When you need to feel good, where do you turn? More and more, the answer for the consumer is beauty & personal care.

Indeed, self-care as stress-relief is certainly on the rise since the pandemic began, ushering in a wellness revolution across the beauty industry. The result? Traditional product concepts are finding new purpose in supporting, and improving, well-being as we move from a “treat” to “care” mentality, and from a “functional” to “emotional” focus in product & packaging innovation.

As we swap makeup for meditation, here’s a look at some of the biggest impacts of wellness on beauty & CPG brands.

9 Impacts on Wellness

1. Aromas

UK home fragrance sales jumped 29% in October 2020 (Kantar), as consumers embrace scent for mood-altering, therapeutic benefits that instill calm.

2. Meditation & Affirmation

Routines incorporate meditation techniques, encouraging mindfulness & self-renewal.

Packaging embraces healing crystals for spiritual well-being.

3. Community

Perceptions of community and interpersonal connection are evolving. Brands are creating community to support collective amidst increased isolation and social distancing.

4. Sleep

Increased value on the link between rest and well-being.

Ingredients like lavender, melatonin magnesium, yuan zhi and CBD make nighttime routines more holistic and luxurious.

5. Rituals

Ancient practices & rich traditions offer tranquility & peace.

Rituals take form in product innovation through meditation, application techniques and ingredients inspired by ancient botanicals and traditional medicines.

6. Sexual Wellness

Consumers embrace self-pleasure as self-care, as 84% of U.S. consumers recognize masturbation as a form of self-care (TENGA).

Packaging focuses on universal, modern, gender-neutral expressions of inclusivity that offer pleasure-focused experiences.

7. Supplements

Internal wellness is booming as health & immunity remain a top priority.

New players focus on sustainable, hygienic, low-impact packaging focused on inclusivity.

8. Care & Hygiene

Caring for the body becomes a sacred act

Upgraded, spa-inspired experiences offer tranquility and escape.

Body care incorporates skin care ingredients like pre-biotics or treatment acids (e.g., salicylic, lactic and mandelic)

Consumers embrace hygienic packaging like sticks and sprays that limit or eliminate hand contamination, and airless packaging that protects formulas from exposure to the environment.

9. Microbiome

Greater consumer focus on protecting skin’s first line of defense.

Eventually this will expand beyond skin care to other microbiome-interacting products such as makeup as well as supplements & ingestibles that reinforce the gut-skin axis.

For more on these trends and the brand opportunities to embrace the wellness revolution, download the full report for free: Mind-Body Beauty: Wellness Awakens New Boundaries of Self-Care.

About the Author

Ambra Orini is founding partner of The Beauty Makers and TBM Brand Lab.

Photos: (L) via Pexels-Mikhail Nilov; (R) via Instagram/tbmbrandlab