18 BEAUTY PREDICTIONS for 2020

2020 BEAUTY PREDICTIONS

What’s looks big for beauty this year? Here are 18 skincare, makeup and wellness trends to keep an eye on in the next 12 months…

1. TRACEABILITY (aka “known origins”)

With global air and soil pollution rising at shocking levels, more and more consumers are actively asking where exactly do the ingredients in their beauty product or health supplement come from? How healthy and mineral-rich is the soil that gave life to the seeds that became the plants that went into that serum we just bought?

Case in point: A GMO-free Super Mushroom Complex currently sold on Amazon containing a high strength mix of 6 mushrooms (lion’s mane, chaga, reishi, etc). At first glance it’s an interesting product, however delving deeper, it gets more sobering. As it turns out, 4 of the 6 mushrooms originate from China’s Qinling Mountains, an area notorious for discharge of pollutants, illegal and anti-eco activities, rife with high levels of air pollution.  “Pass”.

It’s precisely cases like this that illustrate the important role of official eco certification – by organisations like The Soil Association, NaTrue and of course The Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free), for example.

2. EARTH FRIENDLY BEAUTY and NO or LOW WASTE

As our collective loathing of plastic escalates, planet-friendly beauty means refills, traceability, and much less packaging or perhaps plantable packaging (imprinted with plantable wildflower seeds), more use of NON-plastic containers (such as glass apothecary bottles and metal tubes), and low – or better still NO waste.  Hopefully refillable beauty will be on the up, as this trend is moving painfully slowly.

Recycling programmes like REN and Weleda’s team-ups with TerraCycle look set to grow, though, and looking ahead, REN has partnered with recycle specialists Loop. Via Loop, REN products can be bought, used, and then collected when you’ve finished them, after which they’re sent to be cleaned and refilled and then re-used again up to 100 times. There’s no official launch date yet as far as I know, but keep an eye open for more news on this one.

“The refillable future of skincare” – REN teams up with LOOP

It would be great if high street retailers like Boots, Waitrose, Tesco’s, etc set up “beauty refill banks” where you could drop off your empty containers and/or refill them.

One such initiative in its early stages (but at least it’s already a reality) is Neal’s Yard Remedies’ Beauty Refill Stations” now available at selected NYR stores for two specific products (the Geranium & Orange Hand Wash and Bee Lovely Bath & Shower Gel). Customers can bring along their empty bottles to refill them in-store at NYR’s Beauty Refill Stations, also saving £2 on the price of the item.

You’ll find NYR’s Beauty Refill Stations at NYR stores in:

Bristol, Covent Garden (London), Gillingham (Dorset), Glasgow, Islington (London), Manchester, Marylebone (London), Oxford, Salisbury and London’s St Pancras Station.

One of the more extreme examples of no-plastic packaging is Wildsmith Skin’s mushroom-based compostable box which the brand calls a “farm-grown compostable mycelium box” with an oddly appealing – especially to zero-wasters – rough and rustic egg box look to it. (Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus).

NY-based Ecovative Design, who make these kinds of boxes calling them Mushroom Packaging, say on their website:

As for bamboo and wood-based makeup palettes…we should see more of these too (beautifully done, for example, by Canadian makeup brand Elate Cosmetics).

2020 will be all about less is more as low key recyclable packaging wins big points from consumers.

3. WATERLESS BEAUTY (or Blue Beauty)

Brands committed to ocean protection and that donate to ocean-centric charities like REN or water-free formulaproducts (like TRUE Skincare’s) will (no brainer) garner increasing respect from consumers.  With the global climate now all over the place and a sobering, dramatic increase in heat waves, melting glaciers, etc, water is the new gold.  Preserving it, keeping our oceans clean and our marine life healthy has never been as critical.

Water in formulas – often listed as “aqua” at the beginning of the ingredients list – has the capacity to trigger bacterial growth, so another plus is that concentrated water-free formulas generally keep fresher for longer.

We should see more of a focus on waterless beauty products this year.

