New trends for a new age of beauty
With the integration of beauty and wellness, we are seeing the dawn of a new age of beauty — one that aims to get the most out of a healthy mind and brain. We dig deep into how this fascinating new movement is evolving.
In November last year at Asia’s premier cosmetics convention Cosmoprof Asia in Hong Kong, Teresa Yee, Senior Beauty Editor of beauty and fashion trend forecasting company WGSN, spoke about “the new age of beauty and wellness”.
At her talk, Yee pointed out that while it’s important for brands and retailers to always watch for the next wave of consumer needs in order to create products and services that pique their interest, the cycle of consumer trends is increasingly becoming shorter. She stated that the ability to “predict” — to understand the thinking of the current market and contemporary consumers and judge how that thinking will affect the future — is increasingly important. This is especially relevant to the wellness industry, which is growing at a speed even faster than the global economy itself.
The rise of wellness destinations
“When we talk about wellness today, it’s not just a trend anymore; it’s a way of life”, said Yee. Wellness is relevant wherever people spend their time — at home, in the office, travel destinations, places they shop. Yee explained that across the world we’re seeing the rise of the “wellness destination” — a one-stop place that brings together aspects such as healthy eating, fitness, and beauty.
In New York, there is Clean Market, a kind of spa where you can use infrared saunas, whole-body cryotherapy, a vitamin IV drip lounge, functional food and tonic bar, and a supplement market. Across the pond in London, Glow Bar features a superfood café, a natural cosmetics shop and an infrared pod, while Anatome comes replete with a health food bar and restaurant as well as yoga and gym facilities.
Diversity issues
When it comes to diversity, the beauty industry is already seeing some progress. Foundation colors now come in a wide range of more than 40 different shades to match people’s actual skin tones. Brands are putting transgender models in their advertisements.
Yet, the wellness industry still has a way to go. Google the words “yoga” or “meditation”, and you’re most likely to be met with pictures of white women in the appropriate poses. Whitewashing is an issue the industry is still yet to deal with properly.
However, there are signs of change. Influencers of other races are starting to gain prominence in many corners of the world. And elsewhere, the long-taboo field of sexual wellness is being brought into the open as consumers demand franker and more honest conversations.
Taking care of your brain
Yee also predicted that taking better care of your brain will be the next trend to improve your health. “There are currently over 300 million people worldwide who have been diagnosed with depression, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is predicting that by 2030 depression will occupy the greatest share in the global burden of disease, overtaking obesity.” Having a healthy mind is set to become an increasingly important factor in our lives.
The idea of going beyond simple relaxation to protect the health of our brains and improve brain function is spreading. As Yee emphasised, “calming down the mind using technology such as AI (artificial intelligence) will become of increasing importance to people”.
One example of how technology can gauge what goes on in people’s minds is the message app Truthify. It uses AI to analyse the movement of 43 kinds of facial muscles while you’re looking at videos or messages in order to identify what you’re really feeling.
Then, there are brain supplements, which are said to prompt the brain to raise levels of concentration, reduce sleepiness or relieve stress. Anticipation runs high that they’ll lead to huge business opportunities from here on.
Yee said: “Figuring out how to get the most out of your brain is set to become mainstream. Already one step ahead is enlightenment engineering, that is, technology for guiding your own awareness. Basically, we’re going to see a new field where enlightenment and deep realization becomes available to people with the help of technology. And this market is likely going to grow to an enormous scale in the future.”
It all comes back to the human body
Yee’s 30-minute talk at Cosmoprof Asia also explored up-and-coming trends. These include why mushrooms and cannabis are the beauty ingredients we ought to pay attention to, the movement to renounce antibiotics for ethnobotany, how hyperbaric oxygen therapy demonstrates the importance of air, predicting the future through DNA testing, and tailoring beauty and health treatments to hormonal activity.
At the end of her talk, Yee said that “in the past 10 years, computers have been the platform for innovation; however, in the next 10 years, that platform will become the human body”. She remarked that we are now returning to our origins — our own bodies — with the remarkable developments of science and medicine.
Through her talk, it was as if Yee was heralding a new era of wellness, one in which both the mind and body receive equal attention and care. In years to come, it will no doubt be fascinating to see how the wellness field intertwines and mutually augments together with the beauty industry.
Text: Denyse Yeo
Original text (Japanese): Miyako Kai
