‘Joyology’ set to define future beauty trends until 2027: Beautystreams

The last two years had quite clearly shifted many aspects of life​, as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis flipped priorities, shifted sentiment and accelerated a number of consumer trends. One consumer expert said back in 2020 that the crisis would shape the market for the next decade​, given it was such a black swan event.

So, what did all this change mean for beauty? And what sort of opportunities and trends would the market see in the coming years?

Market insights specialist Beautystreams shared its ‘future view’ predictions for 2022-2027 at last month’s Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna trade show in Italy, defining what it believed would be the key themes for industry moving forward.

Creating ‘good vibes’ together​

Addressing attendees at a dedicated Cosmotalks conference session, Michael Nolte, SVP creative director at Beautystreams, said the “main over-arching theme”​ of the future view forecast was ‘joyology’. Defining the concept, Nolte said joyology was about industry creating “good vibes together”​.

“It’s a forecast, but it is also wishful thinking. We think it’s important to look at this as an opportunity. So, let’s shake ourselves to bring some joy to the consumers, through our products,”​ he said.

Joyology, he said, was about showing consumers that beauty was not “just superficial”,​ but rather a category that touched them “deeply”​ and made them feel “human”.​

And under this umbrella theme, Nolte said Beautystreams had carved out five themes set to rise in importance over the next five years: age of ethics; metaverse living; gender freedom; intersectional individuals; and holistic health.

Entering the ethical and holistic beauty age​

Nolte said the ‘age of ethics’ theme centred on the “growing sustainable and philanthropic values”​ consumers were looking for, and that beauty brands were also pushing for.

Key concepts within this theme were: people, planet, profit equation; gender and ethnic equity; and systemic regeneration.

The ‘holistic health’ theme, Nolte said, was about “nurturing mind and body”. ​The focus here was on making inner peace and health part of the universe of beauty ideals, he said.

Key concepts within this theme were: science meets ancestral rituals; healthy ageing; and psychological self-care.

Designing for the complex and fluid consumer generation ​

On the theme of ‘gender freedom’, Nolte said this was set to “scale up”​ significantly in the coming years. The movement, he said, was about “breaking free from binary definitions”.​

Key concepts within this theme were: letting go of stereotypes; no more gender-labelling; and pride in who you are.

The next ‘intersectional individuals’ theme, he said, centred around “multi-layered consumers”. ​The topic was about the blur of physical, cultural and spiritual aspects of a consumer, he said.

Key concepts within this theme were: next-level inclusivity; diversity of needs; and hyper-personalisation.

A digital dive into the metaverse future​

The ‘metaverse living’ theme, he said, was about the “endless opportunities of expansion”.​

“…When you have a new territory or technology that emerges, you can do anything. So, it’s very important to think about how to use this new tool that is still in building and definition,” ​he said.

Key concepts within this theme were: digital mirrors real; the need to switch off; and new forms of togetherness.

CosmeticsDesign-Europe hosted a separate Cosmotalks panel discussing the future of the metaverse with a panel of global experts. Stay tuned for coverage on what was discussed.