Body Foundation, the ‘Curly Shag’ and Skincare Ingredient Qasil Are Top of Mind for Consumers: Spate

Curly locks, a blemish-free body and a good facial are driving Google searches, according to Spate, a New York City-based firm that analyzes science data to determine the next big trend in the beauty space.

Qasil

For skincare, Qasil, a naturally-derived ingredient from Somalia, started to pick up traction during lockdown when consumers were searching for new ways to up their skin and hair care game. According to Spate, there were 10,100 searches on average every month in the US for Qasil—a figure that has grown 109.7% in searches since last year. 

 

It is harvested from the gob tree, and the leaves are ground into a powder and often mixed with turmeric (and sometimes honey) to make a facial mask. Related searches include terms like: powder, benefit, Amazon, for hair, face mask, skin, and how to use. Qasil powder in particular is the largest year-over-year growth trend in the entire face treatment product category, growing at 109.7% year-over-year.

 

Qasil is being used across both skin and hair care, and consumers are searching Amazon to find this ingredient. There are no brand leaders, so this indicates a market opportunity to launch this trending ingredient in a variety of products, as well as a standalone product. Brands can also use this opportunity to educate consumers about the ingredient and its various uses in online content to engage with consumers and gain credibility. The rise of Qasil also signals the interest and appetite of consumers to reach beyond the typical European and Asian beauty influences to Africa and other countries, which opens up a whole new world of beautiful possibilities.

 

Body Foundation 
 

Body foundation presents much opportunity to brands as consumers look to this product as a solution to treat and perfect their body skin concerns. 

 

On average, there are 4,800 searches every month in the US for body foundation, which has grown 362.3% since last year. Its market leaders are KKW, MAC, Dermablend and Dior. Searches for body foundation specifically rose quickly in July 2021 when MAC relaunched its face and body foundation, but it has sustained a healthy growth since. The product seems to trend higher in the warmer seasons when consumers are looking to perfect the skin they are showing. This is supposition is justified as related searches include terms like SPF and waterproof. Other related searches include perfecting, liquid, how to apply and stretch marks, illustrating that consumers may want a liquid format to blend and help conceal imperfections.

 

With uncertain future predicted growth, this trend presents a risky one. However, body makeup is the second fastest-growing makeup category of the year after makeup services, which may point to a large opportunity for brands looking to innovate. Similar to face foundation, brands should consider incorporating additional benefits such as sun protection and clinical ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and vitamin C to improve skin health on the body. With sticks being a trending format across skin and makeup, there may also be an opportunity to leverage this format for body as well.

 

Curly Shag 
 

As retro hairstyles experience high growth, the curly shag offers volume and curl definition to consumers seeking to embrace their curl patterns. 

 

According to Spate, there are 24,900 searches on average every month in the US for Curly Shag, which represents a 63.3% growth in searches since last year. There are no market leaders.

  

The curly shag of the 1970s is making a comeback with a modern flair. It’s coming on the heels of searches for other throwback styles gaining traction such as fluffy hair (77,900 monthly searches, a 142.7% year-over-year growth), curtain haircut (22,000 searches, a 122.3% year-over-year growth), and curtain bangs bob (9,700 searches, a 169.5% growth year-over-year).

 

This hairstyle opens itself up to a variety of different care and styling products to help achieve and maintain this look. Curl-specific shampoos, conditioners and masks tailored to the unique needs of curly hair are a must-have, especially considering the wide range of curl patterns that exist within the curly hair segment. Styling products are also important to help define, control frizz and add bounce or volume to the curls. Brands should consider the soft gel product format, which is often used to style the curly shag, resulting in a 140.2% year-over-year growth. 

 

Searches for texturizing powder have also increased 31.5% year-over-year with 12,900 monthly searches, supporting the consumer desire for texturized, voluminous hair looks.