Beauty Trends to Watch in 2010

Move over naturals, there are new beauty trends on tap as we enter the new year, according to Mintel, an industry research group.

“While 2009 brought its challenges for the industry, beauty brands and suppliers have continued to seek creative new ways to merge science, nature and sustainability for better results and more eco-friendly formulas and packaging,” said Nica Lewis, director of Mintel Beauty Innovation. “In 2010, we will see more consolidation in the beauty industry and the evolution of old trends, as well as new ones, as consumer confidence returns.”

Four trends to watch in 2010 include:

1. MOOD BEAUTY
Makeup has long been associated with making the wearer feel better, but recent product evolution has seen actual ingredients enabling this. In 2010, consumers will be able to enhance their mood through makeup and skin care, going beyond aromatherapy and simple use of scent.

“Mood Beauty” creates a new beauty space, intersecting psychology and wellbeing with beauty products that offer psychological benefits and ingredients that act on people’s neurotransmitters. Expect manufacturers to make use of textures, temperatures or sounds that affect the mood, as well as innovations like make-up that “switches on and off.”

Meanwhile, the idea of beauty sleep will take on new meaning, as cosmetics claiming to induce positive moods or improve sleep quality inject new life into night care products.

2. NU NATURAL
“Nu Natural” is a new vision of natural that is less focused on certification and more focused on results, efficiency and safety. In 2010, beauty products will evolve from today’s trend toward organic ingredients, revisiting attributes like authenticity, provenance and local production, according to Mintel.

Mintel Beauty Innovation expects claims like “free from” and “sustainable” to appear in products that simultaneously contain synthetic actives like peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides or collagen. Beauty manufacturers will further explore simple formulas, such as infusions and fluids, but they’ll formulate them with a new generation of phytochemicals, anthocyanins and fermented actives.

3. PRO-TECH’T
Throughout 2009, there was a renewed emphasis on protection, one of the basic functions of skincare, hair care and color cosmetics. Beauty products offered increasingly powerful shields against not just UV rays, but also physiological and man-made factors.

In 2010, “Pro-Tech’t” will strengthen this shield. Marketing language is already growing more robust, borrowing from computer technology (e.g. “firewalls”). Packaging, too, will expand beyond traditional glass and plastic to materials like neoprene and concrete.

In addition, Mintel Beauty Innovation expects growth in immune-boosting and skin-defending claims, as well as new products that contain ingredients from extreme environments such as the Arctic, Alpine or Desert. Expect more healthcare actives like rhodiola rosea, griffonia and superoxide dismutase to appear in 2010’s beauty products, forging a stronger link with nutricosmetics.

4. TURBO BEAUTY 4G
Developing 2009’s “Turbo Beauty”’ trend, “Turbo Beauty 4G” continues to capitalize on advances in biochemistry for higher-tech beauty products. Expect more quasi-medical results and “mix-it-yourself” solutions: at-home kits and cures that offer alternatives to cosmetic surgery and non-invasive procedures.

In 2010, products will increasingly include medical- or pharmaceutical-grade actives and next-generation nanotechnology. In addition, clinical testing to substantiate claims and results will move from prestige into “masstige” (affordable for general consumers but positioned as luxury).

More info: www.mintel.com