Impact of COVID-19 on Cosmetic Industry Trends 2020

Global Cosmetic Market –

Global Cosmetic Market is valued at USD 363.60 Billion in 2018 and expected to reach USD 491.18 Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 4.39% over the forecast period.

Cosmetics (makeup or beauty products) are mixture of chemical generally used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Sun care, skin care, hair care, deodorants, makeup and color cosmetics, and fragrances are some of the cosmetics products that are predominantly available and used by individuals. 

Rising trend of natural ingredients in cosmetic products is observed among various manufacturers. This demands for herbal cosmetics is prompting the leading manufacturers to launch new herbal cosmetic products.

Cosmetic Industry Trends 2020 –

Cosmetic industry trends have gradually evolved over the past year, with existing movements transforming with changing consumer demands while new developments appear with the arrival of new technology. Customer expectations continue to drive the market of environmentally and health conscious products, while added pressures of transparency, simplicity and production lifecycles are generating a new impact on the cosmetic and personal care product sector.

Process and Ingredient Transparency –

Consumers and regulatory agencies alike have increasingly demanded more visibility into cosmetic manufacturing processes, and these demands are not mutually exclusive. Process manufacturing regulations were originally introduced to address specific cases of past negligence, but as cosmetic and personal care product customer becoming the driving force ingredient transparency, established best practice guidelines will mirror market demands. This will force cosmetic producers to prove compliance with expectations by delivering detailed raw material and batch processing information.

Smart cosmetic devices are getting smarter –

The increasing prevalence and treatment of skin disorders, greater awareness of the effects of hormonal imbalance on skin and the explosion of skincare within the broader beauty sector are some factors driving the smart cosmetic devices. But it’s not just standalone apps and devices -brands are building connected beauty systems to personalize skincare treatments, gather behavioral data on shoppers, and encourage loyalty within brand-powered skincare ecosystem. Big beauty corporates have been keen to showcase their tech savvy in the consumer devices category. In recent year, L’Oreal has developed wearable sensors to track sun damage and skin pH levels. L’Oreal-owned Clarisonic is also trying to position itself as a high-tech, science-driven brand.

Big cosmetic incubates its own disruptors, ramps up tech acquisitions –

Privately owned beauty brands are experiencing growth faster than the total US beauty industry, with new indie brands popping up left and right. But big cosmetic companies aren’t letting their market share slip so easily. In recent years, there’s been a notable increase in both incubation and M&A activity from beauty corporates. After seeing the success of independent players — such as vertically integrated incubator Seed Beauty, which is behind ColourPop, Kylie Cosmetics, and more — big beauty corporates have followed suit with their own incubation initiatives. Revlon’s Flesh, L’Oreal’s Seed Phytonutrients, and Unilever’s Skinsei are just a few examples of internally incubated brands.

There has also been a rise in corporate accelerators and funds, to support efforts to find the next and best in beauty.

On the M&A side, 2019 has seen some very high-profile brand acquisitions, especially within the premium skincare space.

In October, Shiseido purchased cult “clean clinical” skincare brand Drunk Elephant in a much-anticipated sale worth USD 845M. Earlier this year, Unilever acquired J-beauty brand Tatcha while L’Occitane bought skincare brand Elemis for USD 900M. And Colgate-Palmolive, which has upped its M&A activity in recent years, purchased anti-aging skincare brand Filorga in a whopping USD 1.69B acquisition in July. So, this is an emerging trend in cosmetic industry.

Environmental Impact –

A key constituent of the greater importance on transparency is a growing concern over the influence of cosmetic product manufacturing and distribution on the environment. Customer expectations of less-harmful production processes are slowly merging into an established trend of maintaining eco-friendly manufacturing practices in cosmetics. This extends not only to reducing or even repurposing waste and by products, but also ensuring that natural resources are not damaged during raw material processing.

