These 5 micro wellness trends, says Schroeder, are influencing beauty: Holistic Health, Korean Beauty, Flat Aging, Natural/Organic 2.0, and Men’s Grooming.
Together, they illustrate smart ways to meet consumer demand for healthy beauty products.
Recreating the salt bath
Consumers taking a 360-degree approach to beauty appreciate the Holistic Health trend. Schroeder points to Epsom salts as a simple, effective beauty items that’s easily brought up-to-date for today’s wellness consumer. “Epsom salts is made up of naturally occurring mineral magnesium and sulfate, which can help improve health in numerous ways,” she explains.
Identifying products that have growth potential and can be finessed to suit the market is a good way for brands to shift into wellness. “According to Mintel, the incidence of use for Epsom salt remains modest at 11%- but with significant growth potential with the growing holistic health movement,” says Schroeder.
And she notes the market isn’t one-sided, “Epsom salts appeal to both men and women, as it is seen as a unisex product. With that said, females, 18-54, are still the key purchasers of the product.”
It’s with data like this that Schroeder can confidently say, “From a store brand perspective, [a product like Epsom salt presents] a significant opportunity for a total category solution.”
More micro-trends
It’s not only the Holistic Health trend that can cross pollinate with wellness. Schroeder tells Cosmetics Design that Korean-style beauty masks make sense in the wellness space too.
And, consumers over 50 are buying personal care and cosmetics with long-term wellness in mind. She notes that “Boomers have cash to spend and an appetite for skincare, haircare and cosmetics” and that “in the US beauty market, 45+ female consumers represent 41% of the market.”
The natural beauty market is also growing significantly thanks to shoppers’ interest in wellness. Additionally, men’s grooming is converging with wellness. These consumers are looking for effective, often natural personal care products designed for their particular needs.
Wellness from every angle
Wellness has resonated with a fraction of consumers for some time, a fact evidenced by the recent 20-year anniversary of natural product line California Baby. “I’ve been in this business since before natural products were a ‘trend’,” Jessica Iclisoy told the press recently. She’s now looking ahead at a category that is indeed growing in popularity.
A study from Daymon earlier this year suggested that targeting consumers with products formulated “without” particular ingredients would be a smart approach. “Consumers are most concerned about ingredients that might cause cancer, such as pesticides, fertilizers and unnecessary additives and preservatives,” said Janet Oak, head of global advisory & custom shopper insights at Daymon, when the survey was released.
And quite recently, ingredient maker Dow Chemical launched a portfolio of ingredients meant to help brands formulate personal care and cosmetics that can double as OTC healthcare items. It’s a collection of 19 ingredients “designed to help customers drive innovations in topical over-the-counter and medical device products that treat…skin conditions,” explains the company.