Beauty retailer Boots has revealed its six biggest beauty trends to watch in 2022 with the launch of its 2022 Beauty Trends Report.
With predictions across cosmetics, skin care and hair care, the UK-based retailer – which is currently up for sale – analysed data from its sales and in-house expertise to reveal which products are on the upswing and catching customers' eyes in the coming year and beyond.
“As the UK’s leading beauty retailer, the Boots Beauty Trend Report shares our predictions for 2022, combining our unique customer insight with in-house expertise,” said Jamie Kerruish, Beauty Director of Boots UK & ROI.
The six hotly tipped trends are:
1. Expert skin care surge
Science-backed brands are leading the way in facial skin care with a 41% increase in sales year on year, Boots' data revealed, making it the best performing facial skin care category.
The Inkey List enjoyed the biggest growth in sales with an impressive 96%, followed by L'Oreal-owned CeraVe (up 54%) and La Roche Posay (up 49%), Boots' reports revealed.
Facial skin care tools are also hot property, with a 1,531% uptick in searches for tools such as gua sha showing consumers' interest in harnessing expert skin care techniques at-home.
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2. Looking better for less
As cost of living increases put pressure on consumers' finances, shoppers are seeking more affordable beauty solutions – however, they are unwilling to compromise on ethics, with nine in ten shoppers saying they want to shop beauty and personal care products sustainably, Boots' findings revealed.
Boots responded to this demand by bringing back its cult favourite brand 17 with vegan-friendly formulas across its 170-sku range priced at £5 and under, as well as recently onboarding affordable beauty favourites Revolution Beauty.
Meanwhile, the retailer's Recycle at Boots scheme recently banked one million beauty empties, encouraging customers to recycle in exchange for Advantage loyalty card points.
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3. More is more for make-up
With the likes of Pinterest betting on beauty looks to go big in 2022, consumers are increasingly looking to express themselves and explore their creativity through make-up, following a turbulent period of being confined indoors due to the Covid-19-induced lockdowns.
With more than 500 beauty brands available in-store and online at boots.com, including cult favourites Kylie Cosmetics and Drunk Elephant alongside own-brand ranges No7 and 17, Boots also employs 1,000 beauty specialists in-store to assist consumers in creating their desired look.
4. Scalp-focused hair care
Searches on boots.com for products containing the word 'scalp' have more than doubled, up 170% as consumers take an increased interest in their scalps following the increasing 'skinification' of the hair care category. looking after their scalp as well as their hair.
Appointments for the retailer's online hair loss clinic, meanwhile, jumped by more than a third in the last three months, as recent research reported consumers experiencing hair loss after being infected with Covid-19.
A plethora of hair care brands have branched out with scalp-focused launches, including Arkive's Head Care range in partnership with hairdresser Adam Reed, as well as P&G-owned Head & Shoulders' DermaXPRO scalp hydrating range.
5. Inclusive beauty for all
Despite recent findings that customers are cynical of beauty brands' efforts to appear 'woke', providing a truly inclusive beauty offering remains high on Boots' agenda, following the launch of its #AllTogetherBeautiful campaign bringing together beauty influencers from a range of body types and backgrounds.
As part of its inclusive beauty commitments and in an effort to reduce stigma, Boots recently rebranded its feminine hygiene section on its website to 'period products', while it said it is in the process of reviewing its in-store signage.
Meanwhile, in line with the industry-wide push for a greater array of foundations shades as pioneered by the likes of Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, Boots' No7 brand reformulated its make-up range with more shades, based on skin tone and scientific analysis to deliver more diverse undertones, according to the retailer.
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6. Serving self care
Finally, consumers continue to turn to beauty and skin care to boost their mood and wellbeing, with 45% of 16-34-year-olds saying that they use beauty routines to help them reduce stress or anxiety, according to Mintel.
In response, Boots is predicting increased demand for aromatherapy-based and soothing skin care textures, such as Drunk Elephant's Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser and Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Cloud Cream.