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We're not sad to see the back of 2021. Instead, we're hyped for 2022 and the new beginnings it will bring. The beauty industry is all about change, and if there is one thing you can rely on, it's innovation. From fermented formulas to hybrid makeup, condensed beauty and clean clinical formulations, these are the trends that will shape what you see on cosmetic counters in 2022 - bring it on, we say. Scroll down to learn more.
Fermented formulas
If there was one trend that stood out in 2021, it was skin-minimalism, coined 'skinimalism' in beauty circles. Gone is the Korena-inspired, multi-step skincare routines; instead, we were intuitive, by responding to our skin's needs, often with a less is more approach. Fast-forward to 2022, and skincare brands are prioritising quality innovations over quantity. As a result, you can expect to see more calming skincare innovations that treat sensitivities caused by mask-wearing and overuse of aggressive skincare. Anti-pollution formulas and stress-relieving inventions to deal with the post-pandemic era. This ties in nicely with the Google trend search for 'microbiome skincare' growing by over 5000 per cent in the last 12 months, alongside a hike in pre-and-probiotic skincare solutions to rebalance and strengthen our complexions. Trend forecasting agency WGSN predicts fermented beauty will play a role in our routines and how skincare is made. Enter fermented ingredients, and there's a raft of them, from yeast and sea kelps to black soy, fermented olive leaf extract and ginseng. In addition, antioxidant mineral extracts, also fermented in yeast such as zinc, magnesium and copper, will be at the forefront of anti-ageing. Formulators say these ingredients not only strengthen the skin's barrier be more potent but enable our skin to absorb ingredients more readily. Finally, fermented ingredients are stacked with good bacteria, which helps prolong the shelf life of products and reduce the need for synthetic preservatives; this will appeal to the sustainably-minded.
Drunk Elephant Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray, $67.
To refresh dehydrated, sensitive skin, the blend of amino and fatty acids, electrolytes, and ceramides, fermented sake extract, kombucha, and hops all crammed into this facial spray helps support the skin’s microbiome. Made to keep your complexion healthy and ready for serums and moisturisers that will penetrate faster and deeper.
Hybrid beauty
Clean cosmetics with few ingredients that are multi-functional are on the rise. According to a recent Mintel report, 50 per cent of consumers now prefer to purchase hybrid cosmetics that is makeup with skincare benefits. You may be thinking this is nothing new, but this burgeoning beauty category looks set to blossom in 2022. Complexion products were the big winner's. Ilia Beauty's Super Skin Tint SPF30 was one. Hybrid skincare, makeup and sun protection all in one. Naked Sundays SPF50+ Collagen Glow Crème is another; it's your primer, moisturiser, SPF 50 and collagen-booster, all-in-one dollop. Dior Beauty's star release coming soon is the new-and-improved Forever Foundation. The colour sits in an 86 per cent skincare base. The fashion house is also releasing its first Rouge Dior coloured lip balm with 93 per cent skincare benefits and a new Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Serum. Both blur the lines between lip care and traditional lip colour.
Ilia Beauty's Super Skin Tint SPF30, $77
A tinted mineral SPF 40 that doubles as a skin serum. Thanks to the hero ingredients, including hyaluronic acid with a plant-based squalane and niacinamide (vitamin B3) created to smooth and protect complexions of any age- there are 30 shades.
Condensed beauty
The war on greenwashing will continue to rage in 2022. From ingredient clarity to brand transparency and gone are the day where you can get away with misleading marketing. Instead, expect more action like The British Beauty Council's recent Planet Positive Beauty Guide that helps consumers avoid 'greenwashed' products. With sustainable formulations, and innovation in waterless products, this new movement coined 'condensed beauty' will see brands discovering new ways to amplify efficacy and efficiency while reducing product waste. From zero-plastic and solid skincare bars to waterless formulas, such as Forgo leading the way with a new powder-to-gel body wash in plastic-free refills, reducing emissions by 85 per cent. Finally, SBTRCT's are adding a waterless vitamin C serum in their solid skincare bar; expect to see that early January 2022.
