Activism and self-mastery to revolutionise beauty culture in 2021

Beauty activism, post-pandemic punk and self-mastery are trends set to revolutionise the beauty industry in 2021, found The Beyond Beauty Report, a study of beauty professionals conducted by Sharmadean Reid's tech company Beautystack, and consultancy brand The Digital Fairy.

80% of beauty professionals said social justice will play a key role in their business in 2021, the report found, and 62% believe that salons and product houses should be vocal about political and social issues.

Meanwhile, more than a third (67%) of beauty pros also said that they will focus on diversity in their social media and marketing materials this year, and just under half (43%) are changing suppliers to support the cause.

It’s not surprising that for the majority (93%) of professionals their mental health was an important issue. According to the report, 2021 will see self-care replaced by self-mastery – an approach that recognises how beauty must nurture and help us take care of our mental health.

During the coronavirus pandemic, three quarters (75%) had actively changed their beauty routines to focus less on aesthetic perfection, and a further 16% said they plan to dramatically shake-up their regime. This shift is being dubbed the “era of post-pandemic punk” – a movement built on beauty routines based on how products make consumers feel, rather than how they look.

However, as the beauty industry gears up to reopen in the next few months post-lockdown, the report also recognised a shift in the needs of beauty consumers, highlighted by a 50% rise in searches for “laser” as people seek treatments from salons and spas that they can’t do at home.

The report also discovered that 53% of beauty professionals know of other business owners who continued to operate illicitly during lockdown.

The Beyond Beauty Report draws on information from industry experts, platform data, forecasting workshops and direct predictions from beauty leaders.

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