4. BIOHACKING BEAUTY + AUTOPHAGY

Intermittent fasting and boosting autophagy (the mechanism by which our bodies cleans out “bad” or damaged cells, eg while we sleep) and phytonutrients like chlorophyll, chlorella, seaweeds and microalgae will spill over into the beauty arenaalthough it’s still early days for this movement but it’s an interesting, healthy avenue for forward-thinking brands to look at.

So in time, we may start seeing more innovation on the product front for boosting “skin autophagy”. Atophagy-inducing skincare products include trehalose, citrus bergamot, caffeine, ceramides and polyphenols.

5. HI NIGELLA! 2020’s INGREDIENT SUPER STAR

Nigella Sativa might just be the new turmeric this year.  It certainly deserves to be.  First it was olive oil, then argan, then prickly pear, etc…and while 2019 was a boom year for charcoal and turmeric, 2020 might well be black seed oil’s year to shine.  

Bees love Nigella (aka “Love in a mist”) #swoon

(photo: The Seed Collection – theseedcollection.com.au)

Why? Regarded as the “cure for everything except death” in the Islamic world, like Morocco’s two other superstars argan and prickly pear nigella seed oil is quite the wonder-worker.  Used internally (capsules or straight oil) for general health, and externally in soap, hair products, facial oils and moisturisers, as a CBD oil carrier, and more.

Nigella is antioxidant-rich, anti-cancer, anti-microbial and beneficial for hair, skin, immunity, diabetes, the heart, and has even been shown as helpful for MRSA, diarrhea, neurological disorders, asthma, and certain cancers because of its ability to promote increased apoptosis (cell death) in breast cancer cells.

The “magic” of nigella oil is thymoquinone, which may help reduce cancer tumours. If you’ve had trouble sleeping, nigella can often work surprisingly well – we could see nigella making its way into natural sleep supplements, joining the hops, valerian, chamomile and passionflower sleep family.

Side note: I’m trialling nigella during January as part of my 6-MONTH BIOHACKING EXPERIMENT (November 2019-May 2020) which also included a month away from social media – more on that soon.

6. BAKUCHIOL – THE NEW (VEGAN) RETINOL

One ingredient that looks big for 2020 alongside seaweed (still!) and watermelon seed, is bakuchiol. Hailing from the “babchi” plant it has large mint-shaped leaves and small pale violet clover-like flower head. Bakuchiol essentially blew in through the beauty door in 2019 and has been heralded as “the vegan retinol alternative”.  

Probably best-recognised as the showcaser in Herbivore’s violet coloured BAKUCHIOL SMOOTHING SERUM, when it comes to skincare trials with bakuchiol it’s still pretty early days, but trials so far indicate that this natural – and vegan – ingredient is less potentially irritating than retinol – no flaking, no redness, no irritation.

BYBI’s Bakichio Booster

7. SNOW MUSHROOM

Snow mushroom – or “tremella funciformis” – has been used as a beauty ingredient in China for so long it even dates back to the Tang Dynasty, and it’s been causing an underground stir incult beauty products in the last couple of years.

This white, frilly, almost sponge-like and very gelatinous fungi works like hyaluronic acid by drawing moisture in (to your skin). Volition’s Snow Mushroom Water Serum and Moon Juice’s Beauty Shroom Plumping Jelly Serum have been flying the snow mushroom flag.

Another notable and NEW snow mushroom launch is Eminence Organics’ Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream (I’ve tried this product and liked it, the cream almost feels a little “bouncy”, like a super-soft, extra-whipped marshmallow…soft, snow white, creamy and plumping – and Eminence have teamed it with reishi and birch water). It’s been working. 

8. FRAGRANCE MOVES IN A NATURAL DIRECTION

Still very much in its infancy, natural fragrance has been plagued somewhat with an over-riding weak spot – weak sillage, i.e. it’s often not long-lasting.

But brands like Sana Jardin, The Nue Company, One Seed Perfumes (Australia), John Masters Organics and The Organic Pharmacy are leading the way now and the proliferation of roller-ball fragrances is part of this trend, enabling on-the-go application of essential oil blends.

