Sign of the times: Customized cosmetics, skin care lead 2022 trends

“By applying the lens of changing needs, we see a move toward protection and status identity through cosmetics,” Kantar said in its report. 

On the other hand, Mintel’s Beauty and Personal Care Trends report mentions how beauty has begun to play a vital role in how a person looks as well as how they feel, which allows for a massive increase in freedom of expression when it comes to cosmetics. 

Sixty percent of those surveyed in the United States admitted to caring about using brands and products that align with their values. Aligning with values also means that brands have had to find a way to make their products inclusive and customizable to each individual. 

“In beauty, today’s communication and expression are heading toward authenticity without perfection, to layer onto connection, openness and engagement,” Mintel noted. 

Customizable beauty may sound like a task almost impossible to accomplish, but meeting those needs may include finding new ways to reduce packaging, as sustainability has become a huge trend in the space for the last few years. 

Sustainability has been a major push for such brands as Biossance, Caudalie and Youth to The People, among others, which have pledged that their product packaging will be more plant-friendly by 2025. 

“Circularity for the beauty industry requires more than the existing quantification of goals and metrics; more importantly, it is an invitation for a fundamental shift in business normality and for brands to reimagine their relationships with their suppliers, consumers and even with one another as organizations,” Mintel stated in its report. 

[Read more: Using data to monitor trends, consumer behavior and inventory]

Brands are looking toward consumers to help guide them in the next direction, and thanks to social media, maintaining an almost personal and constant contact with the average shopper is now easier than ever. 

“The differentiating point for brands moving forward lies in putting emotions and brand community high on the agenda, no longer treating diversity as a marketing ploy but instead recognizing the need for diverse teams and perspectives from consumers to design products aimed at a diverse audience right from the start,” Mintel notes. 

Diversity also has been a huge push for leading beauty retailers who have pledged to put more BIPOC brands on their shelves and even launched beauty accelerator programs to help accomplish this goal. 

No matter how you look at it, in 2022 just as trends changed from slicked back hair and minimal makeup to siren and doe eye-inspired looks, brands needed to find a way to keep up but continue innovating a space they have inhabited for quite some time.