Mintel Predicts Protective Skin Care and Mood-altering Ingredients for 2010

Posted: December 9, 2009

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Throughout 2009, there reportedly was a renewed emphasis on protection. Beauty products offered increasingly powerful shields against physiological and man-made factors, in addition to UV rays. Mintel expects this trend to increase in 2010. In addition, the report expects growth in immune-boosting and skin-defending claims, as well as new products that contain ingredients from extreme environments, such as the arctic, alpine environment or deserts. Health care actives aligned with this trend will include rhodiola rosea, griffonia and superoxide dismutase, forging a stronger link with nutricosmetics. To promote this trend, marketing language will become more robust, borrowing from computer technology (e.g. firewalls). Packaging, too, will expand beyond traditional glass and plastic to materials like neoprene and concrete.

Mintel notes that 2009 saw a surge of high-tech beauty products and advances in biochemistry, which it predicts will continue into 2010. In 2010, products will increasingly include medical- or pharmaceutical-grade actives and next-generation nanotechnology. In addition, clinical testing to substantiate claims and results will move from prestige into “masstige” (affordable for general consumers but positioned as luxury). Manufacturers are expected to create more at-home kits and products touting similar results  to cosmetic surgery.