Morocco-inspired natural fragrance SANA JARDIN

Interestingly, it’s often the case that the more organic your life becomes – eg when you convert to eco cleaners, switch to natural beauty products and organic food, conventional fragrance can quickly become “sickening”. I know people who dread walking through the Duty Free zone at airports and I dislike getting into lifts with aftershave or perfume-drenched hotel guests (for example) or sitting next to someone with strong synthetic perfume on, in a plane because artificial scents now make me feel nauseous.

“Over 20 NATRUE-certified natural eau de parfums are now on the market, the latest launched in September by Naturduft, a sub-brand of the German Alverde Naturkosmetik. Other brands such as Farfalla or Vedic Aroma (both Swiss brands) have also developed a wide range of natural eau de parfums”

– Ana Ledesma, Communications Officer, NATRUE

9. SLEEP IS (STILL) THE ULTIMATE LUXURY

As we know only too well, sleep (and anxiety) are skyrocketing. We live in uncertain times so it’s not unusual to feel un-anchored and apprehensive. In line with this, entriesfor the 2020 Beauty Shortlist and Wellbeing Awards included a higher number of beauty sleep products (ie aromatherapy effect) and sleep supplements (including CBD oils) than ever before.

Aromatherapist Michelle Roques-O’Neil was ahead of her time when she launched her ultra-soporific Therapie Himalayan Bath Salts (infused with mind-calming essential oils and powdered amethyst and a  Beauty Shortlist Awards winner way back in 2013) and brands like Tisserand, Scentered, This Works, Aromatherapy Associates, Micheline Arcier and NEOM Organics are leading the less stress, more sleep and “self-care” movement. Kneipp and Weleda’s herb and plant-centric bath potions are wonderful natural stress-relievers, especially as part of a regular weekday evening winding down ritual.

Over the counter natural supplements to help calm anxiety are mushrooming. If you are sleep-deprived and feeling run-down, look for supplements combining fortifying adaptogens with calm-down ingredients like Kneipp’s Stress Balance for daytime use which combines rhodiola with magnesium, lime blossom or linden, holy basil and vitamins B5 and 6. (Keep an eye out for an increase in products containing holy basil, an Ayurvedic herbal favourite also known as “tulsi” which has been crossing over into the western mainstream).

Hello Day’s one-a-day Sleep Rest is another interesting formula, featuring melissa/lemon balm (anti-anxiety), L-Tryptophan (a precursor to melatonin), linden and nerve-calming valerian root.

Side note: even if you’re not a lavender fan, there are plenty of “no lavender” sleep-inducing products around, or try a single essential oil like grounding cedarwood, calming petitgrain, nerve-soothing geranium or rose or even bergamot (although note that bergamot can be soothing or invigorating depending on your reaction to it).

10. BLUE-BLOCKING GLASSES

Still in their infancy for a mainstream audience, blue-light blocking glasses (often with orange or yellow lenses) are already a “thing” in the US.  Biohacker Dave Asprey wears them for every interview he does (he sells his own brand) and Dr Rangan Chatterjee is a fan of blue blockers too. If you’re watching movies or reading on the iPad in bed, blue light is circadian rhythmn/sleep-disrupting.

These types of glasses block it and soften the light hitting your eyes. If you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, grab your glasses before you switch the light on, or leave the light off and use a mini torch. This will help you go back to sleep faster.

Swanwick’s Classic Night Blue Light Blocking Glasses (this is the brand I bought for my 6-month Biohacking Experiment, as I had to order from Amazon and couldn’t find another brand I trusted enough…they’ve been fine but I’ve had nothing to compare them against so I would like to try more brands tbh). Definitely easier on the eyes in the evening although they take a bit of getting used to at first. My eyes feel more rested at night.

11. VEGAN…BUT THERE’S A “BUT”

Vegan has been one of the loudest buzzwords in beauty since 2018 and really took off last year. But (ahem!) all vegan products are NOT cruelty-free, and not all vegan products are healthy (or even that great for skin – check the ingredients).

Brands have jumped on the big vegan bandwagon faster than any other trend in memory except argan which seemed to make its way into everything in what felt like about 10 minutes.

So yes 2020 will be a big year for “vegan” products but check those ingredients and buy from ethical brands.

