Whether you’re pro- or anti-, it’s a fact of life: aging happens. However, today’s attitudes toward the natural aging process are different from those of the past, with more consumers leaning toward both prevention and acceptance on one’s own terms.
Well-aging Market
“The main trend is that we are not talking about ‘anti-aging’ anymore, but ‘well aging,’ with the idea being to feel in harmony with the signs of aging and to improve overall well-being,” says Olga Gracioso, global marketing director, Sederma.
Indeed, the well-aging/anti-aging market is set to explode this decade as all boomers (those born 1946-1964) will have entered their sixties within the next few years. In fact, P&S Intelligence reported recently that the global market size for anti-aging is expected to skyrocket from $194.4 billion in 2020 to $422.8 billion by 2030.
Key factors propelling this growth aren’t just limited to the aging population—it’s also driven by a new post-pandemic mindset, a focus on sustainably sourced ingredients and younger consumers seeking preventive measures, rather than correctives.
So what’s trending now? Spate recently unveiled age-related beauty search terms for the 12 months ending June 2021 and found that the top-growing topics by U.S. search volume were:
• 62.7%: wrinkle patches
• 52.5%: Botox for wrinkles
• 46.3%: glabellar lines
• 49.4%: SPF
9 Well-Aging skin & Hair Trending
Increased Hair Falling & Graying
"There is no doubt that COVID-19 has been a very stressful time for us," says Andrew Miller, marketing manager—hair, body and oral care, North America, BASF Care Creations. "With this increased anxiety, there have been reports of increased signs of stress-induced aging leading to increased hair fall and graying".
2. Targeting Women’s Hormones
"In well-aging particularly, there is an open conversation around the impact that hormones have in our skin, mainly for women, and many new brands target menopause and its consequences on the skin condition, with a clear communication," says Anna Balaguer, global beauty trends manager, Provital. "It is the moment to embrace our natural rhythms and to defend ourselves against the negative affect of external aggressors."
3. Scalp Health
In terms of hair care, scalp care is a fast rising area, as the consumer understands easily that scalp is a continuation of skin and that a healthy scalp means a healthy hair. Following the same trends as skin care: safety, green beauty baked with science, balance … all treatments that help to increase hair volume that is reduced as we age are of interest, from reinforcing the hair shaft to ‘rebonding’ options. Also, as many people have embraced their gray hair during the lockdown it is the moment to relaunch lines targeting them."
4. Positive Aging Mindset
After all, one way or another, consumers will see wrinkles and other signs of aging appear on their body and face. But they don’t want to be tagged by a negative vision of aging, they now prefer a positive way to see it, the wellaging trend. Well-aging is the trend that will make consumers stop having a bad emotion as soon as a white hair or wrinkles appear. They still want to treat them, but they are not anymore afraid of having them. What is the consumer’s leitmotif? How to be the best version of myself, simply by taking care of [my] hair and skin in a sustainable and holistic approach.
5. Cosmeceutical Products At Home
Douglas Jones, global sales and marketing manager, BioCell Technology, says, "The biggest trend that we have seen is the explosion of ‘beauty from within’ products. With [the] ongoing pandemic, consumers are seeking ‘beauty from within’ or cosmeceutical products to use at home. We have seen an acceleration of products that are using BioCell Collagen as a primary ingredient in the last 16 months. With consumers working from home and on camera constantly, consumers are looking for products that use ingredients that can minimize facial fine lines and wrinkles, as well as improving overall skin appearance."
He adds, "Reinforcing the skin barrier, creating a ‘second skin’ with protective formulations, the skin as a shield against all these negative aging accelerators is also very trendy. The fight against not only UV radiation, pollution and blue light, but now also the lack of vitamin D because of the lockdowns. It is still time now that the brands have properly educated the consumers about the microbiome, to include prebiotics and probiotics in the youth equation, as it has been proven that the composition of our microbiome evolves as we age."
6. Nutricosmetics
I also see a greater connection between beauty from within and cosmetic formulations. The connection between nutrition and beauty is only increasing, and nutricosmetics is a category only getting stronger.
7. Sustainability
"Today, anti-aging is a sector of the cosmetics industry that applies for both women and men, for all ages, asking the consumers to care for their skin from the physiological and environmental exposures that affect the skin condition over time," says Lee Reuveni, CEO, Jojoba Desert. "The main trends leading these sectors and continuing to show constant growth are sustainability, social and environmental activeness and clean cosmetics. Other concepts that became trendy through anti-aging products for skin and hair care have arisen during the COVID period, and provide a holistic approach promoting healthy living, better skin appearance, and personal care, increasing the demand of the consumers for products that provide profound nourishment, relief of irritated skin as well as hygiene protection products."
8. Lifestyle Choices
Anne Clay, marketing and business development manager, biofunctionals and naturals, Ashland, says, "Even before the pandemic, the definition of ‘beauty’ was becoming more global and intertwined with individuals’ sense of well-being. With the COVID-19 crisis, health and wellness became a critical requirement for beauty consumers all around the world. Many consumers have shown interest in products that focus on microbiome health or in products with antibacterial claims, alleviating skin issues linked to lifestyle choices. Beauty consumers also looked for products that contain cannabinoids to relax and soothe the skin, or products to defend against urban pollution or protect against blue light for a healthier aging. COVID-19 exacerbated sleeping difficulties, a hallmark of stress leading to a variety of negative impacts on skin appearance and overall well-being. Some consumers started evening wellness rituals to reduce anxiety by combining skin care with relaxing apps and aromatherapy scents."
Clay adds, "One of Ashland’s latest innovations, Nightessence biofunctional, is focusing on evening wellness rituals with a lavender flower extract obtained using the patented PSR technology to extract the plant small RNAs. Nightessence biofunctional was shown to increase skin nocturnal processes for a renewed skin with less signs of skin fatigue in the morning. An eco-conscious sourcing in Provence allows to reduce transportation-related carbon footprint and provides full traceability and transparency over the supply chain. Nightessence biofunctional can be formulated in natural, clean and vegan beauty products for night care treatments and rituals."
Stay tuned for the next charpters about Well-Aging.
#WellAgingProducts #SkincareRevolution #HairCareRevolution #WellAgingSkincare WelAgingHaircare
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