Top 10 beauty trends for 2022

Selfcare has been a buzzword since 2020 and the importance thereof remains constant. Here are the top ten beauty trends to familiarise yourself with for the year ahead.


Whether it’s medical-grade solutions that we ingest or the increased awareness when it comes to cruelty-free beauty products, there are a couple of hot trends to keep on your radar as we enter 2022. These are the beauty trends that seem to be taking the industry by storm:

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Nutricosmetics with a focus on quality

Nutricosmetics might have hit the marketplace in the 80s already, but it seems that they are now on the brink of a major revolution, with their global market said to reach $8.3 billion by 2027. Ingestible beauty seems to be the future. Just be sure to check the ingredients, as not all ingestible beauty supplements are necessarily created equal, according to Toni Carroll, founder of the beauty supplement brand, My Beauty Luv.

Increased use of plant-derived ingredients

The world is becoming more and more aware of the importance of a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Hence, new scientific methods for testing, extracting and processing plant-derived ingredients for beauty products are now available. Carroll says that one still needs to be vigilant when it comes to ingredients that instantaneously reach gold status. “Make sure there’s enough research backing your beauty choices.”

Homecare, a beauty trend that stays

2020 brought about a trend of at-home skincare which was born out of necessity, but it seems that the trend is here to stay. Brands are therefore looking at providing customers medical aesthetic professional skincare products which you can only buy through your clinic or salon, offering medical-grade solutions that consumers can use at home.

Carroll says: “Home galvanic machines, home laser and home light therapy devices have advanced significantly, so the trend to use homecare beauty devices will grow.”

Be kind

One of the fastest growing beauty trends for 2021 is undoubtedly the vegan skincare and beauty trend. Even consumers who don’t eat vegan, identify with the cleaner, kinder and gentler beauty philosophy.

Many beauty brands have therefore tapped into this trend, extending their product ranges and including vegan-friendly products.

A self care beauty kit
A self care beauty kit. Image: iStock

READ: Natural beauty: Three ingredients coming to beauty routines in 2022

Beauty staples

Certain beauty ingredients move in and out of fashion as the years progress, where others – like vitamin E – are staples used in base formulas for most skincare brands. Some of these beauty staples are said to gain attention again, which is great as they are tried and tested.

Customers are clued up

Customers have a vast amount of skincare brands to choose from these days. People have therefore become much more discerning in their beauty choices and they often choose to focus on quality.

Promoting anti-stress, rather than anti-ageing

With beauty becoming more and more holistic, many brands have shifted the focus from anti-ageing beauty products to anti-stress beauty products, even though the two are very intertwined as there is a definite connection between stress and ageing.

“It will continue to grow and brands will start to evolve too, to accommodate this awakening,” says Carroll.

SPF for the win

Sunscreen and skin protectors are a hot topic all around and people have also now started to pay attention to blue light damage from screens. It might not be available yet, but whoever invents a topical, practical solution stopping blue light from penetrating the skin will certainly be well away.

Scalp care beauty trends, the new sexy

New treatments transforming favourites like Brazilian blowouts and other typical hair beautifying treatments to be safer, cleaner and greener are becoming more and more popular.

Beauty and bacteria

For Carroll, the future of beauty and health lies in carefully crafted, unique bacteria strains. “…Live, edible cultured bacteria done in the comfort of your own home,” she says. “We will literally be eating our beauty products.”

Clearly there are some interesting shifts and some inspirational movers and shakers in the ever-evolving beauty industry. It should be interesting to see where 2022 leads us.

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