What do you consider to be a groundbreaking trend in beauty? Blue light protection, the microbiome and anti-pollution may be on your hot list; however, customizable products are also a clear winner, as a recent NPD blog post1 explains. Driving the need for bespoke beauty, of course, is the consumer.
The blog continues with three additional drivers for 2018: products that align with consumer values, i.e., the environment, community, animal rights, etc.; luxury products as the new norm, including personalized experiences; and experiential retail, which likely includes some form of digital interaction. One thing these drivers have in common is they have a direct, emotional impact on consumers.
The idea of appealing to consumer emotions is not novel. However, serious breakthroughs are happening in the ways researchers can tap into and leverage emotional responses via beauty products. In fact, according to MarketsandMarkets, the emotion detection and recognition market is expected to grow from US $6.72 billion in 2016 to $36.07 billion by 2021—an impressive CAGR of 39.9%.2
For cosmetic developers, this means new ways of digging deeply into what their products ultimately aim to achieve: emotional effects on consumers. This could mean synergistic sensory experiences, personalized levels of efficacy or even the minimization of undesired ingredients.
This issue encompasses these breakthrough notions in some of the latest, most advanced thinking in cosmetic product development. It also aims to engage your senses—if you’re reading this in print, check out the digital edition for interactive extras including podcasts and a unique audio experience. We hope we’ve appealed to your scientific excitement.
