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2022 - What’s in store (and online!) for Health and Beauty?
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2022 - What’s in store (and online!) for Health and Beauty?

After a turbulent couple of years, what does 2022 hold in store for the health and beauty industry?
2021 has been another rocky road for the health and beauty industry. Further restrictions, and the continued rise of people working from home, have all impacted an already shaken up industry.

In 2021 we predicted a general trend for wellbeing in the industry, taking a look back this certainly seems to have come true, but as the trend for self-care continues, what is in store for health and beauty in 2022?
 

Skincare continues to dominate

2021 saw the rise of self-care, and in particular, a trend in skincare. Searches for skincare increased by an astonishing 151% in 2021 alone.

Much to our dismay, it looks like the pandemic is likely to be hanging around for a while longer. As people continue to work from home and use virtual meeting technologies, the trend in skincare purchases looks set to continue growing in the upcoming year.

Skincare looks likely to once again surpass makeup in sales – 2021 was the first time this had ever occurred. Consumers purchasing habits have altered with the times, with people being more concerned about looking after their skin and their general wellbeing.

Perhaps seeing ourselves on screen has had an impact on self-awareness, and lifestyle restrictions and mask-wearing have meant less people are purchasing cosmetic products in favour of skincare products and in turn accelerated the growth of ecommerce and shopping online.

“The online beauty and personal care market in the UK more than doubled in size between 2015 and 2020 to £1.9bn, and Mintel is predicting only a slight reversal as more high street stores reopen.”
 

Beauty and the Bot

In 2021 we also predicted that personalisation would be a big trend for the health and beauty industry. This is still very much the case for 2022, with the addition of technology.

With more people staying at home than ever before, the demand for easy-to-use online personalisation has increased. Online quizzes, chatbots, and virtual assistants, are a few examples of technology that help to lead consumers to purchase the right products for them in a virtual world.

Nivea are one brand that have embraced this change and have launched an online quiz to help consumers work out which products are best suited to them.
 
After filling in a short series of questions about my skin and personal preferences, the tool provides recommendations based on your skin type and concerns, whilst also recommending products from their range to suit.
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A lot more brands are utilising these technologies to adapt to the times and provide the same level of customer service in a virtual world.
 

Seeing the light - Light Therapy

Technology is not only helping consumers navigate purchases online, but the products themselves that we are purchasing are also more tech-laden than ever before.

LED masks for example, are one product that used to be a salon-only specialism that are now becoming easier to use devices to use in the comfort of your own home.

Speaking of LED masks, light therapy has been a trend in skincare that has developed in recent years, and we predict that it will become more popular in 2022. Celebrities on social media have added to the growing category, with the likes of the Kardashians jumping on the trend.

Light therapy works by emitting certain light waves onto the skin. The light used doesn’t contain UV rays so isn’t harmful to the skin, but it can help with skin concerns such as acne, anti-aging, and inflammation.

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Blue Light

Continuing the theme of technology, devices, and increased screen time - Blue Light is another huge trend for health and beauty in 2022.

What is Blue Light? Blue Light is part of the light spectrum that is emitted from our devices – smartphones, computers, tablets etc.

Although there is a lack of scientific evidence, it is thought that increased exposure to blue light has a negative effect on our health, and in particular on our skin.

With more people working from home and spending more time on devices over the pandemic, many health and beauty brands have jumped on this trend by releasing specific products aimed at helping to minimise the effect of blue light on the skin. Blue light blocking products are particularly popular, similarly to SPF, these products help to block blue light from our skin.
 
The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the shape of the health and beauty industry and how consumers shop for products. As we look towards 2022, the brands that embrace the change and adapt to meet these new user needs will be the ones coming out on top.
 

Posted 23 December 2021 by Imogen Farnan

 

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