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The Power Of Personal: Why Self Sells In 2024 Beauty
Karine Lages (LATAM), Kacey Brides (NOAM), and Caroline de Roaldes (WEE)
Givaudan Active Beauty
An interview with regional marketing managers Karine Lages (LATAM), Kacey Brides (NOAM), and Caroline de Roaldes (WEE) at Givaudan Active Beauty on the beauty sector’s must-know new trends. From the impact of emotions on consumer choices, the growth in gentle-balancing skincare and the flourishing intimate well-being sector to the continuing quest for longevity and the demand for ever more sustainable commitments, they explore 2024’s emerging industry frontiers.
What beauty and personal care trends stand out most to you this year?
Karine Lages: Our trend report suggests we're entering an era of true hyper-personalisation. It's been on the horizon for some time, but recently, there's been a significant shift. Emotional needs and self-awakening are the current catalysts for change in our industry. Consumers are now acutely aware of the interplay between their appearance and emotions. In this context, Givaudan Active Beauty's role is crucial. We empower our customers to create products that allow these individuals to pursue the most authentic and contented version of themselves. Our ingredients can enable a deeper connection between mind and body, enhancing consumer routines and rejuvenating their overall well-being.
Kacey Brides: Yes, emotions and the all-important mind-body axis are increasingly at the heart of consumer decision-making. They want effective, authentic, ultra-individualised products targeting their specific and evolving needs. It is not just driving the development of personalised formulations, for example, but fuelling the emergence of emotion-hacking neuro cosmetics like Givaudan Active Beauty's Sensityl™ or Patchoul'Up™. These ingredients blend the natural world's bounty and neuroscience's insights to inform products that boost moods and satisfy emotions. Purchasing power is moving beyond skin deep into something that resonates more powerfully with products that nurture on an individual level.
Caroline de Roaldes: It can be seen increasingly in consumers' choices, whether it is products made for you or the bold non-conformity of the anti-aesthetic movement. There has also been a refocusing on the skin's natural ecosystem. This burgeoning trend to enhance the skin biome for its health & protection is known as epidermal rewilding. It's led to a growth in gentle alternatives alongside sensitising active ingredients. It's about balance, probiotic skincare, and rituals that nurture. Givaudan Active Beauty has been instrumental in this field with our gentle retinol alternative Siliphos®, or Illuminyl™388, a more microbiome-friendly option to address the challenges of skin pigmentation for all skin types than its benchmark vitamin C. These are just two examples of this move back to nature in action.
So, is beauty moving beyond wellness into something more holistic and intimate?
Karine Lages: Absolutely. The growing trend of inside-out beauty has, in part, also led to a trend towards intimacy reawakening. Sexual well-being is becoming as much part of holistic wellness as everything else. New brands are moving away from guidance-led care and towards a more positive intimacy. Givaudan Active Beauty is at the forefront of this trend, testing our ingredients like Zanthalene® for post-menopause care, Cranberry Oil to restore intimate flora and Ximilene® to promote blood flow. Each of these innovations is designed to meet this expanding consumer preference.
Is there still a space for science and technology within these increasingly personal consumer journeys?
Kacey Brides: Of course! It's the power of science that's propelling these incredibly personal journeys. Another fascinating trend this year is the concept of health reversals as a new frontier in longevity science. This is all about supercharging through augmented lifestyles, whether in terms of holistic health personalisation, extending skin span, epigenetics, cellular beauty, or incorporating bio-hacking practices into beauty routines. Consumers are increasingly seeking ways to boost their skin's cellular processes to make their skin function younger and reverse their 'biological age'. You can't get more scientific or more personal than that.
Caroline de Roaldes: As you can imagine, Givaudan Active Beauty is at the very forefront of this. Whether that's through ingredients that provide energy to the cells like Agefinity™, or unlock your DNA like Chronoglow™. Other ingredients in our arsenal use microbiomics for personalisation, whether it’s oil-control through Mangixyl™, to soothe and comfort with BisaboLife™ or protect and renew with Revivyl™. Beauty is moving away from quick-fix, surface-level treatments towards science-driven personalised rejuvenation that restores and renews.
So, in this world where 'me' matters, does sustainability and the earth's future still have a place?
Karine Lages: Consumers are as committed to sustainable options as ever. Within the movements towards self-discovery and skin rewilding, there's a growing awareness about conscious beauty and the potential of pooling the resources of nature and science to find solutions that benefit the planet and deliver results. There's an increasing realisation, too, that sustainability is not just about botanicals but also biotechnology. This understanding is crucial in preserving and regenerating our planet, and it's a commitment that Givaudan champions.
Kacey Brides: For Givaudan, the idea of sustainability translates into making innovative ingredients led by a love for nature and our guiding principle to protect the planet's precious resources. Our cutting-edge research merges our expertise in natural molecules with breakthroughs in skin understanding. We are creating brand new actives as well as biotech alternatives to some synthetic hero molecules. For example, Gravityl™, a microalgae grown using only sunlight and seawater at our Marine Biotechnology Centre of Excellence in France, is used as an anti-gravity face care ingredient. On the flip side, we have the floral power of Eliorelys®, an upcycled botanical extraction that uses the strength of a delicate flower for anti-(UV+blue) photoaging. Again and again, our innovative work finds power in nature and then distils or replicates it to change the face of the beauty business, all while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability.
How did you go about establishing these trends?
Caroline de Roaldes: Every year, Givaudan Active Beauty, Givaudan Fragrances and global trend forecasting company WGSN partner up in Givaudan's global innovation program, BEYOND. Within this collaborative process, we study macro trends through a worldwide analysis encompassing regionality to gain an overarching insight into consumer demands and desires across every community, culture and country. This global perspective is crucial in understanding the diverse needs and preferences of consumers and how these translate into the future of the beauty and personal care sector. It's always helpful to feel the consumer pulse in this way. Givaudan has a long and unique history of doing it, and it always sparks new ideas. Having now finished this 2024 report, we will start our 2025 edition. Seeing how trends evolve and new perspectives emerge yearly is fascinating, so watch this space.
