Beauty trends for 2022 – Trends that would reshape the beauty industry in 2022

The year 2021 was all about skincare garnering more importance and certain makeup trends making a comeback and so, the year 2022 will be the year of damage control more than damage repair with more people drawn towards skincare and understanding its importance while waving goodbye to beauty products and routines that don’t add value. From skin minimalism where people embraced the natural texture of their skin to clean beauty and supporting sustainability, 2021 saw it all but as we embark on a new journey in 2022, we decided to get a few beauty experts on board to reveal the trends in cosmetics and skincare that are going to go huge this year.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Aarti Gill, Co-founder and CEO of OZiva, shared, “The rise of the modern informed consumer has led to the emergence of Holistic Beauty i.e. beauty inside and out. Moving forward, we will see growing demand for beauty ingestibles. Also, as the consumer is evolving – we will see a huge demand for Clean Beauty products that have health benefits.”

She elaborated, “Clean Beauty is based on a fundamental concept that what we apply on our body has a deep impact on our overall health and wellbeing. There is also an increased awareness about clean beauty labels and the impact it has on the body and environment. Therefore, the industry is witnessing the rise of non-conventional holistic and clean beauty brands that are free from spurious chemicals and additives. In the beauty segment, we can expect more popularity in the Plant Based Beauty segment, that is, using phytonutrients derived from botanical ingredients and are backed by science.”

Given that the modern-day customer relies on a variety of online personalities and offline peers for recommendations and advice on what to buy and use, Suraj Chaudhari, Co-founder of Zlade, opined, “While the status quo has certainly changed in the beauty and grooming space in the recent past with new brands and old players introducing novel products and solutions, the landscape is still replete with brands and businesses “telling” the consumer what they should do. In 2022, we expect this to change because today’s consumer has specific challenges, needs and demands.”

He added, “Brands that can successfully fill this void are the ones that will rule the roost this year. From skin darkening and fine lines to dryness and acne, skin health awareness is at an all-time high and brands will capitalise on this by offering natural or organic skincare products that assure efficacy. With sustainability, reusability and self-care at the top of brand-conscious new-age consumers, we are seeing an evident shift in how customers interact with brands and their products.”

Highlighting that the year 2021 was filled with many notable beauty and makeup trends that included the emergence of the Vitamin C skincare range, awareness about chemical peels and increasing demand for Korean skincare, Vanshika Kapuria, Brand Manager of Swiss Beauty, listed some of the trends in cosmetics and skincare that are going to go huge this year. They include:

1. Less is more – Going loud and bold is a thing of passé, the concept of ‘less is more’ is now highly accepted and loved. Skipping a heavy foundation base with a good moisturizer not just saves time but also helps you look more natural; add a speck of blush and lip tint, and the look will surely win hearts.

2. Gloss – Surely the 90s kids were obsessed with lips gloss, and 2022 seems to have brought the same generation back. Back in the day, glosses were sticky, couldn’t stay long, and came in just one ‘clear’ variant, unlike today, where one can pick from quality glosses that are available in a plethora of shades.

3. Ombre lips – One trend that has made a comeback is the ombre lips. Well, if you are social media savvy and love scrolling through Instagram, then surely you must have come across makeup enthusiasts using their eyebrow pencil as a lip liner, skipping lipsticks with a blush colour and gloss. It sure looks minimalistic yet classy and is one of the hacks to use if you’re bored with your regular lipsticks. The idea is to use a slightly pink tone in the middle of the lips and top it off with a gloss to give a more natural effect.

Asserting that the beauty industry is evolving all the time and witnessing new trends each and every day, Dolly Kumar, Founder and Director of Cosmic Nutracos Pvt Ltd, pointed out that while not all are successful, a few make their place in the spotlight. According to her, the beauty trends for 2022 are:

1. The awareness about clean beauty has gained the much needed attention and has established itself strongly. This will be a very prominent phenomenon throughout the year. Consumers have become more conscious of the importance of natural and chemical free products and how harmful toxic chemicals are in the long run. Hence, with changing times even the industry is adapting to these norms.

2. One more important trend that we will be witnessing is anti-inflammatory skincare routine. With more people understanding the importance of identifying issues triggering inflammation, they are opting for a skincare routine that avoids irritation to the skin and following regimes that strengthens the skin as an organ.

3. Another trend that is likely to become popular would be LED treatment, i.e., light-emitting diodes. LED is a therapy process in which the skin is exposed to wavelengths of light that further helps in improving skin texture, making it plumper and smoother. It enhances collagen production, tightens the pores, and cures acne and breakouts. It goes without saying that the good habit of applying sunscreen will not and should not stop trending.

4. Additionally, the ‘clear scalp trend’ is gaining immense popularity and why not! The scalp is an important part of the skin that has been neglected for a fairly long time. It not only helps is hair growth but is responsible for the breakouts on the face, mainly the forehead section. Your overall skin health depends on the hair care routine you follow, and a healthy scalp automatically improves the skin’s texture.

5. Skincare using natural and chemical free products will continue to be a buzzing trend as it had gained popularity during the lockdown and people realised that natural products and feeding their skin with superfoods will add that natural glow and make one’s skin healthy from within.

Some of the other notable trends in makeup include applying sunscreen and tinted moisturizers instead of heavy foundations, using a single colour shade instead of multiple and highlighting the cheeks, lips and eyelids to give a monochromatic look. The experts believe that these trends are going to stay for long in 2022.