© Bikramjit Bose
Beauty
The forecast champions tried-and-true saviours that will continue to assume centre stage in the coming months
The sun may have dawned on a new decade in 2021, but few things remain unchanged—including our quest for healthier hair and skin. Among other souvenirs of the pandemic-induced lockdown, we are now walking into the new year with a greater focus on holistic hair and skincare. Those wondering which ingredients to place their bets on will want to take their cues from a cosmetic chemist and founder of BeautyStat.com, Ron Robinson. Having previously developed products for Clinique, Estée Lauder, and Lancôme among others, his job description involves discovering the next big thing in beauty aisles. If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, here are the superstar ingredients that he wants you to bookmark for the coming months.
Hailing from the heartland, amla or Indian gooseberry has made the transition to the international circuit with names like Drybar and IGK championing the elixir in their haircare lineup. “Amla oil is gaining popularity because of consumers looking to ingredients from traditional medicine that work to soothe the scalp while also conditioning and strengthening the hair,” believes Robinson.
2021 could also be the year that your grandma’s favourite haircare recipe becomes a mainstay in haircare aisles around the world. “Moringa oil is becoming a quick favourite as consumers are now rediscovering ingredients with a long history of providing benefits. The oil derived from moringa primarily works on moisturising the scalp and strengthening as well as conditioning tresses,” he adds.
While squalene is naturally found in the sebaceous glands of the skin, its production is said to slow down after the age of thirty. If you’d like to keep your skin moisturised for longer, you’ll want to stock up on its post-hydrogenation counterpart: squalane, which is sent through a saturation process to serve as a stable ingredient in colour cosmetics. He says, “Squalane is a natural organic compound found naturally in our body as a lipid produced by our sebaceous glands. It, therefore, works as a great emollient that helps repair the skin barrier.”
While the virtues of aloe in skincare are nothing new, 2021 will be the year that it becomes a mainstay in your cosmetics kit too, as the worlds of skincare and makeup continue to increasingly divulge. Robinson recommends keeping an eye out for makeup products featuring aloe for its skin-soothing and hydrating properties, especially for those with sensitive skin.
There’s a reason why Vitamin C is always used in conjunction with a wide array of complexion concerns, from uneven skin tone to skin dullness, and interest in the sunshine vitamin will continue to peak in 2021, believes Robinson. He says, “Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can increase collagen, thereby leading to a visible reduction in lines and wrinkles. It also helps inhibit the overproduction of melanin, paving the way for a more even skin tone.”
The ingredient spotlight will also be shared by another skin-healing vitamin: niacinamide, the good guy keeping redness and inflammation at bay for sensitive skin that’s wary of overzealous products. “Niacinamide is a water-soluble B-vitamin that works to help reduce lines and wrinkles as well as improve skin texture and tone. It also works on soothing and comforting irritated skin due to its anti-inflammatory benefits,” explains the New York-based cosmetic chemist.
“While hyaluronic acid is an ingredient naturally found in the skin, when applied topically, it acts as a humectant and draws water from the surroundings to keep the skin hydrated for longer stretches of time,” he says. By binding water to the skin, hyaluronic acid serves as the quickest route to plump, dewy skin and will continue to serve as an omnipresent addition in moisturisers, as well as sheet masks and serums in the new year.
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