There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way most business operate — and the beauty industry is no different. With stores closed, shoppers have had fewer opportunities to discover new products. Makeup, in particular, tends to be a hands-on product, with consumers preferring to try it and examine it before purchase.
Still, the industry has risen to the occasion, finding technology solutions to meet consumers online and in their homes. From beauty subscription services to free sample opportunities, beauty brands have been navigating new terrain, perhaps shifting the trajectory of the industry for good. Here are some of the most significant trends we saw emerge over the past year.
Personalization
As with many aspects of the fashion industry, beauty is becoming more individualized. From quiz-based subscription services to artificial intelligence-powered tools, consumers have more access to personalized products and programs.
Personalization has reached just about every corner of beauty, from customizable hair care company Prose to skincare brand Curology to makeup brand Glossier’s (rather arbitrary) quizzes. For companies, the customizable product via quiz model can also provide key insights and personal data about consumers, which can be used for targeted advertising.
Part of the personalization movement has also tracked with a larger trend of racial inclusivity within the industry. For example, Pinterest developed a skin tone range tool to help users find beauty pins that matched their specific skin tone. Brands like Il Makiage and Lancôme have foundation shade quizzes or build-your-own options.
Skincare
Since wearing a mask became part of the norm in 2020, many consumers shifted their beauty priorities away from makeup and onto skincare. According to the Perfect Corp. 2020 Beauty Trend Report, there was an 11% increase in engagement with Youcam’s Skin Score feature, and in the U.S., the company saw the highest engagement during March, April, May and June — the months of strictest pandemic stay-at-home orders. Many consumers were worried about “maskne,” a portmanteau of “mask” and “acne” that refers to breakouts caused by a face mask.
Skincare also became a popular way to practice self-care while many consumers spent a majority of their time in their homes. Products such as face masks (the beauty kind), cleansers, wrinkle-reducing products and moisturizers were popular across social media, helping the skincare segment account for 45% of total cosmetic product sales (according to the NPD Group).
A focus on skincare also fits with a slight disinterest among women in makeup during the pandemic. Makeup declined as a category, specifically among white women over 35, in 2020, according to the NPD Group’s 2020 Makeup Consumer Report. However, eight in ten women reported that they plan to wear makeup again once their routines resemble a pre-pandemic normal.
Technology
In the absence of in-person retail, the beauty industry has made strides in the realm of technology. According to the NPD Group, 50% of women searched for products online rather than browsing in a store. The trend is more pronounced when you look by age group; Khoros reported that 40% of millennials reported using Instagram, specifically, to find beauty trends and products, and 62% of Generation Zers researched beauty online (according to digital marketing firm Stella Rising).
According to the NPD Group, Gen Z is the age group using the most makeup overall, with 74% of 18 to 23-year-olds reporting makeup use in 2020. This matches up with overall social media usage as well as engagement with social media influencers, which are highest for Gen Z when compared to older generations.
With the rise of skincare, there has also been increased interest in virtual skincare diagnostics, Perfect Corp. reported. For Marianna Naturals, website traffic grew 300%, and sales grew 30%, after it implemented an artificial intelligence (AI) skin diagnostic tool on its site. These tools also help drive the personalization trend, since consumers feel that they are getting individualized information.
“They see the results as being highly personalized because it isn’t just someone behind a counter suggesting a product,” said Heather Marianna, director and co-founder of Marianna Naturals and founder of Beauty Kitchen. “They see the recommendations as being precisely based upon this digital analysis of their own skin.”