Clean chemistry
With a desire for clean, clinical skincare on the rise, look out for brands promising efficacy while considering natural product claims – and their impact on the environment. Here, biotechnology (dubbed 'clean chemistry') promises to be the key to sustainable formulating. Brands like Biossance, are leaders in the field. They are creating safe lab-grown active ingredients, endangered in the natural world. The idea is ingredients can be both bio-synthetically grown and efficacious. Reese Witherspoon, Biossance's global brand ambassador, appointed in April 2021 for the next five years, says this innovation is what attracted her to the brand. "I love that collectively we can all do better".
BIOSSANCE SQUALANE + VITAMIN C ROSE OIL, $125
Brightening and firming, this blend of Damask rose, vitamin C, and sugarcane-derived squalene mimics the skins natural hydrating oils to deliver lightweight, easily absorbed moisture. At the same time, the Chios crystal oil helps to revitalise a dull-looking complexion.
Diversity in skincare
We have Rihanna to thank for Fenty Beauty, a 2.8 billion dollar makeup brand that kick-started diversity in colour cosmetics. However, skincare is still lagging - until now. Award-winning skincare expert Dija Ayodele may change all that with her debut book Black Skin: The definitive skincare guide (released November 2021). Covering everything from practical tips for darker skin to the historical and cultural tale of how the skincare industry still overlooks black skin. Ayodele's book is for beauty professionals (like her) and skincare enthusiasts (like all of us). Founder of The Black Skin Directory she also has a London skincare clinic West Room Aesthetics. She's a beauty spokesperson and media go-to; she's regularly quoted and highly respected. Born in Sierra Leone, she moved to London, aged 13, and says she didn't always see herself reflected in the beauty industry. In addition, she highlights that the same is happening in the dermatology world, where teaching is still presented on white skin.
Editor and skin expert Dija Ayodele told Melan Magazine, “For a long time, the beauty industry has been propped upon only serving the white market, so to turn that around is an expensive process, and it cannot be halfhearted. Diversity is not free. Fundamentally, diversity costs money; to educate teams about diversity will cost brands money, to test products on a wider pool that includes darker skin tones will cost money, to have more Black models will cost money, to hire a copywriter who understands the nuances in the way an editorial piece should be structured so that Black people are included in the narrative costs money.”
Skin expert Dija Ayodele Black Skin: The Definitive Skincare Guide, $41. Published by Harper Collins.
Tech-celeration - new high tech gadgets
There is nothing like a lockdown to see a spike in online sales of high tech gadgets. Beyond the world of jade rollers, DIY micro-needling and light therapy masks are gadgets we have never seen before. Procter & Gamble's Opté is a handheld inkjet (essentially a printer for your skin), which flawlessly colour corrects blemishes and dark spots. L'Oréal's Perso YSL's Rouge Sur Mesure will change how you wear lipstick. A colour creator to help you select and perfect bespoke lip colour to suit your skin or individual style. Or the dental tech app Toothfairy, a remote treatment method from whitening to straightening your teeth certified by a dentist. But wait, there is more. The relationship between gamers and beauty addicts looks set to explode too. With 46 per cent of gamers being female, it's no wonder Givenchy, Gucci Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury are already in on the action. Avatars are wearing a host of beautiful looks, and' virtual try-on tools proved lockdown favourites. Nars and Dior Beauty have recently partnered with South Korean metaverse Zepeto, enticing more beauty fans into this virtual world.
YSL Rouge Sur Mesure, £250 avialbe in the UK.
A lipstick game-changer, the first personalised lip colour creator that helps you design 4000 lipstick shades with the patented technology from Perso. It blends and dispenses a bespoke creamy or velvet-matte finish colour to suit your skin tone or fashion look of the day. The device also offers a compact and lip brush, perfect for touch-ups throughout the day. Choose from four colour cartridges, including nude, red, orange and pink. We can't wait to get our hands on one of these; fingers crossed they launch in NZ soon.
Game-changing for ageing skin.