, a brand that advocates scientific skin care, launched the Chronobiology Sleep Mask, which it claims can "synchronize with the skin's natural circadian rhythm to deliver active ingredients to the skin in a timely and accurate manner." The product has three activation phases throughout the night: in the detoxification phase (from 11 pm to 4 am), the sleeping mask releases PHA and prebiotics and postbiotics; in the repair phase, the mask delivers retinol and peptides; and finally, in the nourishment phase when the skin reaches maximum absorption performance, the mask releases ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
• Skincare serums from 4AM and essential oils from La Prairie also claim to support and sync up with the skin’s natural circadian rhythm to reduce typical signs of aging.
• Beauty brand Mutha coined the term "CircadianDermablend" for its luxurious cream product Cream Extreme, which is designed to use the body's circadian rhythm to promote the skin's absorption of skincare ingredients. Launched in June 2021, the product's botanical formula repairs and stimulates the skin, allowing it to repair external aggressions during the day at night, leaving the skin smooth and revitalized.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Beauty consumers are leveraging their own physiology to optimize their skincare routines.

52. Psychodermatology

Beauty brands are developing ingredients that not only nourish the skin, but also heal the soul.

Japanese skincare brand Tatcha is dedicated to capitalizing on the skin-psychology connection, promoting intentional skincare routines and ingredients that benefit the mind-body network (such as sweet fennel for increased focus and cypress essential oil for relaxation).

In a survey conducted by Unilever brands in the summer of 2022, 69% of respondents said they felt physically and mentally exhausted in the past 12 months, and 70% of respondents noticed negative changes in their skin due to stress. This phenomenon has further given rise to the demand for ingredients and skincare routines that can promote mental and skin health. Selfmade, launched in 2020, is the "first emotionally intelligent personal care brand" that has psychodermatology and emotional well-being as its core pillars.

Selfmade founder and CEO Stephanie Lee told Wunderman Intelligence that the company is working with mental health experts and a Gen Z advisory board of young people (who are passionate about addressing mental health issues) to ensure the brand is “grounded in solid mental health science and reflects our perspectives on our stakeholders and our products.”

“Without effective tools to help us explore and meet our needs, we can feel overwhelmed and stressed out,” Lee explains. “Psychodermatology is a discipline that explores the relationship between the brain and the skin.”

Selfmade’s products, including the Self Disclosure Intimacy Serum and True GritResilience Scrub, reflect this philosophy, and in September 2022, the brand launched CorrectiveExperience Comfort Cream, a moisturizer with self-soothing properties featuring Cortinib G, which is known to reduce cortisol and relieve stress.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

According to a Tatcha survey, 74% of people believe their mental state is linked to their skin. Beauty brands are launching products that promote stress relief, including dermatological psychiatric skincare routines and functional ingredients that are good for the skin and soothing to the mind.

53. Resurrection Ingredients

Brands are reintroducing sensory ingredients that were almost extinct and legacy.

Brands are incorporating extinct plants into their newest fragrance creations, using these ingredients as a link to the past and preserving their unique sensory experiences for future generations.

British niche skincare fragrance brand Haeckels recently collaborated with Tetsuo Lin, a material futures master at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, to launch a resurrected fragrance product for the beauty industry. The project aims to restore lost scents by extracting small amounts of DNA from flower samples to create fragrances, marking a new milestone in Haeckels' sustainable development initiatives.

These lab-grown scents don't use actual plants and essential oils directly, in order to avoid depleting the earth's resources by growing related crops on a large scale.

In Europe, the Odeuropa research project uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate lost smells. According to Odeuropa, researchers are applying AI technology to historical images and documents archived from the 16th to the early 20th century to determine "how people expressed 'smell' in different languages, where it is associated with, what kind of occasions and applications it has, and what situations it is related to". The original intention of this project is to highlight Europe's rich olfactory heritage.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

The resurrection of extinct ingredients is more than just a publicity stunt. These resurrected ingredients will help preserve nature today so that future generations can understand and pass on its history.

