The beauty trends you'll see in 2018

This year is set to be one of male makeup, inclusivity and the proliferation of Japanese products
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Chloe Street4 January 2018

While the beauty industry is certainly no stranger to a fad, each year there are major shifts in consumer taste and priorities which have a direct impact on the products we see on the shelves.

These are the five big trends we predict will shape the beauty industry in 2018

1. A Japanese comeback

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The recent surge in popularity of South Korean beauty exports - or K-Beauty - is well documented. From sheet masks to cushion foundations and active ingredients like pearl powder, snail secretions and starfish extract, the Western world can't get enough of Seoul's weird and wonderful cosmetic exports.

However, while K-beauty's ascendancy shows no signs of slowing, a recovering economy in Japan - a long established beauty capital of the world- is set to see a growing number of Nipponese beauty brands hit our shelves. As the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo edge nearer, Japanese cosmetics companies are developing innovative products inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetic principles of kanso, shibui and seijaku (simplicity, understated beauty and energised calm). Shiseido’s new skincare line Waso is, for example, inspired by the tradition of washoku (traditional Japanese food), and comprises a series of holistic and natural products.

2. The "Clean" beauty movement

The concept of wellness has influenced not just what we eat, but also what we put on our skin, and thus following "clean eating" is"clean" beauty. The movement, spearheaded by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop and skincare brand Tata Harper, focuses on creating products that are free from toxic ingredients, such as parabens, synthetic fragrances, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.

The labelling of beauty products is a notoriously murky science (how, for example, do you define "natural") but a movement that puts ingredients with clear and proven health risks (think silicones, parabens and sulfates) under a microscope can only gain in momentum.

3. Greater inclusivity

The major beauty launch of 2017 was, without doubt, Rhianna’s Fenty Beauty. The brand champions diversity via its campaign casting and also its product offering, with a debut foundation that comes in 40 skin tone shades. The brand, which raked in $72 million in media value in its first month (according to a Tribe Dynamics Cosmetics report), put paid to any outmoded notions that “darker skincare doesn't sell,” and sparked a discourse on social media around diversity in beauty. The resulting pressure will see major cosmetics retailers step up their offerings in 2018.

4. Anti-pollution to replace Anti-ageing

Neiman Marcus

As we become better educated on the damaging effects of pollution on our skin, we increasingly seek products to protect us from harmful bacteria and UV rays. While the use of SPF is commonplace, a whole roster of brands have recently added anti-pollution products to their skincare ranges. While anti-ageing is still one of the major drivers in skincare, millennials are more preoccupied by the short term skin damaging effects of the environment around them than preventing a wrinkle 30 years in advance.

Sales of anti-pollution skincare products in the UK amounted to £3.1 million in the second half of 2017, and this figure is set to grow.

5. Beauty for the boys

The male grooming category, valued at $50bn in 2016, has been experiencing steady growth thanks to a developing male appetite for face wash, moisturiser, pomade and hair removal products.

In addition to skincare however, the male makeup category is gaining ground, with 2017 the year Manny Guttierez (above) became the second ever male face of a major cosmetics campaign (after Mr Charles for Covergirl in 2016). As gender lines continue to blur, watch out for more mainstream male beauty stars.

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