Trend Forecast: Beauty and Aesthetic Trends to watch in 2022

 As we know a TREND can be defined as the general direction in which something is developed or changed. In this article, Dr Martina Lavery shares with us the trends forecast for 2022.

Celebrities, skinfluencers and social media popularised many beauty trends in 2021. Many ‘viral’ trends teased followers to self-improve with too good to be true beauty hacks.

2021 was a challenging year with lockdowns and time working from home.

A few of the worse trends from 2021 were Russian lips, overfilled pillow faces, overdone fox-eye brow lift, poorly delivered PDO threads, plasma skin-tightening, BBL skin needling glow, face lifting using gua sha massage tools, teeth filing to even out teeth edges, creating irreparable damage to the enamel and DIY treatments during the pandemic such as at-home professional ingredients and tools impairing skin barriers creating difficult to repair skin damage.

And who would have predicted that the pandemic would still be impacting us, even after vaccination rollout? Let’s believe that lockdowns will soon become a thing of the past and that 2022 will bring new beginnings.

In 2022, it is vital for practitioners, therapists and their teams to recognise new beauty and aesthetic trends as they emerge. Understanding and being aware of these trends will be an asset for clinics in optimising clinical training, improving client satisfaction and continuing to support business growth.

The current value of the global beauty industry is estimated at $532 billion. Like every other industry, it is dynamic, so you need to understand the ongoing trends that will considerably impact the future of aesthetics, beauty and wellness in 2022.

Let’s look at what we can expect:

The Colour Factor

When it comes to colours the top trends that are expected to dominate the beauty and cosmetic arenas are vibrant colours and palettes, with their purpose being to bring joy, positivity and escapism.

Men and Cosmetic Enhancement

There will be a growing popularity of aesthetic procedures sought by men. Men require unique aesthetic intervention as poor understanding and execution of cosmetic enhancement procedures can result in an undesirable feminised male face. The hormonal differences and the pathophysiology of ageing in males versus females are significantly different when treating males.

Inclusive Beauty

Inclusive beauty is here to stay in skincare. It will continue to grow, promoting non-gender, age, colour, or skin type identity, therefore meeting the needs of everyone. Male, gender-neutral and LGBTQ+ friendly cosmetics and skincare for people of colour will be BIG.

Zoom-Boom phenomenon

In 2021, the world shifted towards online video meetings and calls; this has been correlated with increased appearance concerns. People were worried about their looks and sought consultations for cosmetic procedures for facial concerns. This ‘zoom-boom’ phenomenon is expected to continue.

Aesthetic surgery

When it comes to aesthetic surgery, insight into consumers’ mindset towards this trend can easily be identified through a Google Search that identifies a statistically significant increase in search volumes after February 2021 through to January 2022: blepharoplasty, wrinkle relaxers, breast reduction, brow lift, buccal fat removal, hair transplantation, lip augmentation, platysmaplasty (neck lift) and rhinoplasty all indicate a substantial increase in interest as the most popular above-the-shoulder procedures. The trend for “facial rejuvenation” in Australia is now matching the US.

Non-Surgical Procedures

Due to the pandemic, downtime is a non-factor as many will continue to work from home. Less overseas travel and more discretionary spending impact the requests for more non-surgical facial beautification and rejuvenation procedures.

Non-surgical procedures, such as bi-polar radiofrequency, RFAL (radiofrequency assisted liposuction), laser-assisted skin lifting, HIFU to address skin laxity will be the most requested skin tightening procedures.

Injectables

Injectables such as wrinkle relaxers and dermal fillers are not going away anytime soon, although the trend is moving towards a more subtle aesthetic outcome. The ‘focus’ will be the upper face as the requirement to wear masks thus far continues, meaning it will remain as the most viewed part of the face, enhancing expression with some movement, rather than a frozen result, otherwise, communication queues will be lost. It will be necessary for practitioners to be mindful of this unique situation and educate the patient in their requests for a smoother forehead and frown line.

The Face-Brain connection

The ‘face-brain’ emotional interface will continue to be investigated, with studies suggesting the link between reduced symptoms of depression by softening the appearance of the face.

There has been ongoing clinical evidence that aesthetic treatments positively affect patients’ self-esteem, satisfaction and wellness. There are therefore indications that this field will be investigated and further developed as concerns with the deterioration of mental health during the pandemic have been indicated to continue.

Prioritising Mental Wellbeing

Most consumers, as well as practitioners, plan to make wellness a bigger priority in their lives. Mental wellness is now considered an urgent priority. The pandemic has negatively affected mental health and wellbeing. Recently, Mindbody conducted one of the industry’s most extensive studies on wellness industry trends – the Mindbody 2022 Wellness Index. The results indicated that the increased focus on immune health will continue, as will beauty from the inside out.

Supplementation to support skin health

Supplements that primarily promote cell vitality, skin elasticity, brighten skin, and collagen production will grow in demand. Evidence of the effectiveness of specific oral supplements will increase and will continue to be part of your routine in addition to topical product use.

Probiotics maintain their optimal balance by adding bacteria, microbiome-friendly skincare is being introduced and shaping the skincare industry in 2022.

The Growth of the Skincare Industry

Consumers are turning to topical products that are hygienic and effective in a time of uncertainty, while also looking for high potency skin treatment options they can use at home. As many are moving to work from home, they no longer feel it necessary to wear makeup every day and are investing more in a high-quality skincare routine. By 2026 Asia and Oceania will become the biggest consumers of skincare products, and the online skincare industry will grow.

Facial Focus

After a year of pandemic lockdown and restrictions, it’s time to achieve luminous skin that looks glowing from within; the skin-glow look signifies health and wellbeing. Trends in skincare that protect the skin barrier and restore the balance of the skin’s microbiome are essential, as the stress of living in the pandemic is continuing to sensitise the skin.

Sustainability

Consumers’ skincare priorities will continue to focus on sustainable choices, inspiring beauty brands to offer biodegradable packaging including “certified compostable” products—materials such as paper, sugar cane, seaweed food waste by-products that break down into harmless particles. Some people are already trying to minimise their impact on the environment’s massive evolution in reducing the carbon footprint. Skin minimalism is here to stay, with a growing range of multi-tasking products available.

Minimise the impact on the surrounding environment. Avoid harsh chemicals and introduce naturally occurring ingredients into their daily skincare routine. Transparency and cruelty-free products are predicted to be on the rise. People are keen to know what they are putting on their skin and be informed about their products builds trust and this trend will only continue to grow.

 Innovative ingredients to minimise blue light’s adverse impact on our skin are among the most anticipated and most significant trends that we will see in the future. Personalisation, online quizzes, or describing what you are struggling with is bound will stay and improve.

Novel Home-use Devices

Advances in beauty device technology tools that previously you would only find in a professional environment allow patients to experience treatments from their own homes, but caution must be exercised. Facial exercises are the new burpees: Millennials lead this trend, and facial exercises tone their face muscles, like face yoga. 

In-Clinic

 In-clinic, the importance of infection control for our teams and patient safety is expected to continue, even when the pandemic is over. Leading and educating with strength, optimism, and compassion will allow teams to grow, despite the uncertain circumstances we find ourselves in. Building brand presence online, e-commerce platforms supported by social media clinic presence is a must for success in 2022.