The cosmetics and personal care industries stand on a precipice of change. In this, the second in a four-part series on long beauty and the shift to optimized living, Cosmetics Design explores curiosity as informed by proprietary research analysis from The Future Laboratory, presented at the annual Cosmetics Executive Women global trends event this month in New York City.
Biotech and beyond-the-lab DNA analysis have made scientifically customized skin care products a reality. That’s good news for data savvy shoppers, eager for quantifiable information about their bodies and lifestyles.
UK-based “GeneU is one personal care company using technology to go beyond consumer expectations,” reported Cosmetics Design last month. That company recommends its skin care serums according to each customer’s unique DNA profile. Genetic testing is done in-store to assess collagen levels and antioxidant protection. The results are used along with a client’s environmental challenges (pollution, sun exposure, etc.) to determine the GeneU serums that are best suited to the client.
With makeup, curious consumers are keen to let their own creativity run wild, unbound from brand loyalty, price bracket, commerce platforms and such. “Beauty consumers are becoming product hackers who combine brands across price ranges to create multi-layered cosmetic cocktails,” The Future Laboratory confirms.
The San Francisco-based color cosmetics startup Ittsé specializes in customizable pallets of complexion products, eye shadows and eventually lip color. Founder Gretchen Chevalier told Cosmetics Design the company aims to meet the needs of beauty consumers who already blend their own products and looks.
Consumer education is the way forward, whether it’s about the latest science and tech on the market or giving consumers the tools and options to hack their beauty routines. Consumers want information and best-in-class solutions to further optimize their lives.
Speaking at the CEW event, Claire Hobson, EVP global business director of The Future Laboratory advised brands to “cater to the growing consumer desire for beauty that offers bespoke solutions at a molecular level” and “develop smart products and portions to optimize mind and body across every demographic.”
In the next instalment of this four-part Age Before Beauty series, Cosmetics Design explores activity and the inspiration it will spark in the optimized lives of personal care consumers and corporations. (Read part one: Longevity.)