Did you know there is a global Anti-Ageing Skin Conference every two years? It would be every kind of depressing with a title like that were it not for the fact that it reveals all sorts of scientific research and development that’s not generally available to the general public that could be very positive in terms of skin care. Thankfully I wasn’t there popping up every two minutes to shout, ‘Pro Ageing’ and taking my marker pen to all signs but my formulator/lecturer friend Daniel (Whitby) from Lake Personal Care was, so cue long Twitter chats about ingredients and attitudes (he is @danielwhitby), and my take on his key points of interest below.
Beauty world is obsessed with ‘helping’ us look younger so many findings are geared towards that end goal. But very useful-to-know discoveries can play a part in skin and overall health and in fact, that was a big focus this year. For example, epigenetic clocks are being developed that will help science to understand how our entire bodies age, learning from ‘exceptional agers’ who defy the norm with their spritely ways and young looking skin. Beauty products are not the biggest picture in this scenario – wellness, sleep and diet all factor highly – but epigenetic understanding will enable personalised regimes.
Technology is predicted to be a big part of our beauty routines going forward with personalised coaching apps encouraging lifestyle change alongside product recommendations. Apps will also be active data gatherers to help the understanding of skin health. Think of it like this: if the health and look of your skin can be predicted you’re more likely to accept personalised skin care and advice if you believe that it can change the prediction. It’s a leap of faith, quite frankly, and it will be a very, very long time before we see any results from this concept. So long, I think I’ll have had my telegram from the Queen and be resting on a cloud with a large gin.
More realistic, and urgent, is the work being done by the big corporations on skin care needs across ethnicities. The sooner we see the results of this – and the data – the better so that the beauty industry can provide properly for all. It’s not enough to provide a few different foundation shades as a cover-all nod to ethnicity. If different toned skins have different needs, there should be shelves and shelves of products waiting to address them.
A year long insight gathering (from Avon) shows that 78% of women believe their products lose efficiency over time. The subsequent study proves that rotating two different skin care products showed enhanced performance and the products didn’t stop working over time. Wait for the avalanche of duo products to appear.
You can expect these findings from the needs-to-be-renamed conference to start filtering through to shelves in two to three year’s time as mainstream. Literally, every single major player in the beauty industry globally attends these conferences. It’s kind of amazing that they all share findings too, but what I’d really like to know is what they’re not sharing!
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