12. ANTI-POLLUTION SKINCARE

Big in 2019, sales will keep rising. Anti-Pollution skincare is no longer optional if you live in a city. And not just anti-pollution (as in care fumes/air pollution), this term is becoming a catch-all for daytime SPF products, blue light/HEV protective skincare, etc.

Good examples are OSKIA’s CityLife range designed to help combat ozone and PM (particulate matter), nickel, singlet oxygen and more. And Murad’s City Skin’s range, which includes SPF50 protection too.

OSKIA’s CityLife Concentrate Intense Anti-Pollution Defence Booster

92% of the world’s population live in places where air pollution levels exceed the limits set by the World Health Organisation.

“With concerns over environmental pollution and growing interest in epigenetics, there’s a natural lean towards antioxidant ingredients to fight free radicals caused by pollution”

– Jayne Sterland, MD, Weleda UK & Ireland

Jayn Sterland, Managing Director, Weleda UK and Ireland believes anti-pollution is the way of the future as well:

“On my radar for 2020 is the trend in skincare towards anti-pollution and away from anti-ageing. With concerns over environmental pollution and growing interest in epigenetics, there’s a natural lean towards antioxidant ingredients to fight free radicals caused by pollution.

“We will be expanding our facial care range with a potent new  facial oil in 2020 that is rich in antioxidant plant actives to counter the damaging effects of pollution.”

13. AGELESS BEAUTY – and BEAUTIES

Where to start?!

Jane Fonda continues to campaign and get arrested at 82 (Fonda moved to Washington very recently for her Fire Drill Fridays which are now in their 4th month). Kudos to her for such relentless efforts to protect the health of our planet for future generations.

Then there’s activist and actress Susan Sarandon, 73…models Carmen dell’Orifice (86) and Daphne Self (88) and – bravo! – Bo Gilbert, who at age 100 became the face of VOGUE’s 100 years celebrations as well as an award-winning Harvey Nichols campaign in 2016.

Meanwhile ‘grey models’ like Anton Nilssen, shirtless and looking super-fit on the cover of Men’s Health at the age of 56 last May, are living proof of the glaring truth that frankly how *well* we age is pretty much up to us and the choices we make.

And whether you embrace grey hair or not as a personal preference, ageless beauty has never been more in – or important from a socio-psychological standpoint. (Brands, you’re lagging behind!)

14. COULEUR, COLORE, COLOUR

Colour – yes all the Pantones! – is one of the biggest makeup trends of 2020.

Lashings of “la banane” eyeliner in rainbow colours, glitter sprinklings of pink, purple and blue, white and pale yellow eyeliner (gorgeous on sun-kissed skin in summer). Cue plenty of colouring outside the lines, more rule-breaking, more freestyle…lots of block colours and contrasting shades.

Out of the window go the rules as pastels and neons form unlikely but fresh couplings. Blue hues all the way from deepest azure to new takes on turquoise should all be big this year.

And eyes will be the focus of the face.

15. LIT FROM WITHIN

Contouring died an unceremonious death a while ago, while highlighter gets subtler and it’s essentially all about a “lit from within” look in the coming seasons. Glowy – but more natural.

Cue a rise in collagen and multi-vitamin and mineral skincare supplement sales while illuminating foundations and tinted moisturisers and products like MADARA’s illuminating Cosmic Drops fly off shelves.

Side note: if you love ‘glowy’ but are still looking for the perfect natural-looking face self-tanner, check out Beauty Shortlist winner Omorovicza’s ultra-natural, flawless finish Glam Glow.

16. ONE THING DOES MANY THINGS

Multi-taskers are still big favourites especially for the time poor among us. Balms that do triple-duty as overnight masks, cleansers and moisturisers (like Beauty Shortlist winner Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Balm) or Frances Prescott’s Tri-Balm.

17. CRYSTALS, THE MICROBIOME AND SEAWEED

Signs point to a good year for crystal beauty and aromatherapy as well as microbiome-centric skincare products. Our skin’s microbiome is a protective layer of living microflora so it’s similar to our gut.

Following on from the “good health starts in the gut” movement in past years, skincare has been following suit with launches featuring good bacteria/prebiotics (brands like Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, Gallinee have been leading this particular trend).

