The ‘skincare you wear’ trend, which centers on products such as bed linen and clothing that claim to offer the consumer skin benefits, was flagged up by independent market analyst Datamonitor as a trend on the rise in its ‘Ten Trends To Watch in Packaged Goods in 2010’ report.
The beauty-from-within category, where food and drink are claimed to have skin-enhancing properties, has encouraged consumers and manufacturers to conceptualize new boundaries for skincare.
“Growth in the beauty from within market is paving the way for stretching the boundaries of delivery systems for skin enhancing products to consumables and beyond,” Tom Vierhile, director of product launch analytics at Datamonitor told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
Combination of key trends point to sector growth
Vierhile explained that although the ‘skincare you wear’ trend is still very early in its gestation cycle, and there are not large numbers of products at this point, several trends are coming together which could point to a surge in activity in this area.
Alongside growth in the beauty from within sector and advances in ingredient delivery systems, he identified the growth in linen freshening products and a rise in sales of UV blocking clothing as other key factors.
Vierhile suggested that the growth in the number of linen freshening products could foreshadow ”the development of scent and skin enhancing products for bedding.”
“Clearly, this is a trend on the upswing and companies are talking about incorporating more benefits into these products,” he added.
Skin-enhancing bedding
In the US, bedding company London Luxury’s SkinGlow Cupron Copper Technology duvet and pillow protectors that were launched in May last year contain copper ions that are woven into the fabric and activated by moisture released from the body during sleep.
The technology is designed to “beautify skin's appearance, making it look smoother and younger while nourishing stressed and aging skin," according to the company.
Continuing the trend for fabrics that boast skin benefits, Japanese company Mishin Rubber Shokai has developed Silicone Este Hand Au+, a silicone rubber glove impregnated with gold dust which, according to Mishin, is designed to improve the skin condition of hands.
The company claims that the combined effect of the silicone and gold improves circulation to the hands and increases the effectiveness of the moisturizing agents of the lotion that is applied to the hands prior to wearing the gloves.
Above-and-beyond UV blocking clothing
In relation to the growth in the sales of UV blocking clothing, Vierhile said that according to Microtrends, the sector was worth over $180m (€124.2m) in 2008 whereas it barely existed back in 2000.
He noted that the recent product innovation SunSoul, a collection of accessories and active wear that use fluorescent compounds in the fabric to convert UV light into beneficial blue light said to improve the appearance of blemished, damaged skin, “appears to be a significant innovation above-and-beyond UV blocking clothing.”