After two years of stifling under the pandemic, 2022 has been billed as the year of the comeback – Roaring Twenties redux. Thankfully most of us have finally seen the end of pandemic restrictions. , things eventually went back to normal (whatever normal means).
So what else happened in 2022? Russia invaded Ukraine, driving up food and energy prices and throwing the world into chaos. Meanwhile, in China, claims of a zero-COVID policy have thrown the economy into chaos, with ripple effects around the world. Britain has dominated the headlines with her three prime ministers in her two months. And I am still baffled by what happened in Malaysia’s general election.
Overall, the events of last year have drained us all mentally, physically and emotionally. Is not it?
Effectiveness: No more false promisesna
Until further notice, an undercurrent of uncertainty persists and permeates beauty consumer purchasing decisions.
Andrea Taimana, founder of New Zealand brand Taimana Beauty, believes that under this mentality, consumers are becoming more tolerant of false promises. “It got to the point where all the fluff had to be removed.”na
It is also ranked high in the product ranking of the Japanese cosmetics portal site @cosme. In 2022, all 10 products will be successive winners of the @cosme award.
Interestingly, some of the winners were products that have been on the market for years. One example is “ORBIS Essence in Hair Milk”. Launched 10 years ago, the product has established itself with a surge of nearly eight times the number of reviews compared to the previous year.
Personal care supplier Croda has observed similar behavior and believes cosmetics companies may turn their backs on hyped trends and focus on what really matters to them.
“Consumers feel safer by staying comfortable with what they are familiar with and only spending money on things they believe in, and we are observing a lack of innovative trends in the next year.” Raelene Yeo, Technical Marketing Lead, Croda Singapore, said:
“Thus, our strength in product transparency is our priority for moving forward, as well as re-emphasizing Croda’s renowned science-backed products that have been seen as hits among our indie customers. It’s a matter.”na
Taimana said 2023 will be about data, not trends. “For the last 10 to 15 years in the cosmetics industry, it’s been like witnessing a new trend every second. Now it’s potency, potency, potency, and the winner is the one who can deliver this effect the fastest.”na
She added: “We are talking about a very powerful antioxidant, ideally provided in a natural and sustainable way. must have the characteristics.na
Beauty giant L’Oréal has also recognized the growing importance of efficacy, observing that demand for high-performance products is permeating not just skincare, but hair care and even skin devices. .
“The mega mega trend is supercharged efficacy. As you know, North Asia has the most sophisticated consumers. And we are very strict when it comes to performance, which is very important.There is no trade-off when it comes to beauty performance in North Asia, especially in China, I have to say.”Maxime De Boni, L’Oréal R&I Vice President North Asia and China, said:
The company imposes on itself “Beyond the Playground of Beauty”To deliver high-performance products to consumers.
In line with this, the company has developed the Lancome Absolue Dual LED Youth Treatment Device. It uses patented LED light therapy to dispense serum to treat fine lines and wrinkles on the skin.
“This technology is a perfect fusion with an energy source, here an LED device that maximizes performance in serums. It delivers a layer of serum containing highly potent active ingredients at the same time.” De Boni said.
The device will debut at the 2022 China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the company hopes to launch it in China.
Evaluation: “Base Reset”na
Quadpak’s head of market development Pierre-Antoine Henri said it has to settle for a less exciting year as ingredient makers like Croda and brands like Taimana are less focused on trend spots. It may not.
“From an innovation perspective, we’re kind of in a boring market.”he told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
But that doesn’t mean everyone is sitting around with their thumbs. Henry believes companies will spend time focusing on: “Reset base”.
From a packaging perspective, Henry elaborated that companies will most likely use this time to move to more sustainable options.
“This takes precedence over innovation. With plastic usage legislation starting to come into force, this is the most urgent challenge facing most brands and their packaging suppliers today.” He said.
“My sense is that this will continue into 2023. There will still be less disruptive innovation than there was pre-COVID, as sustainability remains important and requires a lot of investment there. .”na
Taimana believes the beauty industry has reached a critical tipping point and needs to reassess some of its basic practices for the good of people and the planet.
“I think all serious brands, the biggest brands on the market, are seriously rethinking what the future of cosmetics will look like.”na
She reiterated what consumers are trying to do.find the best of the best And the beauty industry argues that, as standard practice, it doesn’t have to go on a never-ending cycle of launches.
“This is just a waste of packaging and it is not good for people or the planet. Frankly, we all know that each brand has a star product. I believe that formulators have the intention of creating superior products. But then all the money goes to fluff products like cleansers and mists, all sorts of easy wins.na
“We already don’t need new brands to spawn 15 products. What I believe is that brands should focus on the products that really matter. , there is nothing wrong with that. We all know that consumers buy from different brands.na
Instead of chasing the next viral TikTok product, Taimana hopes more resources will be devoted to researching and preserving traditional knowledge.
“Natural sourcing, fair trade, supporting indigenous peoples, preserving their knowledge, etc. It is very precious and needs to be preserved for the next generation. not.“
Representation: the return of joy
Generation Z is a generation that thrives on respect for differences and individuality. The rise of this consumer base only fuels the theme of self-expression in the beauty world.
“Self-expression in beauty is probably due to the rise and acceleration of fashion, the creation of artists, and the creation of entrepreneurs. I don’t getDe Boni said.
He added that color is a powerful tool for self-expression, and that the demand for color is not only affecting makeup, but also other categories like hair care, and we are seeing a boom in hair coloring.
One thing we can assure you is that the cyclical nature of the beauty industry won’t last long.It won’t be long before beauty consumers want something new and colorful.
Henry likened the consumer to a volcano that lies dormant until pressure builds up, unable to suppress its need for excitement.
“With all this bad news flying around and the uncertainty of our environment, at some point we have to get back to our old lives. , challenge and grow, and this is what drives make-up, because make-up is associated with the joys of life.”na
This “volcano” has not yet reached a tipping point, and Henry predicted that it could be 12 to 18 months before we see an explosion of self-expression.
If that happens, he believes the lip category, which has been bound by face masks for nearly three years, will finally be revived.
“Everything is a cycle, even makeup is a cycle between the eyes and the lips, because consumers usually focus on either the lips or the eyes, not both. This time, I think I’ll start strong with the lips, because that’s what has been the most contained and the most hidden.”na
One indicator of this is the innovation in today’s lip category.“Formulations are showing a little bit of an indicator. We’re seeing a lot of new formulations that scream life. It’s very vinyl, it’s very glossy and it’s a lot of the kind of innovation that I’m seeing. .”na
Henry added that lip products are a great tool for consumers to communicate and express themselves through color and texture.
“It’s also the most accessible place. It takes a certain amount of skill to work with complex eyeshadows and cat eyeliners, so it’s not available to everyone, just like lips. I think in a few months it will be very difficult.”na
