Nails: Arts & Crafts
Glamour magazine has called out continued consumer interest in the personalisation and self-design of nail looks as one trend that it reckons is set to grow in 2017.
Indeed, L’Oréal has just announced that a nail art company has been selected as one of its top 5 beauty startups, and won a place on its accelerator programme.
Preemadonna uses a Nailbot device and app that enables user to design and print nail art onto their nails via their smartphone, and is set to reach the mainstream this year thanks to L’Oréal’s backing.
Hygge: comfort beauty
Recently, market research firm Mintel suggested that the Danish idea of ‘hygge’ - the feeling or mood that stems from making every day moments more meaningful, beautiful or comfortable - could begin to have an influence in beauty.
“As evidenced by the ‘lipstick index’ in the UK, beauty products are seen as a way of treating oneself. This consumer mindset points to BPC being well placed to appeal to those interested in hygge; beauty products and their application can be considered an investment in emotional health,” says Charlotte Libby, Mintel analyst.
DIY beauty: ingredient of choice?
According to the Daily Telegraph, turmeric - a traditional Indian spice, known for its distinctive bright yellow tone and its anti-inflammatory properties - is becoming a buzzword ingredient among beauty bloggers.
With DIY beauty one trend tipped to dominate in coming years, ingredients like turmeric could lead the charge. Read our interview with market research firm Mintel for more on the DIY beauty trend.
Smart beauty tech
Major players have already been competing among themselves for the most innovative top spot this year.
Samsung Electronics is moving into beauty tech with two new concepts: S-Skin, a home skin care and analysis solution, and Limini, a portable device that identifies and prevents skin problems.
S-Skin is packaged as a consumer skincare solution. It contains a microneedle patch that penetrates and analyses the skin before deploying ingredients to improve its condition. Harnessing the popularity of the selfie culture, users can take a photo of their face with Lumini, which uses its own algorithm to evaluate and send the information to a smartphone app.
L’Oréal has also launched exciting new smart tech: its Technology Incubator revealed a new brush described as the world’s first smart hairbrush, which uses sound analysis to let consumers know when their technique is wrong. It won this year’s International CES Innovation Award.
Nostalgia beauty
While The Huffington Post is calling 80s beauty as this year’s focus, Glamour reckons it’s more likely to be a 90s vibe taking the market by storm. In any case, industry commentators reckon some form ‘nostalgia beauty’ will be a major focus for the industry.
2017 is set for a year of pushing the boundaries of trends and innovation to ever greater heights.