It’s look ahead time again as Janury rolls around again so what looks big (or doesn’t!) this year?
2023 Beauty Predictions
- 2023 will be all about wellness
– and probably, especially, mental wellbeing, which means tackling anxiety, sleep, supporting the skin microbiome, skin-gut axis, inflammation, healthy hormonal balance, immunity and more.
- Simplicity and The Year of The Stand Alone Hero (as in ‘all hail the perfect foundation serum’)
Skinminimalism is in big time and it’s the breath of fresh air we all need this year: the beauty of simplicity. (And hello, all you lovely easy multi-taskers).
Hi “quick and simple”, “bye” multi-step, time-sapping routines…
And enter the multi-purpose saviours we could all use more of, like moisturising lip tints that double up as blushers or that perfect silky foundation serum that works as a more natural-looking under-eye concealer or light blur-effect handbag staple.
And stripped down, one, two or three ingredient facial oils with a short and sweet all-natural INCI as well.
- Sub-Topical Solutions
The tested, much-loved “beauty-from-within” boosters we’ve come to rely on will stand us in good stead: think collagen drinks, probiotics, nootropics (happy brain, healthy body), anti-inflammatory formulas, etc.
- Pick A Good Thing and Stick To It
With a wallet-slimming year ahead on the cards, it could also be a slimmed-down year for new launches (inter-linked with some brands shutting their doors in 2022) – cue fewer purchases, less taking a chance on products and sticking to the trieds and testeds we already know and love?
- Support your local Eco Heroes
With the elephant/s in the room we’re not doing enough about, like climate change, plastic and the other big issues, this year the drive to consciously support the planet-positive brands tackling issues like plastic packaging intensifies…our wallets hold voting power. Let’s use it.
- The 50-plus cosmetics face space (anyone there?) and the rise of Menopause Marketing
Hello? Where are the 50, 60, 70++ brands we’ll all want and need sooner or later? While there are some brands making a name for themselves in this sector like British makeup brand STUDIO10’s ‘pro-age’ range, there’s still sparse choice when it comes to makeup within the vast landscape of beauty. Surely a large gap waiting for more to fill it, here?
On a par with the relatively lacklustre men’s department in recent years, brands tailor-making beauty for older women are still amazingly conspicuous by their absence – making 50+ beauty offerings and black-owned beauty brands arguably the two least “supported” sectors in the beauty industry.
On the flipside, coverage of Menopause Wellness – which we saw really gain momentum last year – looks set to soar as we talk about it much more and brands in the wellbeing space are rising to the occasion with supportive messaging, open discussion and solutions (like natural supplements and wellbeing drinks) to help ease the menopause journey.
- “Stress-Less” is Everything
2023: a big year for anxiety-calmers? From Epsom Salt bathing rituals and Aromatherapeutic Facial Serums to at home Face Yoga and mood-boosting supplements, things that were once a luxury or just for occasional use will become everyday essentials for us physically, emotionally and mentally to help us get through what could be a choppy year. Building our inner reserves will be key.
- Say “hi” to…
Those of us who love the natural beauty industry will likely already be familiar with the more unusual plant-based and herbal ingredients stars, while mainstream media has only started me tioning them more recently.
Examples include:
Tremella Fucicormis/Snow Mushroom
The jelly-like super-moisturiser tremella fuciformis (aka snow mushroom), a fantastic skin hydrator which is also used in Chinese medicine as a yin tonic to nourish the lungs.
Like Hyaluronic Acid, this intriguing looking, flowery sponge-like white mushroom is quite the hero humectant, holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water to help lock in moisture.
Blue Tansy
On the radar in the last couple of years, blue tansy is the “blue” that glows in the pretty blue balms and face oils. Also known as Moroccan Tanzy, it’s actually a bright yellow flattish “pom pom” shaped flowering plant which flourishes in southern Morocco and its naturally-occurring chamazulene is the secret behind its gorgeous hue.
Blue Tansy is also available as an essential oil, and its properties include: anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-redness, plus it’s one of the best oils for acne-prone skin.
Niacinamide
This Vitamin B3 derivative, used topically and internally, is the 2023 INCI headliner everyone’s talking about at the moment, thanks to its ability to strengthen and rebuild skin cells and protect against environmental damage (like UV rays) and its suitability for all skin types wins extra points.
- Transparency is king
Goodbye marketing hype, hello “let’s be honest”.
Here’s to less pulling the wool over our eyes as “fake natural brands” and less than truthful greenwashing verbiage plastered all over packaging looks set to encounter increasing challenges from savvy consumers and green beauty industry insiders who refuse to put up with that s…t and are reporting and calling out the offenders.
- Celebrity Brands on the slide?
Celebrities make mistakes like the rest of us and some of the recent celeb beauty launches are no exception. Excessive hype, stratospheric price tags and a blundering lack of beauty expertise are some of the big minus points in this “sector” impacting these brands’ credibility.
Around the time of the launch of Brad Pitt’s science-meets-nature, genderless and pretty pricey Le Domaine beauty brand, he said in this Vogue interview (21 September 2022) that he had no idea what gua shua is. An honest answer but…
And Le Domaine’s 50ml serum costs 320 euros making it instantly inaccessible for most.
But looking forwards, back to what really matters:
ethical, nature-powered and sustainable products (not just beauty – all sectors)
accepting our imperfections
supporting the brands that support Mother Nature
supporting each other
embracing diversity
working for peace
being thankful for what we’ve got right here, right now
plenty of self-care
daily gratitude practices
laughter and dancing and living in the now, keeping it in the day
Here’s to a greener year ahead…