Much like the fashion industry, cosmetics, and personal beauty care companies cater to consumers as demand constantly evolves to shape and form different consumption trends. Exciting advancements in beauty technology and ingredients innovation can drive consumers to try new products and engage in trends as they rise and peak in popular culture, but how can companies in the cosmetics and personal beauty care industries better anticipate trends as they arise?
The “skinification” of skin and solar care products is a trend that is quickly emerging and growing in popularity this year. To better understand how this trend may impact future product formulation and how companies can pivot to meet this new consumer demand, CosmeticsDesign sat down to speak with Helene Hine, Global Marketing Manager, Photoprotection; Donna Petretti, Regional Marketing Manager, Personal Care; and Abhijit Bidaye, Applications Manager, Personal Care at CRODA for their insights and experience on “skinification.”
What is skinification?
“Skinification” of personal beauty care products can be applied differently depending on the product type and intended application. For cosmetics products, “‘skinification’ is the presence of skincare-inspired ingredients, trends, and claims across beauty and personal care categories,” explained Petretti, which then expands to include options like scalp treatments or a focus on hair health from root to tip for hair care products.
When considering solar care products, “skinification” principles can also be applied, opening up a wider range of product functionality and application possibilities. “‘Skinification’ of solar care products allows us to get away from being restricted to beach or outdoor category and promote a philosophy of overall well-being of the skin health,” said Bidaye, which “opens up the playing field to every day photoprotection, empowering the consumers to make it a part of their daily skin care routine.”
Industry response
The empowerment of consumers is a driving force behind the “skinification” trend, and its success lies in a well-informed customer base and consumer-perceived product benefit offerings. The trend allows suppliers to provide consumers with products that neatly fit into the overall niche of ingredient-led consumer beauty trends. For suppliers to be successful with this consumer demographic, companies must understand they “would be interacting with a well-informed consumer base and would need to be flexible about repositioning the product line based on sustainability and multifunctional benefits,” said Bidaye.
Companies in the cosmetics and personal beauty care spaces are already pivoting to better implement “skinification” strategies to their existing product lines and those currently in the development and formulation stages. For example, “skinification” in the hair care segment “has shifted focus from outward appearance to inward hair health,” said Petretti. For example, “multifunctional hair care products offer the aesthetic benefits, but now treat hair health concerns. Many hair care companies are introducing scalp care products, as well as adding in the extra treatment benefits to existing products. Scalp care has also skyrocketed due to the popularization of ‘skinification’ leading to an uptick in scalp care related hair products,” she explained.
Multifunctional products with multiple benefits are a big draw for consumers looking to achieve desired results, and hybrid product formats are gaining momentum under the “skinification” movement, added Hine. “Now consumers can achieve protection and repair in one product, which further increases the need for multifunctional products.”
Companies specializing in solar care products are also adopting and integrating “skinification” principles into their product offerings and incorporating hybrid formats for their product lines. For example, Hine illustrated that “tinted formulations for skin perfecting (tone up/brightening) and anti-acne UV protection have gained popularity due to the multifunctionality. Another way to diversify portfolios is anti-pollution with actives and formulas that protect from a range of environmental aggressors.”
A top trend in 2023?
Considering “skinification’s” impact is already evident in consumer purchasing decisions and personal beauty care companies’ product offerings, the trend will be noteworthy in 2023. “Skinification” neatly integrates itself into current trends surrounding “self-care and wellness as well as multifunctional products and hair health treatments while catering to Gen Z consumer demand,” stated Petretti, and is currently thriving on social media channels.
Consumers are now more informed than ever regarding their options for cosmetics and personal care products, thanks to the advent of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which allow influencers and content providers the opportunity to share their experiences and reviews instantly with their followers.
Today’s cosmetics and personal beauty care customers “live and buy by social media,” Petertti quipped. As “beauty influencers and everyday content creators post reviews and tutorials for a living, and as current trends shift towards skinification and clean beauty, products are being put to the test in real time.”
This makes the “skinification” trend even more essential for cosmetics and personal beauty care product suppliers and manufacturers to understand and address in today’s market. After all, Petertti concluded, “products must have consumer-perceivable results to prove themselves to the loyal followers.”