54. Adaptogen Beauty

Functional health concepts have entered the field of skin care formulation.

Herbar is a new adaptogen beauty brand that was launched in August 2022. It advocates the idea that "beauty can be healing." Herbar defines adaptogens as "non-toxic, harmless, body-strengthening plants that are often used to help the body resist physical, biological or chemical stressors."

The new product line features ingredients sourced from “animal, plant and fungal sources” — ingredients that have the dual benefits of healing both internally and externally.

The brand's first Face Oil features three key adaptogenic ingredients: Tremella fuciformis, known for its detoxifying and hydrating properties; Reishi mushroom, known for reducing skin inflammation, puffiness, signs of aging and free radical damage; and Zizyphus jujube (Chinese date), rich in iron and vitamin C with proven benefits for treating acne, blemishes and scars.

Allies of Skin launched Advanced Brightening Serum in 2022, which contains an adaptogen complex from reishi and shiitake mushrooms to strengthen the skin barrier and promote hydration.

Hydrafacialx JLo Beauty is launching a toner in October 2022 that features a fermented adaptogen blend.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Skincare is increasingly becoming synonymous with wellness care – and skincare brands are moving beyond the beauty space into the health and wellness market.

55. Virtual Perfume

Beauty and fragrance brands are redefining scent in the metaverse.

Gucci launched the Gucci Flora virtual perfume on the Roblox platform in August 2022. The perfume has no scent, but includes a series of experiences, including challenges, games and interactive learning experiences, as well as a digital backpack inspired by the perfume bottle that Roblox users can wear.

Byredo and RTFKT present their virtual fragrances in different ways. Alphameta, released in June 2022, interprets scent as a wearable aura. Each of the 26 auras in this virtual fragrance corresponds to a different emotion, such as "sensitive" or "innocent." The brand encourages users to combine multiple different emotions to change their personal aura. These scents are limited edition collections of "elements" of what RTFKT calls its "avatar ecosystem."

Ultra, a perfume company that bills itself as "profuture," also connects scents with emotions in a virtual environment and launched a virtual fragrance in February 2022.

“I’m interested in understanding how something as emotional as scent can move into the virtual world,” Altra co-founder Beckielou Brown told Harper’s Bazaar. Brown describes the scents as “immersive digital scent emotions that imagine the scent experience in a new way and evoke emotions in an increasingly digital environment.”

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

To date, digital environments have been extremely visually driven affairs. These early Metaverse gameplays demonstrate how future digital interactions will shape the sense of being truly present and reimagine sensory experiences in virtual environments.

56. Skin circulation

The latest at-home skincare trends involve streamlining the number of products you use and rotating your skincare days.

TikTok users have always been the main force in leading beauty trends, and the platform has recently become popular with the concept of skin cycling. As of November 2022, the topic tag of skin cycling short videos has reached 3.5 billion views. Such videos introduce viewers to the benefits of rotating skin care products and giving the skin a "vacation".

While the skincare routines of these TikTok users vary, they generally follow a four-day cycle, with active ingredients like acids and retinol applied on only two days at most, while the other two days are a break from skincare to give the skin a rest.

Skincare experts have long touted the benefits of rotating active ingredients, but New York board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe is generally credited with coining the term "skin cycling."

While being a guest on "The Art of Being Well" podcast in 2022, Bowe said that "giving your skin circulation overnight is the best way to achieve skin health," and emphasized that giving the skin the right amount of rest can help "repair the skin barrier" and "restore the microbiome."

Brands are capitalizing on this trend by launching corresponding skin cycle kits, providing beauty consumers with everything they need to adjust their skincare routines.

• By Beauty Bay's Skin Cycling Kit includes four serums and instructions for nighttime product rotation.
• Nip & Fab's Skin Cycling Kit includes moisturizer and active ingredients such as glycolic acid and retinol, plus a four-day usage cycle guide to make it easy for consumers to follow this skin care routine.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Beauty consumers are channeling their mental health habits into their skincare routines – giving their skin a break and listening to their bodies’ needs rather than constantly seeking benefits or results.

