Global trend forecasting company WGSN recently unveiled its top beauty trends for 2024 and beyond, giving us a look at the innovation and transformation coming to the beauty industry. Here’s a rundown of five of the top beauty trends:
Hangover Beauty - The new trend in indulgence and self-care
2024 will see the rise of “hangover beauty,” not just as a drinking trend but as a more forgiving and honest approach to self-care. In a modern society full of stress, beauty consumers are more inclined to pursue happiness and pleasure in daily health care and are opposed to strict systems. Emerging brands are emerging that champion indulgence and refuse to compromise, launching low-maintenance “hangover” beauty products that address the effects of late nights and parties so people can sleep in their makeup without feeling guilty.
Identity - Perfume becomes a tool for emotional expression
Fragrance will become central to identity, an olfactory storytelling tool that expresses personal emotions, style, values and culture. During the lockdown phase, "smell for yourself" became popular and people started wearing perfume for their own enjoyment rather than others. As fragrance selection becomes more personalized, using neuroscience to guide selection, the concept of a signature scent will take on new meaning. The social media platform #PerfumeTok has become a place to explore scent, introducing contemporary fragrance brands and trends such as “scent hacks” to boost mood.
Beauty that has nothing to do with age - reject age anxiety and embrace aging
Age-independent beauty will become a trend, causing more people to refuse to conform to demographic expectations and embrace aging rather than reverse it. Led by Baby Boomers and Generation X, this is a rejection of outdated anti-aging narratives and a toxic obsession with youth. Brands will shift to introduce beauty products and languages suitable for different age groups to meet the needs of consumers.
Backyard Beauty - Sustainable Beauty That Protects the Soil
As the focus of sustainable development turns to soil conservation, soil will be recognized as an important resource that needs to be protected and replenished. Sustainable beauty brands will encourage caring for soil as much as they care for their skin, practicing circular systems and regenerative agriculture, and utilizing "soil saviors" like microorganisms and worms. When it comes to packaging, compostable materials will gain traction, releasing beneficial elements that are good for the soil.
Plant-based milking – the revolution in sustainable beauty
The end of richness and the need for alternative ingredients will drive a revolution in sustainable beauty. Plant milking emerged as the solution, using aeroponics and extracting active ingredients from plant roots. This environmentally friendly and non-destructive method maximizes yield while minimizing land and water use. Plant-based milking is traceable, allowing beauty consumers to track the origin of their products from root to routine.
The reasons for these trends
Social Stress and Health Anxiety: There is a huge amount of stress and anxiety in contemporary society, especially among the younger generations. The emergence of hangover beauty products reflects people's pursuit of more tolerant and enjoyable self-care methods. When faced with the stress of daily life, consumers are more willing to choose beauty products that can bring pleasure and relaxation, rather than just pursuing external beauty.
Personalization and Identity Expression: Fragrance becomes an olfactory tool for identity expression, reflecting the importance of personalization and identification. As society gradually moves towards an era of accepting individual differences, people place more emphasis on ways to express their uniqueness. Perfume, as a personalized beauty product, plays an important role in this trend.
Changing age concepts: The age-independent beauty trend reflects people’s rejection of traditional age concepts, emphasizing that everyone has the right to embrace aging rather than reverse it. As age anxiety wanes, led by baby boomers and Generation X, the beauty industry is shifting to be more focused on meeting the needs of consumers of all ages.
Growing awareness of sustainability: Trends in backyard beauty and plant milking reflect concerns about environmental sustainability. As concerns about climate change and environmental damage increase, sustainability has become an important keyword in the beauty industry. Brands and consumers alike are placing greater emphasis on choosing beauty products that are earth-friendly, encouraging circular systems and using renewable resources.
Technological Developments: Technological developments such as aeroponics have promoted plant-based milking as a viable alternative raw material sourcing solution. Advances in technology have provided more possibilities for the beauty industry, making innovative and sustainable beauty methods more feasible.
The emergence of these trends means that the beauty industry is undergoing a profound transformation to cater to modern consumers' pursuit of health, individuality, authenticity and sustainability. Consumers no longer focus solely on outer beauty, but view beauty as part of physical and mental health and individual expression. Beauty brands need to adapt to these changes and offer products that are more innovative and consistent with consumer values, while focusing on environmental protection and sustainability.
Post time: Jan-24-2024