If there’s one positive thing 2020 brought to us and beauty lovers worldwide, it was beauty experimentation.
With the internet community being the main source of communication we were able to experience this year, beauty inspiration from TikTok to Instagram was more prevalent than ever—proving the power and popularity of digital trends.
In honor of the new year, we’re here to predict 3 beauty trends we foresee for 2021!
2021 Beauty Trend #1: The Evolution of the Beauty Influencer — Diversity, Gen Z Trends & New Campaigns
Image courtesy of @kehinde_smith
The powerful Black Lives Matter movement called for brands across the board to be held accountable when it comes to the diversity of faces representing their products and the faces behind them. From brand internal teams, ambassadors and the influencers they work with, many brands began to acknowledge changes needed to be made to ensure that the beauty industry looks like the world in which it exists.
We think we’ll see tremendous strides when it comes to diversity and ethics of brands to bring a new light to the sustainability, accessibility and visibility of our changing times.
When we hosted our 3rd annual B.L.N.D. event last September—this time as a virtual panel highlighting and uplifting black voices in the industry—founder and CEO of Jacq’s Organics, Barbara Jacques, stated “If you definitely want to help me, and you’re coming to me as an investor, how can you help me speak to my customer if there’s nobody [on the team] that looks like my customer?”
Image courtesy of Morphe
On the platform side, if there’s one catalyst we can link almost directly to the skyrocket rise of TikTok as the go-to social platform, it’s Gen Z influencers. A TikToker that most people are probably familiar with (with just over 104 million followers) is Charli D’Amelio, the platform’s most popular star who has an upcoming makeup line with Morphe on the way.
Because of TikTok’s innovative algorithm—making it easier than Instagram to find new creators based on engaging content vs. number of followers—new faces are popping up everywhere and rising to fame, and campaigns from brands looking to grow with their new audiences.
2021 Beauty Trend #2: Beauty Devices — The New Way to Achieve Pro-Level Treatments At-Home
Image courtesy of @OPULUSBeautyLabs
Image courtesy of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
The device category of the beauty industry is an interesting and innovative one—driven more recently by a need for professional-level skincare treatments at-home (hello #lockdown). We believe the device industry will get even bigger in 2021.
A recent Elle Future of Beauty Winner, OPULUS Beauty Labs (an Agency Guacamole client!), is at the forefront of this technology with the upcoming launch of the Activator Kit. This is a skincare appliance that takes potent ingredients like Vitamin C and Retinol to the next level by blending them instantly, delivering freshly activated ingredients straight to the skin and providing professional-level skincare treatments in the comfort of one’s home.
Many such devices have gone viral on TikTok and YouTube, like Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro, the NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Device and most recently, Joanna Vargas’ Magic Glow Wand. Beauty devices are sure to be a big win in 2021.
2021 Beauty Trend #3: Money Piece Highlights — A TikTok Trend Still Going Strong
Image courtesy of @brittanyxavier
The 90s inspired many aspects of beauty and fashion last year, and we think that will continue in 2021. One example is a hair trend we’ve been seeing everywhere, and that is chunky highlights. A major trend made popular on TikTok saw people experimenting with “money piece highlights”—chunky, contrasting highlights framing the face.
Kristjan Hayden, a hairstylist with Civello Salon in Toronto, recently said in this Flare.com feature that adding a contrasting color around the face is “like a spotlight on the face,” proving true by the hundreds of TikTok tutorials of Gen Z-ers and Millennials alike adding pops of colorful highlights to their hair.
What do you think 2021 has in store for the beauty world? Let us know in the comments below!
Header image courtesy of Marie Claire.