57. Lab-grown cosmetics

New ingredient formulations are leveraging biotechnology to improve the sustainability and functionality of beauty products and reduce their production time.

Haeckels, the British beauty brand backed by Estée Lauder, launches Haeckels 2.0 in September 2022. The lab-grown skincare range uses fully sustainable, compostable packaging, reduces carbon emissions, and cuts previous production time in half. It is the brand’s latest revolutionary sustainable beauty formula.

Unilever has partnered with San Diego-based biotech group Geno and pledged to invest $120 million to develop plant-based alternatives for its home care, beauty and personal care products.

Unilever chief research and development officer Richard Slater said the investment would “balance the demands of science and sustainability” by creating an alternative to palm oil or fossil fuels for its products and position the brand as a “future-friendly business for consumers, shareholders and the planet”.

Lab-grown formulas can also improve the functionality of products. UK-based skincare brand CellularGoods launched lab-made cannabinoid skincare in February 2022.

Ourself is a biotech beauty brand launched in the same year that mimics the effects of outpatient surgery through a series of cosmetic ingredients created using biotechnology.

Jen Novakovich, a beauty chemist, told Allure that people can use biotech ingredients to formulate “any product you want. You can use a portion of it to achieve a specific effect.” According to Novakovich, using biotech to produce these ingredients can even promote sustainability: “Many life cycle analyses (based in part on tracking the environmental impact of ingredients using land and water) show favorable results for the sustainability of biotechnology.”

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Beauty brands are adopting lab-grown ingredients to improve the sustainability and precision of their products.

58. Three new ingredients

Mental health and natural formulas are the top three new ingredients leading the way in 2023.

In September 2022, Japanese beauty brand Tatcha launched a new range of body care products designed to soothe the body and mind. The key ingredient is Hinoki, a cypress tree native to Japan that has a soothing, woodsy scent. Often referred to as the "king of trees," this tree is associated with the Japanese practice of forest bathing - taking a walk in the forest and immersing yourself in nature.

Annie Jackson, co-founder and COO of Credo Beauty, a US-based clean beauty retailer, told Well+Good that “brands are using medicinal ingredients found only in the forest to boost skin immunity and promote stress relief.”

The Southeast Asian tropical fruit has gained popularity in the skincare world as a retinol alternative that can fight blemishes and fine lines. Studies have shown that rambutan has significant benefits in reducing the appearance of crow’s feet (fine lines around the eyes) by boosting the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, providing antioxidants and being less irritating to the skin than many retinol products and derivatives.

According to board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, the entire rambutan fruit has skin-care benefits. “The skin, pulp, and seeds are rich in sugars, tannins, and flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties,” she tells Well+Good.

Brands such as Dr Loretta, Alpyn Beauty, Indie Lee and Holifrog have all launched new serums and creams in 2022 with rambutan as the main ingredient.

Plant-based milks Rice, coconut and nut milks are increasingly popular with skincare and haircare brands for their moisturizing and exfoliating properties.

Plant-based milk ingredients are appearing in the formulas of many top skincare brands: Dermalogica’s product Daily Milkfoliant uses dehydrated coconut milk and ground oats as exfoliants, Fresh launched the Milk Body Collection in 2022, a plant-based version of the brand’s 1996 dairy-inspired line, and Sol de Janeiro launched the Brazilian Joia Milky Leave-In Conditioner, which uses cupuaçu and babaçu, two Brazil nuts, as key ingredients for hair care.

59. Prevent hair loss and promote hair growth

Women's hair care is shifting from treatment to prevention.

A slew of hair care products have emerged to address hair loss and breakage caused by factors ranging from pandemic stress to genetics to wearing headscarves, and women’s hair loss has been featured everywhere from fashion magazines to NBC’s “Today Show.”

