With our beauty trend report, we're keeping our eyes wide open for the now. What are we obsessed with? What are we all talking about at the office? What are we pressing the save button for? What are we impulse buying? What is becoming dinner table conversation?
Whether you're seeking inspiration for your own personal style or just want to buy into a discussion about what's of-the-moment, join us as we explore what's fuelling our beauty passion right now.
Up until a few years ago, actives and other ingredients were relegated to only the backside labels of some of our favourite skincare products. Today, they’re proud headliners for most skincare brands, appearing front and center of every label, often becoming the key driving factor behind a purchase. From being just complicated pharma terms, actives like niacinamide, retinoids, peptides and more have become part of common skincare lexicon, often used by your favourite influencer and beauty zine alike. This recent rise in popularity has been nothing short of exponential, and with good reason.
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With Beauty Rx, the spotlight shifts to ‘beauty born of good health’. Derma-backed brands are making it to the forefront, with an increased focus on skin longevity, enhanced barrier health and innovative suncare.
Get active!
As pollution levels rise, skin concerns such as acne, dermatitis and sensitivity are becoming increasingly common, creating a need for targeted skincare solutions that can deliver effective, visible results by combatting these issues at a deeper level. This growing need has resulted in an influx of derma-backed brands, with active-enriched formulations that are specially designed to treat a host of concerns like dark spots, dullness and more. It also helps that the modern beauty consumer is growing increasingly educated and can make informed choices about their skincare routines. This is inspiring brands to constantly push their boundaries and offer innovative, advanced formulas that deliver.
The pandemic only accelerated the growth of the derma-skincare market, as more and more people turned towards elaborate skincare routines to self-soothe during the lockdown. While actives like AHA’s and BHA’s offered quick pathways to instantly glowing, polished looking skin, many of us went slightly overboard with it, resulting in a compromised skin barrier, which invited further skin issues and also increased skin sensitivity.
Fortify first
As more and more people grapple with skin sensitivity, skincare brands are offering specialized solutions to manage sensitivity and soothe inflammation. Barrier health has become a prime focus, and achieving a healthy, strong skincare barrier that keeps inflammations away is the goal. This in turn has boosted the demand for barrier-strengthening actives like ceramides, centella asiatica and other ingredients that fortify your skin and make it resilient to infections and environmental damage.
In your defense
The old adage of ‘prevention is better than cure’ rings true today for most skincare enthusiasts who are fast adopting a more preventative approach when it comes to tackling concerns like ageing, pollution and sun damage. From anti-ageing products that promise to ‘reverse signs of ageing’, the focus moves towards formulas that work on increasing skin longevity, keeping your skin healthier and youthful for much longer. These products typically contain collagen-enhancing ingredients like retinoids and peptides to maintain skin elasticity and firmness. They may also contain ingredients like vitamin C, E or ferulic acid to prevent further damage from environmental aggressors.
Innovations in sun care are not far behind — gone are the days of thick, greasy sunscreens that left behind a white cast and were uncomfortable to wear, especially beneath makeup. Modern sunscreens not only offer enhanced protection, quick absorption, comfortable wear and zero white cast, but are actually formulated to provide additional nourishment to your skin while you wear it. Plus, there’s something for everyone! Dry skin? Pick a watery sun cream infused with hyaluronic acid to boost hydration. On the other hand, people with oily skin can pick sunscreen gels that minimize shine and keep your skin matte and grease-free all day long. Sunscreen sticks are also a great, fuss-free option for quick on-the-go reapplications, even over makeup.
