Beauty and grooming retailer Birchbox keeps growing. Its in-house brand Arrow is thriving and its wide assortment of personal care products available by subscription box keep shoppers coming back for more.

The brand also recently revamped its clean category with a greatly expanded definition, a clearer badge for clean products, and a new limited-edition kit. In the absence of a standardized, industry-wide “clean” definition, Birchbox says it hopes to help customers make educated decisions.

Alex Azzara, Birchbox's director of merchandising and beauty partnerships, took time to chat with happi.com about seasonal cosmetic launches.

Happi: What qualities are shoppers looking for in cosmetics?

AA: With more and more options in market, we know that customers are searching for products that deliver both utility and efficacy when it comes to color cosmetics. We are also seeing an overwhelming amount of interest in clean beauty from customers, especially when it comes to color cosmetics being both clean and effective. We know that customers are also looking for more multi-tasking, hybrid products; such as skin care meets makeup, that save time and increase efficiency with multi-use properties. Simplifying steps is a key theme we continue to see growing into 2020. 
 

Happi: What are the hottest trends right now in beauty and why?

AA: As we see increased demand and a growing interest from our customers at Birchbox, we have expanded our online shop assortment and sampling offering to feature more clean beauty brands; such as Kosas, BeautyCounter, 27 rosiers and Pai.  We have also taken steps to make formulas within Arrow, our own brand’s cleaner, and will be relaunching our Arrow beauty line.

Additionally, we are excited about our Birchbox-exclusive Clean Beauty Limited Edition Box alongside our revamped Clean Beauty shop category to help our customers navigate this category with ease and delight. Shoppers have an increased awareness of ingredients and attention to what is actually in (and left out of) the products we are using everyday. We know that customers are searching for clean, natural, vegan and cruelty-free options.

Happi: What ingredients are popular with formulators now and why?

AA: The industry obsession with CBD continues given the ingredient's suggested benefits like promoting relaxation and anti-inflammation.

Adaptogens, nontoxic plants best known in the wellness community, are also now emerging into the beauty landscape given their beneficial properties for skin care. They are best known as supplements, but we expect to see them cross over into topical beauty formulas given soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.

We are also seeing a huge focus surrounding the clean movement on not only what ingredients the products are formulated with but what products are formulated without

Happi: What are the future trends in beauty to look out for in the market?

AA: As we look ahead to trends in 2020 and beyond, I think we will see a major shift in the prioritization of clean and sustainable beauty. We can expect to see an influx of emerging beauty brands, heightened focus on product development for major industry players, and an increased customer demand for brands and products in this space.