Hybrid products for hybrid lives
Consumers are crossing boundaries and expect products to follow
A growing number of consumers are now well-versed in skincare ingredients, thanks in large part to brands that have championed ingredient-led propositions. This rising literacy has raised the bar for communication. Generic claims and vague benefits no longer cut through.
To resonate, messaging needs to be specific, credible, and clearly tied to real concerns.
Ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide are gaining recognition for their specific effects — from improving skin elasticity to reducing fine lines and supporting the skin barrier. Consumers are coming to know what these ingredients do, and increasingly, expect more from brands in explaining when and how they should be used.
This shift is an opportunity. Brands that focus on features and function, clearly stating what the product is, what it does, and when to use it, make it easier for people to decide how it applies to their lives and demands.
Finding the flex
The old lines between categories are starting to blur. Skincare, haircare, fragrance, and cosmetics are used less as separate systems and more as flexible combinations. People are layering products in ways that match their routines, not industry-defined categories.
Haircare is a clear example. Scalp serums, exfoliating scrubs, and microbiome-focused shampoos are all growing, particularly in contexts like “Sweat & Reset,” where users want cleansing, care and recovery in one.
“Lights Out” remains a smaller Beauty Space, but its relevance is growing. While not traditionally associated with hair styling, it is emerging as an untapped opportunity. The formats gaining traction around this bedtime moment are mostly hybrids, such as leave-in conditioners, mousse, and in European markets, hair oils.
In skincare, hybridisation is well underway. Tinted moisturisers, glow serums, SPF-primers, and BB/CC creams are thriving because they offer functional flexibility. In urban centres across France, South Korea, and Malaysia, under-35s expect multi-functionality as standard, not as a trade-up.
The rising role of professionals in beauty care
Dermatologist recommendations are becoming a bigger part of how consumers choose and validate products. Over the last five years, dermatologist engagement is up 7 points overall — and up 10 points among under 35s. In Brazil, dermatologist visits have long been common, but the US is now on par: 37% of under 35s in the US have seen a dermatologist, compared to 36% in Brazil. This rise is visible among both men and women and offers brands a growing entry point.
Professional beauty services are also gaining ground. Compared to 2020, engagement is up 9%, led by under 35s but rising among over 35s as well. Hair removal and facials are driving most of the growth, with professional makeup and nail services also seeing increases. While men remain less likely to engage in professional treatments overall, uptake is growing significantly.
Derma care also continues to gain traction by staying grounded in science and communication clarity. Ingredient-led brands like The Ordinary, La Roche-Posay, and CeraVe are resonating by being both specific and instructional on what a product contains, but also how and when to use it. In Southeast Asia, derma growth is closely tied to broader health and wellness priorities, as consumers seek practical solutions backed by trust.
Fragrance is also being redefined. Body mists, pillow sprays, and aromatherapy blends are gaining ground in markets like Thailand and Brazil, used not only for scent but as part of evening wind-down or midday reset habits. These formats are showing growth precisely because they match real moments, not marketing calendars.
Fashion forward
Changing fashion habits are also influencing beauty sales. In the UK, participation in outdoor activities like walking, hiking and running is on the rise, with sport-driven fashion purchases up 7.3% year on year — the highest level since the Covid lockdown. This shift has direct implications for beauty. Products like SPF, sweat-friendly mists and lightweight skincare are no longer limited to gym bags. They are becoming part of daily routines.
EXPERT COMENTARY
Clients often tell me they’re listening harder than ever. They’re running more consumer interviews, watching more TikToks, tracking more sentiment. And they are listening, but not always hearing what really matters.
What we see, time and again, is a gap between what consumers are saying with their choices — the way they simplify their routines, pick up a mist instead of a moisturiser, build baskets across price points — and the way brands interpret those behaviours.
Many are still trying to fix a declining routine. Or worse, a declining market. They’re launching more products, expanding routines that no longer fit real lives, and crafting brand stories that are out of touch with everyday life.
And I understand why. Change at this scale is uncomfortable. Especially when your product roadmap, your org structure, and your KPIs are still wired for fast wins, and product-first thinking. But if the products don’t resonate with how and why consumers actually use them, they stay on that shelf. And long-term, the problem remains.
The truth is, consumers aren’t on that map anymore.
The biggest opportunities today aren't in the rare, glamorous “getting ready for a night out” moments that flood our social media feeds. They’re in the quiet, consistent rituals — the Monday morning rush, the 7-minute face before a Zoom call, the bedtime cleanse. These are the new beauty spaces: real, stable, and growing.
So what’s needed now isn’t more product development. It’s perspective development.
A clearer, more honest understanding of the real consumer — not the influencer, not the algorithm — and then a translation of that understanding into strategy. Sometimes that means a new format or function. But often it means something simpler: a tweak in messaging, a shift in positioning, a focus on emotional fit.
Questions worth asking:
Are we designing for the real rhythms of beauty, or the brand highlight reel?
Do our innovation pipelines reflect everyday needs or aspirational noise?
Are we meeting consumers at the micro-moments of beauty where they are, or subtly trying to remind them where we wish they still were?
Are we hearing convenience, flexibility, and intention in consumer behaviour — and ignoring it?
Are we simplifying consumer decisions, or adding to their mental load?
Listening differently
Many brands talk about being consumer-first, but for some, it's still just a tagline. The leaders who are making progress, and making relevance stick, the ones brave enough to cut through the noise. They’re drawing inspiration from the ideals of online culture and the rhythms of everyday life. They’re defining their products not by category or claim, but by how consumers actually use them, and what they truly need.
