Stay ahead of the curve with these key beauty trends for 2022

New routines are emerging to suit consumer attitudes, behaviours and habits that have shifted during the pandemic. In beauty, this means prizing certain ingredients that soothe and benefit skin and hair as well as turning to waterless formats in all kinds of products. 

Coastal ingredients are favoured for their indulgence as consumers focus on self-care, but also appeal to those who support local seasonal products, while interest in waterless products is rising as the world is heading towards a water-stressed future. Discover more about these trends straight from our experts at WGSN Beauty, who are sharing their knowledge as part of our six-part series covering some of our top trends forecasts for 2022 and beyond.

Coastal-foraged ingredients

Seaweed, sea kelp, sea fennel, sea moss and marine algae will become mainstream must-haves in skincare and personal care, especially for scalp, bath and body categories.
Coastal-themed ingredients will be prized for their soothing, hydrating, detoxifying and therapeutic powers, as well as their transportive ability. Ingredients sourced from the shore – or those that replicate the ocean’s raw materials – will have mass appeal across all categories, as consumers lean towards local, seasonal and wild-harvested products that are good for the skin and planet. 

Already popular in wellness and food and drink, sea moss is a superfood valued for its nutritional benefits. We also called out this great all-rounder as a key ingredient for 2021.

Waterless washing

As H2O becomes an increasingly scarce resource around the globe, expect an uptick in waterless washing and product innovation to facilitate this.

Waterless washing reduces water usage while adapting to post-pandemic attitudes around washing frequency. Waterless product innovations will help offer hygiene solutions to the one in 10 people worldwide unable to access clean water. These products are part of a new, more minimalist approach to hygiene where people focus on washing only the smelliest parts of their body – pits, bits, holes and soles – to reduce water consumption and damage to their microbiome. 

Early innovators include Swair’s Showerless Shampoo that cleans without suds or rinsing and claims to save six gallons of water per person a week, while Hanni’s no-water-needed hybrid Shave Pillow enables users to remove hair anywhere.

For more key trends, get access to our Top Trends 2022 report and exclusive webinar here.