Seaweed has been gaining a lot of ground on the wellbeing front lately. A steady favourite in skincare (eg Irish brand Voya, or Scottish brand ishga), both microalgae and algae are showing up in natural health supplements to help with a number of issues from immunity to cognitive function.

VOYA’s Mindful Dreams Body Oil. Wild west coast of Ireland seaweed extract meets an array of beautiful natural oils, still one of my all-time favourite body oils and a much-loved Beauty Shortlist Awards winner.

Side note: In November 2019, Chinese health authorities approved a new seaweed extract-based drug to help treat Alzheimer’s after promising trials, the first one in 17 years.

18.  Last but not least, CBD. It’s going to be everywhere. In skincare, especially balms, chocolate (side note here: chocolate is a very good “base” for CBD , they work synchronistically, optimising feelings of relaxation – check out Love Hemp’s chocolates which we’ve tried, they’re delicious), as well as gummies and of course oils and tinctures.

But the CBD goldrush has brought with it a lot of fake or very low grade products.

If you’re not sure where to start, start low and go slow – and look for brands like Love Hemp, Kloris, The Hemp Garden, Hemp Touch, Fushi Wellbeing and Graces London. Fushi do a CBD oil using carrier oil nigella, a little different from the usual carriers of olive oil, MCT oil or hemp oil. (I still haven’t got around to writing the CBD Guide as life keeps getting in the way and there’s so much to do prior to the Beauty Shortlist Awards in early March that I never seem to get a chance to even start it).

And I’d recommend avoiding CBD capsules as ideally you want to drop the oil under your tongue, and leave it there for about 90 seconds, for better absorption.

CBD and THC are two different things. You cannot overdose or get high on CBD alone. Broad spectrum CBD oil and isolate contain zero THC (the psychoative element) while full spectrum CBD oil – regarded as the best by many because it contains other cannabinoids as well as terpenes and other beneficial compounds, creating an enhanced “entourage effect” – has a very minimal amount of THC in it. Still, anyone in the least bit concerned about drug testing at work can always just opt for broad spectrum or isolate).

I think we’ll see it in more acne-targeted CBD infused skincare as well as different kinds of edibles. CBD can be a gamechanger for anxiety, insomnia and even pain – to an extent, although for bad or chronic pain higher levels of THC are generally needed. It can boost immunity and is anti-inflammatory.

CBD will be a hot potato this year, complicated by issues such as fragmented legislation in different US states and countries, fake products, lack of controls and more…but looking further ahead, if tobacco crops are replaced by hemp, CBD could get cheaper and become more widely available.

At the end of the day it’s worth remembering that the hemp plant was essentially criminalised by President Richard Nixon for political and monetary reasons. Oil and paper companies for example didn’t want ultra-flexible hemp to compete with their businesses – and the deeper you get into the story, the darker it gets. Hemp has been around forever. It’s an ancient, sacred medicinal plant and it’s safe. How ironic that morphine which is far more “dangerous” with potentially serious side effects is so widely used in hospitals.

2020 OVERVIEW

All in all, we’ll see a lot of the 2020 beauty and wellness trends revolve around tackling big issues like ocean and air pollution, transparency (including “known origins”), sleep, anxiety, and meanwhile getting out into nature has never been more important, both to offset our exposure to pollution and for our mental and physical wellbeing.

Developing more eco-friendly beauty packaging – like the same problem facing the food industry – is a massive priority. Single-use plastic is the bane of the beauty industry and we must up our game here, urgently.

On a positive note, there’s big love for the organic sector right now as it continues to flourish…clean and kind beauty, what’s not to love?

5 ways to make beauty planet-friendlier

1. Read the label and buy from ethical brands.

2. Vote with your wallet – it’s a powerful and empowering habit.

3. If nobody buys crap, nobody will manufacture it.

4. Buy less, buy better and support the brands actively supporting our  planet (especially those ditching excessive packaging or plastic) and who are genuinely driving change…because this planet is the only home we have.

5. Recycle, reuse, refuse.

What do you feel will be at the forefront this year? And how can we best tackle the packaging problem?

Discover this year’s most-loved, expert-tested, highest-ranked beauty and natural health winners including the newest launches at the Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards on Monday 2nd March 2020.