Personalisation and brand identity pegged as major 2018 beauty trends

Natural ingredients, personalised beauty, brands with a story and digital technology are key 2018 beauty trends, according to market researcher Mintel.

The market analyst has highlighted the four themes as set to shape the global beauty and personal care market this year.

A rising environmental awareness is making consumers around the world increasingly focused on natural products that use sustainable ingredients and are “allergen-free, safe and pure,” Mintel said.

As part of this focus, consumers will become more and more interested in products with ingredients that have been locally sourced, the company predicated.

Mintel also forecast that in 2018, consumers will continue demanding products tailored to their specific needs. The mass approach that placed consumers into set, predetermined categories will, the company commented, increasingly become a thing of the past.

In a statement, Mintel said: “Perceptions of beauty based on age, gender, skin, hair and body type are changing as today’s consumers take control of how beauty is defined. In 2018 and beyond, consumers will demand that their individual needs are answered with options or customisable beauty.”

The trends forecast also concluded that this year, and moving forward, it will no longer be enough for a company to have quality products. Brands must also have a personality, a level of social responsibility and an ethos that aligns with the values of the consumer.

The report stated: “The onus is now on brands to impress consumers with a human-like personality that’s relatable, personable and sincere. Millennials and Generation Z place greater emphasis on the world around them [so] now more than ever it is imperative to truly give back to society.”

Mintel also predicted that continued digital innovation will increasingly see technology gather information about consumers’ buying preferences. This includes new technology with the capacity to read a person’s facial expressions and eye movements to determine the products they’re interested in.

Mintel explained that “with so many products on the shelves, time-pressed consumers are in need of a more intuitive shopping experience”.

Vivienne Rudd, director of global innovation and insight, beauty and personal care at Mintel, said:

“Mintel predicts that the beauty and personal care market will experience a fundamental shift during 2018 and it will be through harnessing biotech advantages that a new generation of enhanced natural products is created.”

“Personalisation is set to reach new heights as brands strive to embrace total inclusivity. When it comes to ethics, it will be imperative for brands to have a personality that is genuine and a viewpoint that clearly communicates their positioning.

“Finally, developments in biometric monitoring will see brands drive unprecedented customisation of the shopping experience.”