Health Consciousness –

The other side of the cosmetics manufacturing visibility demand is the escalation of the health-conscious movement within the beauty product market. Just as in other process manufacturing areas, the cosmetic and personal care market has been flooded by merchandise towards consumer promoting an improved lifestyle. This includes making selective procurements on beauty care products based on the raw ingredients used, whether dodging potentially unsafe components or looking for those with more natural materials.

Independent Brands –

The shift in market trends has shaped an opportunity for independent cosmetics productions to apply creative solutions to the emerging customer demands. Many consumers are showing a preference for smaller brands over larger ones, especially those that prove environmentally friendly and/or health-conscious practices as well as bring unique offers not sold by larger companies. Moreover, these “indie” players have been able to deliver faster product to market lifecycles.

Market Share –

The growth of independent players will strength larger cosmetic brands to address the new rivalry, including by either partnering with or acquiring the entrepreneurs gaining market share through novel unique personal care products. Whether through partnership or acquisition, the connection of the bigger entities within the beauty industry with emerging independent players will open new channels for the former.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) –

Out of all the digital tools seeming in the cosmetics industry, artificial intelligence has the most potential to generate a sector-wide change. As customer data and outlining becoming more important, rivalry will increase over the ability to utilize this information the fastest. AI empowers businesses to capture and review data at speeds not humanly possible.

Simple and Clean –

“Simple and clean” is a program within the food and beverage sector that is finding its parallel in an emerging cosmetics industry trend. Consumers are progressively leaning towards products with material composition and components perceived as simpler, i.e. comprising less ingredients or at least less of those could be perceived as dangerous to humans or the environment, such as certain chemicals. This further adds to the demand for transparency, as cosmetic and personal care product clients expect to be able to have complete understanding of what they are using.

Bioengineered ingredients –

Fear over chemicals and what they do to the skin, body and the environment has fuelled one of beauty’s biggest influences over the past two decades – the natural movement. As consumers switched to ‘green’ or organic alternatives, natural and engineered were at opposite poles.

But the boundaries are now blurring due to two reasons: consumers are realising that natural does not necessarily mean better or more environmentally friendly, and new materials are emerging that overlap the line between natural and engineered. The rise in beauty consumers looking for products, services and brands that can deliver targeted information about their individual skin condition and health illustrates this, and the developments in this area are plentiful.

Examples include L’Oreal x uBiome’s microbiome sampling kit, My Skin Track pH by La Roche-Posay, Neutrogena Skin360, Olay Skin Advisor, Atolla and Optune.

Global Cosmetic Threads Market –

Global Cosmetic Threads Market is valued at USD 90.57 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 151.06 Million by 2025 with the CAGR of 7.61% over the forecast period.

Cosmetic threads are basically medical sutures which are widely used in cosmetic surgeries. Cosmetic threads are inserted inside the skin with the help of needles in order to lift and revitalize the skin. Nowadays, cosmetic thread-based cosmetic surgeries are very popular among the population aged between 30-55 years.

Increase in the demand for cosmetic surgery due to the rising fashion industry plays a vital role in deriving the growth of cosmetic thread market.

Cosmetic Industry Trends  –

Thread lifts’ are the latest face-lift trend in cosmetic -

The new-and-improved thread lift is FDA-cleared and non-invasive, with little-to-no downtime. That’s why it’s becoming an increasingly popular way to tighten and re-suspend moderately saggy cheeks, jowls, brows and neck.

The new sutures are composed of polydioxanone (PDO), which has been used safely in cardiovascular surgery for years; don’t require fixing; and are fully absorbed by the skin in six months without creating scar tissue. This procedure is also gaining traction over surgical procedures due to the increasing demand for non-surgical procedures around the world. For instance, as per the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2018 report, there were more than 10 million minimally invasive injectable aesthetic procedures completed worldwide in 2018, which was observed to have increased from 8.5 million in 2017. This trend is expected to rise in the future as well, which will help the growth of the thread face-lift market.