A lot can change in just one year. People’s tastes, hobbies, and shopping habits are constantly evolving with the ever-changing world around us. It’s no wonder then that beauty trends are also changing on an annual basis to keep up with the latest styles and technology available to consumers. What will be trending in 2021? Here is a brief overview of four megatrends we think are relevant this year:
DIY Products – toothcare at home
Do it yourself has always been a huge trend – however, according to a McKinsey survey it grew rapidly during the pandemic. DIY hacks like brushing teeth with activated charcoal or coconut oil have long been considered a supposed secret weapon in the beauty scene.
Whether as a powder, in the form of capsules, or as an additive in toothpastes, the black charcoal particles are said to clean our teeth of dirt and pollutants, thus freeing them from an unwanted yellow or grey haze. And indeed, if you brush your teeth with activated charcoal, you can expect a visibly whiter smile after just a few applications. But instead of buying pure activated charcoal at the next pharmacy, using our toothpaste with activated charcoal is the better way to DIY your teeth whitening process.
Home cosmetics are on the rise, a recent Sampler survey shows that almost 50 % of consumers find it enjoyable and therapeutic to do their self-care routine and beauty treatments at home. It offers them peace of mind to health and safety, which won’t even disappear after the pandemic. 37 % of the survey takers responded that they would continue doing their treatments at home, only 16 % plan to go back to beauty salons & co. once they’re reopening.
Personal care trends
The market research company Mintel has identified the pursuit of a holistic approach to achieving physical and mental well-being as one of the most important factors influencing consumer behavior today. Accordingly, adults are increasingly looking for products that enhance their physical, mental, and emotional health – including in the cosmetics sector. For example, nearly 90% of adults in the U.S. suffer from recurring pain or inflammation.
The trigger in many cases is chronic stress, which one-third of consumers struggle with. For these problems, they are often looking for non-medical solutions. According to Mintel’s survey, the beauty and health industry, in particular, can provide relief here with milder, anti-inflammatory products.
The future beauty and health market could increasingly rely on synergy effects: according to Mintel’s estimates, many consumers will be on the lookout for products that promise improved well-being without much effort. In particular, solutions that combine physical or emotional well-being with benefits for our appearance are expected to be in trend in the next years.
Smart shopping
Technology will become more important than before – and many brands start to adapt to this new demand. The Internet, smartphones, and the like make it possible to compare prices everywhere and all the time and to choose the provider that offers the best value for money. This type of shopping is called “smart shopping.” However, it’s not only the price comparison that turns shopping-lovers into real bargain finders – the when and where also reveals what you can look out for when shopping to get more for less money.
Even as a brand that doesn’t have an online shop yet, Nordics adapted to this because smart shopping starts way earlier than just looking up discounts and best deals.
Increasingly, search engines are the starting point for this research. The opportunity for offline brands is easy: Those who provide information, descriptions, images, and videos about and of their products through Social Media, their website, or other online channels support potential customers in their online research – with the chance that the customer journey thus begun will end with them.
Natural & sustainable products – Ecological packaging
The pandemic has highlighted our impact on nature, causing the public to think about how to be more health-conscious and build natural immunity. As a result, customers are turning to products that are free of chemicals of concern and instead contain “clean,” authentic ingredients.
The topic of sustainability will continue to be a top priority. More and more companies in the beauty industry are paying attention to their ecological footprints and investing in climate-relevant research projects. This is also the case with the packaging we use for our products – we focus on CO2-friendly packaging and use materials that are sustainable for our environment.
Where in the past a lot of packaging still spoke for the quality and value of a product, today the exact opposite is the case. Packaging for health and beauty products no longer needs to be as fancy as possible but focus on plastic avoidance. Big beauty brands see this trend too and take action – so it’s no longer just a side project but a major task for the cosmetics and health industry in the future.
To summarize the most important points of 2021’s beauty trends:
- People will do more of their beauty & health care at home, so it’s time for brands to adjust to this need
- Personal care becomes more relevant, and people actively lookout for products that promise to improve their well-being without much effort
- Discounts, comparing prices, offering people a great customer journey starting on Social Media will raise the chance to win new customers
- Sustainability not only for products themselves but also their packaging will continue to affect consumer behavior
Nordics uses sustainable packaging and organic ingredients to offer a sustainable but still high-quality product experience. Read more about our products and impact.
Sources:
https://sampler.io/blog/the-rise-of-the-diy-consumer
https://www.mintel.com/global-consumer-trends
https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Publications/Shopper-behavior-upside-down.html