In May 2022, the Today Show aired chilling footage of a New York City doctor injecting a patient’s scalp with a “platelet-rich plasma injection.” More commonly, women with hair loss are trying to save their hair with oral supplements and topical creams, serums, and shampoos containing ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Brands from L'Oreal to Rejoice have launched "anti-hair loss" product lines.

According to Coherent Market Insights data, the global hair care product market is expected to exceed US$150 billion by 2028; according to The Insight Partners report, the output value of anti-hair loss products will exceed US$31 million by 2028.

In May 2022, hair and beauty brand Ouai launched scalp serum and vegetarian supplement capsules for hair loss. These two products, called Scalp Serum and Thick Full Supplements, contain well-known hair care ingredients, including peptides, biotin, hyaluronic acid and pea sprout extract, which can nourish hair and promote hair growth.

“Every product we launch is based on consumer feedback,” said Colin Walsh, CEO of Ouai. “We continually receive requests for products that address issues such as dry scalp, dull hair and hair breakage.”

In January 2022, UK-based Nue Co launched two products for hair growth and hair thickening. GrowthPhase is an oral supplement used to promote hair growth and reduce hair loss, while Supa Thick is a topical pre-wash product that exfoliates while also promoting hair growth and preventing hair loss.

The products are aimed at "women who are experiencing more hair loss than usual lately, which statistically is something that one in three of us are dealing with," Nue Co co-founder Jules Miller told Glossy.

In February 2022, Oribe, a luxury hair brand with close ties to beauty salons, launched the Hair Alchemy series to address the problem of hair breakage. Its product development manager Gabriella Raccuia told Harper's Bazaar: "Prevention has always been a major category in the skin care field. As consumers' awareness of self-care continues to increase, the concept of prevention has also begun to enter the hair care field."

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Prevention is breaking out of the boundaries of skin and body care and becoming a hot topic in the hair care market.

60. Self-affirmation makeup

Beauty is increasingly merging with identity exploration and play, elevating makeup into an act of self-affirmation.

Isamaya Ffrench is redefining makeup as an exploration of identity and alter egos. The artist, who launched her eponymous makeup line, Isamaya, in June 2022, is a master of image creation. Her two current products each embody a unique personality. The brand's first collection, named "Industrial," takes inspiration from "leather, latex, piercings, rubber, flesh, strength and self-control" to create a "hardcore" aesthetic.

Ffrench said the brand's latest collection, Wild Star, is designed to "honor the cowgirl in us" and give character to someone who is "tenacious, feisty and herself." "She knows who she is and she never compromises. She follows her heart's desires and is both charming and powerful. She's a wild person at heart."

In May 2022, Donni Davy, the makeup artist for the TV series Euphoria, launched her own beauty brand, taking advantage of the "euphoria makeup" craze sparked by the show (see No. 51 of the top 100 trends in 2020, Euphoria makeup).

The Half Magic brand has gained backing from an entertainment company to further promote the show's beauty and dramatic character looks. "Half Magic was born out of the beauty culture phenomenon created by Euphoria's global fans," Michelle Liu, general manager of Half Magic, told Allure magazine. "It brings together the show's creators to continue the conversation around self-exploration and self-expression."

The Fabricant is taking this idea into the virtual realm. The purely digital fashion company launched its Xxories line of virtual facial accessories in October 2022. “Digital beauty has the potential to allow us to extend our identities into places we haven’t seen before,” said Amber Slooten, creative director of The Fabricant. It allows beauty fans to “explore identities beyond this realm and discover another side of ourselves.”

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Michaela Larosse, head of content at The Fabricant, told Vogue Singapore that beauty is “moving from being a pleasing visual expression to something that communicates what we believe, how we feel or our personal opinions.”

In the digital realm, beauty will reflect the user’s changing emotional state – opening the door to unlimited identities. “We will have multiple different virtual selves that allow us to express how we feel at any given moment and switch between these different personalities at the touch of a button,” Larosse continued.

This article is from the official website of Wunderman Thompson https://www.wundermanthompson.com/

Author: Brand Yuan, WeChat public account: Brand Yuan (ID: brand-yuan)