With 2022 almost out of the way, it’s good to look back at our favorite trends that dominated this year. Our top picks are trends that have caught our attention. Some of them we’ll most likely say goodbye to once the year closes and some of them we’d love to see even more of in the coming year.
Excited to see our list? Let’s get right to it then!
Sustainable Beauty
Environmental issues are being taken more seriously now than ever. Which is a good thing because it’s a crucial matter that we really have to tackle head-on. In 2022, we saw a rise in product refilling systems and a cut down on non-compostable plastic packaging.
Beauty brands have made larger efforts to advocate sustainability by experimenting with different formulas and product concentrations like non-liquid hair products for example. This supports the movement to use less water in production and lower the impacts of certain chemicals on our oceans and drains. Sustainable beauty also means that the ingredients need to be sourced sustainably while maintaining the health and safety considerations necessary for human use.
Liquid Plastics
While production and dispensing have been making progress in terms of sustainability, a more complicated problem has cropped up. The year 2022 opened our eyes more to the dangers of microplastics. They clog our drains, they damage our ecosystem, and it looks like they are dangerous to our health too. Researchers have linked microplastics to a variety of health risks including oxidative stress, immune system disruption, neurotoxicity, and lung damage.
Liquid plastics are added to beauty products as thickeners and emulsifiers. They help beauty products move or stay on. They can also contribute to the sheen and smoothening properties of certain products – this is even the main feature or selling point of some products. Yes, your favorite powerful foundation may have it too.
Using microplastics in manufacturing is an efficient and cheap option making it difficult for companies to drop the ingredient. Consumers will need to sacrifice some things as well if they’d like to support the advocacy of cutting out microplastics. Prices are expected to rise and formula experimentation can take some time before we get to a point where plastics can be efficiently and economically easy to let go
Although it may take some time and the costs are pretty high, prioritizing sustainability is a welcome move for 2022 and beyond. More education and more campaigns are being driven to support this cause and it looks like people are slowly taking the right path toward sustainability.
Minimalist Beauty
Skinimalism is all about natural beauty and streamlining your beauty routine with the least amount of products possible. People have started to veer away from layering products, switching to soft and more natural applications. The process usually starts with a very basic layer of skincare followed by a light foundation or tint. Very little blush and lip products are used to achieve a subtle or “barely there” look.
Blurred Lips
With skinimalism comes blurred lips. This popular trend started in Korea and the goal is to have that effortless or the-day-after look. One way to follow this makeup trend is to brush or blot your lipstick after application. You can also pat a lip stain or a matte lip product on with your fingers to slowly build the effect.
Multipurpose Makeup
Multipurpose beauty belongs to the skinimalism trend as well and we don’t expect this trend to die anytime soon. We are seeing a lot of cream sticks that can be used all over, on the eyes, cheeks, and lips. There are now foundation and bronzer duos, multi-use highlighter sticks, lip and cheek balms, etc. Single-purpose products are starting to feel like a luxury now. We have to give it to the beauty brands, though. The formulation of these products made this trend possible and we very much think this trend is here to stay.
Skinimalism Moving Forward
Beauty brands are showing up where they should be in the skinimalism trend. Everyone’s on board and riding the wave. So, what’s next?
Formula is everything. For this trend to be sustained, a focus on quality and performance needs to be pushed. Better benefits for the skin, longevity, and performance need to be forefront aside from making things multifunction and compact. Mixing in the sustainability trend is also essential. We need to try our best to get the movement going to be able to support skinimalism long-term.
Skin Barrier Health
A renewed focus on skin health came about as a result of the trends building up to 2022. Skinimalism has made people more conscious of their natural skin without all the concealers and thick foundations. A healthy glow is no longer achieved with a thick layer of makeup to blur out skin imperfections. It all starts now with a healthy and effective skincare routine. Sunscreen is prioritized now over foundation. Serums and oils are now preferred to prep the skin for better makeup application.
A healthy skin barrier retains water better which keeps your skin smooth and elastic. This means better protection against aging, irritation, and overall skin damage. The skin microbiome is gaining a lot of attention in biotech companies and beauty brands now and we see it gaining even more traction in 2023.
Biotech Beauty
The meaning of natural is transforming due to advancements in biotech. Natural is no longer confined to unprocessed raw ingredients picked out from your very own organic garden. Made from the lab doesn’t necessarily mean that the resulting products are unnatural for human use anymore. Also, chemicals do not equal toxic in layman's terms today. These fairly new concepts took away our mistrust in lab-created products and we are now more open to science solving our problems with sustainability and natural health and wellness solutions.
Biotech has made it possible to extract the necessary components of natural ingredients to make them more usable for natural product formulations to work
Peptide Lip Treatment
Peptide lip treatments have become a growing trend in the latter part of this year and will spill over to 2023 as well. The treatment stimulates and restores moisture to thinning lips. In effect, the lips become naturally plump and soft once again. Peptides are present in our skin and they naturally occur in our bodies. It is an important element to maintain the integrity of our skin structure. The benefits seen from peptide treatments are said to be antiaging, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hydration, and more.
Biotech has paved the way for peptides to be processed and applied to skincare development. This is an exciting trajectory to how biotech is making waves in beauty technology. We expect to see a lot more of these trends happening in the coming future.
The Takeaway
There are exciting times ahead for the beauty industry and we saw them start in 2022. We look forward to a great beginning of 2023 with the lessons and conscious choices we’ve made in the closing year. This is the start of what is hopefully a bright and better path for beauty as a business and as a practice.