Opinion
Beauty’s evolving, here’s what you need to know
The rapidly growing sector continues to evolve and change and we’re back to talk about it.
By Dalziel & Pow
Posted 04. 11. 2019
The rapidly growing sector continues to evolve and change and we’re back to talk about it.
We’ve been tracking the beauty industry for a while now. Our beauty and wellness-focused campaigns have explored many major trends over the last few years from the rise of Korean beauty, to Gen Z’s new rules and the convergence of beauty, health and wellbeing. As a result, we’ve been working with some great brands from the Finnish company Lumene to CH in Ireland and more exciting projects we will be able to talk about soon! This rapidly growing sector continues to evolve and change and we’re back to talk about it. Here’s a snapshot of what’s new.
In recent years ‘wellness’ has been dubbed the new status symbol, with a £10 green juice signifying as much about a person’s wealth as a Gucci handbag. However with the likes of Wallmart teaming up with Bobbi Brown’s new wellness brand and selling powders and lotions that feel more at home on Goop’s website than a major supermarket’s aisles, it seems that wellness has become something truly attainable for everyone. Moreover it shows that big brands are willing to invest in wellness and see it as a necessary part of their offer.
As the success of the beauty industry continues to grow, so does concerns over its sustainability. Stylish packaging and the promise of an effective formula are often what draws us to beauty products, but at the same time these are wreaking havoc on the environment. Here we take a look at some of the issues and what brands are doing to tackle them.
We wrote about Korean Beauty two years ago and since then, it’s firmly established itself on the global beauty scene. Not an industry to stand still, we've been seeing a steady stream of innovative products and new trends coming out of the country. Read about what's new in K-Beauty here.
Marijuana has slowly been decriminalised across the US with many states allowing the sale of recreational and medicinal cannabis. The commercialisation of CBD and cannabis-infused products has led to a massive trend in topical and edible products that aim to smooth complexions and soothe sleep. However not all CBD products are made equal. We take a look at the trend in this blog post.
Increased discourse around the effects beauty standards have on mental health (read this Dazed Beauty piece) has forced brands to start taking mental health seriously. The prominence of Instagram has given rise to a new crop of influential people who do not necessarily fit in with ‘conventional’ beauty standards, on the other hand consumers are arguably bombarded with more unattainable images of ‘perfection’ than ever before. Brands are now increasingly marketing beauty and wellness in a way that’s sensitive to the concerns of consumers (especially Gen Z) have about mental health. For some brands this means directly engaging in the discourse with targeted campaigns, for others it means aligning with different types of brand ambassadors.
As the consumer landscape shifts and splinters, brands need to work harder than ever to win over their audience. Beauty brands have long understood the importance of experience and constantly raise their game online and in-store. Click here to read about why physical retail spaces still matter for beauty brands and some of the new experiences customers are enjoying.
Minimalism, no makup makeup and Scandi simplicity have made way for expressive individual looks. Brands that champion diverse models with equally diverse styles will win over today’s consumers who really notice diversity. Expressive beauty is an antidote and reaction to the pared-back Glossier look and hero products like Boy Brow. Allow your customers to play – Glossier knows it and has recently launched a new ‘Play’ collection.
