Keep up with the trends
In the beauty industry, it feels like things change overnight. The number of “new” products appear faster than my ability to finish the last “trendy” item I bought. It gets me thinking that I’m behind (again), or that I’m just not applying the creams and lotions and cleansers and serums — and all the other dreamy products on my bathroom counter — correctly. However, what if I’m just not preparing or doing my part to find the newest must-have beauty darling?
If you’re into beauty, then you already know who quickly the industry picks up and moves on to the next HOT niche product or ingredient, leaving you feeling out-of-step with your customers, your market, and your own skincare routine. The remedy? Focus some energy staying up to date and determine if the latest trend (or one you might see coming) fits with your brand and play with how you can fit it into your own product line.
I’ll go over a few things to do to keep up with the trends, so that you (and I also mean WE) can keep up with all the magnificent, or sometimes fleeting, changes.
Finding A Resource Online – News Sites and Newsletters
Staying up-to-date on everything related to your product or brand is part of your duties; it’s a requirement of the industry. Your knowledge is something that separates you from the competition. If you’re not constantly researching and learning about your field, the reality is you’re going to fall behind and that might mean missing out on new customers or losing existing customers to new brand favorites.
In today’s online world one of the greatest attributes of the internet is email. Subscribing is as easy as typing your email into a box, so find a source you trust and you can easily stay up to date. However, the key part is a source you can trust. Find a company, reporter, influencer, blogger or formulator who can give you valuable information relative to your goals and keep up with the trends. Here are some of our favorites:
1. essentialwholesale.com– yes, we know, a little biased, but we really put our best foot forward to educate those interested. Contributions are made by our Chief Formulator, certified Cosmetic Formulators, estheticians, aromatherapists, and our marketing and sales teams. If you have a topic you’d like us to discuss just let us know!
2. ULProspector.com- Spanning 10 industries, UL’s Prospector offers accurate, reliable technical information for hundreds of thousands of products from suppliers around the world.
3. Cosmeticsinfo.org- Your source for information on personal care products—how they work, their safety, and the science behind their ingredients.
4. gcimagazine.com – Global Cosmetic Industry magazine reports on trends across the world, tracking major business moves and beauty discoveries.
5. beautyindependent.com – Creators of Indie Beauty Expo and Beauty X, this newsletter and their events are up-to-the-minute with news, education, trends, brands, and regulatory information
6. Fashion and Spa magazines. Choose those that match your brand and stay up to date using their online versions.
7. Set a Google Alert for topics you want to stay current on.
Social apps for the win
In addition to email subscriptions, you can look to another fantastic 21st-century resource–Social Media. Influencers are everywhere, and if there is one thing to note from influencers, it’s what’s new. An Influencer won’t have an item that’s out dated–they have to keep up with the trends as much as everyone. Influencers give you the insight to what’s trending and new–they’re a good reference for knowing what is happening in-the-now.
They bridge the gap between advertisement and entertainment; you enjoy following them for their unique razzle-dazzle, they just so happened to be talking about a product too. If all else fails, just look out for the #Ad, #sponsored, or the Ad symbol on the post to indicate they have been sponsored in some way to talk about that product. It’s a clear distinction of the post’s purpose and a potential “new” product.
Finding the trends
Another fantastic resource is a convention, conference, seminar, summit, or whatever the coolest thing is to call a gathering of people learning about a shared interest. We are always on the hunt for finding where new knowledge is, in order to get information that’ll make us better. We sent a group to the local convention for the Oregon Esthetics & Spa Show, another represented us at the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild (HSCG) Conference, and we plan on attending Cosmoprof North America.
These are opportunities that we capitalize on to learn more about our industry. As we all know, things are constantly changing, they are evolving in a way that if you are not evolving with it, you’ll be a me-too instead of any industry trail-blazer. And this is just another option for you to do your due diligence to keep up with the trends.
Although this is sometimes a costly feat if the event is out of town. However, there are meetings all around you, all it takes is a simple search. For example, we have a MeetUp group for people in the Portland Area to come out and learn a thing or two about cosmetics.
Acting on the trends
Identifying trends is one thing, deciding to act on them is another. Of course, there are so many coming and going every week you need to be thoughtful about what is worthwhile; for you and your brand to pursue. Don’t create a product just because it’s hip if it doesn’t make sense in your line or brand. Choose things that make sense and you can realistically create and deliver. In the very least, consider tapping into a trend but demonstrating it your way.
For example, CBD is a huge trend right now. Although we do not formulate with it for a variety of reasons, we have created a category of products that work wonderfully with added CBD. It’s a quick way to get to market without the time and money of a new formulation.
Sometimes, however, it’s almost a requirement to keep up with the trends. For example, once it became widely known how damaging plastic microbeads are to the environment, companies tried to swiftly pivot away from using them. Here at Essential, we used Jojoba Wax Beads for a facial exfoliant, but for better results, we have just released our Bamboo Face & Body Polish. It uses sustainable bamboo exfoliators that are safe for your facial skin and the environment.
All told, trends can be a valuable part of your business and are worth staying on top of.
It can feel overwhelming trying to keep up with every new beauty trend, but we’re here to help. Use the resources around you, and as always, just reach on out to us; we’ll see what we can do!
What’s your favorite beauty trend right now? Any crystal-ball gazing about future trends? We’d love to hear from you.
