‘WGSN Beauty Trends for 2024’ identifies five key themes: Hangover Beauty, Scenting for Identity, Age-Agnostic Beauty, Backyard Beauty and Plant Milking.
WGSN says hangover beauty is a forgiving and honest approach to self-care fuelled by Gen Z's growing anti-wellness attitude.
“Stressed-out beauty consumers are prioritizing joy and pleasure in their wellness routines and pushing back against strict regimes that don't factor in fun or take into account that real life sometimes gets messy,” it adds.
“A new wave of brands is emerging that promotes indulgence and rejects the notion of sacrifice. Low-maintenance "hangover" beauty products are designed to address the effects of late nights and partying without judgment or hassle, and even include cosmetics that are formulated in a way that means you can fall asleep in your makeup without feeling guilty.”
Scenting for Identity means Gen Z experimenting with scent layering and contemporary notes to express who they are, how they feel and where they are from.
“With over 11 billion views, #PerfumeTok has become a place of scent discovery, introducing contemporary fragrance brands, culture-led ingredients and trends such as ‘scent hacking’ to boost mood,” says WGSN.
“The concept of the signature scent will take on new meaning as fragrance choices become more personalized, using neuroscience to guide choices based on individual mood and emotional responses.”
Led by Boomers and Gen X, Age-Agnostic Beauty is a rejection of traditional anti-ageing narratives and an obsession with youth.
“Age-agnostic beauty will see brands shift to meet consumers where they are with beauty products and language that serves the need, not the number. From skincare and haircare to cosmetics, age-agnostic beauty will enable everyone to age as appropriately or as inappropriately as they like.
“For example, earlier this year, The A Method shifted its "ethos" to a more "pro-age" message that encourages women to embrace beauty at any age.”
Meanwhile, Backyard Beauty is an emerging trend arising from a shift in sustainability focus to preservation. WGSN says soil will be recognized as a vital resource to be protected and replenished.
“Sustainable beauty brands will encourage caring for soil as we would our skin, implementing circular systems and regenerative farming and making use of ‘soil saviours’ such as microbes and worms.
“Soil and insects will be embraced as alternative and abundant sources of beauty ingredients, rich in skin-beneficial actives.”
In packaging, active compostable materials that release soil-beneficial elements such as nitrogen and potassium when composted are expected to gain traction.
Plant Milking is about the end of abundance and the need for alternative ingredient sourcing in sustainable beauty.
Plant milking uses aeroponic cultivation and the extraction of active ingredients from the plant's roots.
“Plant milking is environmentally friendly and non-destructive, with the same plants ‘milked’ several times a year. It’s also 100% traceable, allowing beauty consumers to follow their product origins from root to routine."
