01.22.22
Plum is apparently the new red in lipstick; gua sha stones are smoothing out the face product category and conditioners with hair-thickening agents are causing all the stir for beauty enthusiasts seeking to better their appearance.
The Color Purple
According to Spate, a New York City-based machine intelligence platform that analyzes millions of online consumer signals to identify the next big trend, the lipstick category’s resurgence in mid-2021 continues with different lipstick trends showing positive growth. Lipstick palette has increased 196.6% and the metallic lipstick has increased 230.1%. On average, there are 4,800 searches every month in the US for plum lipstick, which is low volume relative to other lipstick product searches, but has grown 549.1% since last year.
With temperatures dropping, the bold and moody vibe of plum lipstick is the perfect way to embrace the cold winter. Related searches include terms like: matte, review, skin, best, sheer, and liquid, indicating that consumers are looking for a wide range of lipstick textures and opacities. Brands being searched alongside this trend are Clinique (hello, cult favorite Black Honey), Mac, Bobbi Brown and Nyx.
The universal appeal of this color is evident in related searches for “skin”/”dark skin” (i.e. “plum lipstick for pale skin” or “plum lipstick for olive skin”), demonstrating that this shade works for various complexions and skin tones. Brands can showcase the diversity of this trending shade in online content and messaging, not only within beauty but in fashion and home as well. There is also an opportunity to promote other trending lip products like lip plumping gloss (+132.7%) or lip pencils (+79.3%).
The Sculpting Powers of the Gua Stone
Throughout the pandemic, one thing that has remained constant is the importance of self-care. This influenced the way consumers approached skincare as well, with
facial massage (+28.4%) and other techniques becoming a popular form of facial care. The gua sha stone is a tool that allows consumers to improve their circulation by massaging their face or different parts of their body to improve skin health and promote a glowing complexion. Searched alongside gua sha stone, the term “how to use” is experiencing the highest growth in search with +301.4% year over year, which presents an opportunity for brands to provide education and tutorials on the different ways the gua sha stone can be used. Whenever providing tips and tricks, though, be sure to acknowledge the cultural origins of this trend derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Gua Sha Stone has several different uses, and consumers are curious on how to achieve a healthy complexion using the traditional Chinese therapeutic technique.
There are 99,100 searches on average every month in the US for Gua sha stone, which is very high volume relative to other searches for accessories and devices in the face product category. It’s grown 47.7% in searches since last year with low competition and two brand leaders: Lanshin and Sephora.
Jade is the traditional stone used for the tool, but rose quartz is also a popular variety sold. Brands considering adding a gua sha stone in their own product offering should consider ways to differentiate themselves with new materials like green aventurine (+95.9% year over year). Interestingly, crystal products are currently driving the largest increase in natural beauty-related ingredients (+63.5,000 searches).
Hair-Thickening Solutions
Hair loss/hair growth is top of mind for consumers who are looking to hair loss conditioner as a solution to promote healthy hair and scalp.
Unsurprisingly, searches for hair loss conditioner are usually paired alongside “shampoo”/”hair loss shampoo” in addition to other related searches such as: best, postpartum, review, men, regrowth, and thinning. Along with hair loss conditioner, other hair growth/hair loss related products like thinning hair shampoo (+12,100), hair growth conditioner (+4,200), and rice water shampoo (+2,000) continue to drive an increase in the hair care category.
Interestingly, postpartum hair loss as a hair concern is experiencing the highest growth in search rate at +14.8% year over year and comes at a time when a number of brands catered to femcare needs are emerging. Brands should consider developing dedicated lines towards this specific need with other relevant, high growth products such as scalp serum (+34.5%) and hair loss cream (+21.0%).
On average, there are 4,500 searches every month in the US for hair loss conditioner. This is low volume relative to other conditioner product searches, experiencing +54.0% growth in searches since last year without a market leader, though brands such as OGX and Pura d’or do appear in searches, analysts say.