In the past decade, some changes have fundamentally changed the beauty industry. The first is that the market just exploded with brands big and small, from indie to masses, from drug stores and department stores to direct-to-consumer, and playful to prestige. There is a huge variety of products for consumers to choose from – and because of this, users are allowed to be more discerning in their choices. People no longer have to settle for what they can find in the nearest store.
Another major change is that beauty fans are so much more educated thanks to the simplicity of social media, the accessibility of top experts, and the instant Google ability to research and study. People are better informed before making decisions about what to wear on and in their bodies. And because of this, consumers have gotten much louder when they want to see ingredients, results, and information to back up any brand claims.
In a recent market report published by Spate, they noted that “Consumers continue to be interested in understanding which ingredients are giving them the results they want. While the search for typical antiaging claims has decreased, the search for ingredients that meet those claims is increasing. ”In fact, searches for common skin care ingredients like hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, retinol and so on have increased 44%, they say fixed.
This shift is most evident in the products we see in the market. Ingredients that were once considered too “scientific” by the average beauty fan are now the order of the day in marketing. Serums that were once called “Clarifying Elixir”, “Silky Serum” and “Cushion Face Creams” are now simply named after the active ingredient that brightens, hydrates, clarifies and so on. Scrubs now highlight what AHA or BHA does – along with the exact percentage of concentration.
More and more brands are telling users exactly what is in their formulas, why it’s there, and what to expect from it. Something that would have been unknown a decade or two ago.
“In the past, a brand could make a vitamin C serum and only put a drop of vitamin C in it because no one held them accountable,” says cosmetics chemist Krupa Koestline. “Now when you’re on social media, consumers ask what kind of vitamin C is it? What percentage is it formulated? What is the preservation system to make sure it stays stable? That never happened before. “
And as we see consumers hungry for transparent and effective products, companies are taking note. One such example is Codex Beauty Lab, a company that renamed itself last year amid the pandemic. And in their rebranding, they moved away from marketing themselves as a natural and clean business – and more about skin health in general.
“We are essentially a biotech company. But when I started we were told it wouldn’t work – we were told that consumers wouldn’t get it and would understand what we were doing, ”says researcher and brand founder Barbara Paldus, Ph.D. “But last year I decided to go back to what we always were – we’re not a beauty company. We don’t care about beauty, because beauty cannot be measured. But you can measure health and skin health – we’ll take care of that. We are proud to be a scientific company. ”
So she decided to reveal everything during her rebranding: her packaging now contains so-called “effectiveness panels” that show exactly how this formula has worked in clinical studies. “The food industry has educated consumers so they can take a look at a nutrition panel and understand what they’re getting out of the food. The consumer is empowered and understands what he’s putting into his body, even if he doesn’t know, ”she says. “And no, the consumer doesn’t have to be an expert on ingredient lists – or know what 40 scientific names are. But they should be informed about product performance and security tests. ”
We see this in the field of beauty supplements too. “As a Ph.D. scientist and RD who specializes in developing nutritional products, I have some annoyance when it comes to beauty supplements. First is fairy dust. This is when products intentionally contain less-than-effective doses of beauty ingredients Ingredients just so they can get some airtime on the product label, “says Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, director of science at mindbodygreen. “When I approach a premium beauty supplement formula, it is about ingredients that are rooted in clinical science and found in effective doses that support a targeted wellness area in a powerful, clean, and plant-centered way.” *
Take in the cellular beauty of mindbodygreen +; It contains four science-based cosmeceutical ingredients: Astaxanthin, Phytoceramide, Ubiquinol CoQ10, and Whole Fruit Pomegranate Extract. * These engineered, high quality ingredients have strong clinical data to show their effectiveness – and this formula uses them in clinically proven doses to add skin elasticity improve, smooth out wrinkles and support the barrier. * For example, Ceramosides® (the special brand in this supplement) have been clinically shown to reduce wrinkles after just 15 days, with even greater benefits after 8 weeks. * Pomegranate Extract It has Clinically shown to improve the skin’s antioxidant responses and sun protection from UV damage after 1 to 4 weeks. * Astaxanthin has been clinically proven to reduce fine lines and age spots after 6 to 16 weeks. * CoQ10 has been clinically proven to improve skin elasticity and suppleness and reduce Wrinkles and fine lines after 12 W. ochen. * These are all pretty impressive dates.
However, as Koestline notes, it is important that brands and formulators consider the potential shortcomings of this trend. For example, there is currently a movement in the market that rewards products with a higher proportion of active ingredients in the formulas – regardless of whether that is better or worse for the consumer. You have likely seen this in serums or treatments that contain a certain percentage of active ingredients like vitamin C, AHAs, or niacinamide. This takes advantage of the fact that consumers often equate a higher potency with an effectiveness of the result, even though smart and responsible product formulation does not work that way.
As Koestline says, these percentages can even border on areas that could injure or sensitize the skin. “While transparency is always a good thing, this trend depends on the consumer knowing how to use these products responsibly,” she says. “Because a higher proportion of active ingredients is not always good for the skin.”
She notes that brands are capitalizing on consumers’ inherent desire for effective, potent products without considering any potential impact or problematic user behavior. “I’ve heard horror stories from people who use strong AHA treatments or vitamin C serums because consumers didn’t know how to use them properly and they overdid it,” she says. “It takes responsibility from the brand and leaves it to the consumer to be informed.”
Ultimately, however, we believe this shift is a good thing: honesty and openness about products, efficacy and research can only be seen as a step in the right direction for consumer purchasing power. People have a right to know what they are putting on their body – and whether it will do what it says it is doing after applying it.
—Alexandra Engler