Storyboard18 - 2022 - Definitely, maybe: Beauty for men, brand switching, and 'skin minimalism'

3) RTB Shift – Purpose to drive the purchase

Consumers will choose brands that are purpose-driven and will pick up a brand that is closer to their personal purpose. With the advent of purposeful and conscious consumption, consumers will be looking towards brands that enable them to make responsible choices. 2022 will be an inflection point and brands with a compelling purpose will stand out in the new year and beyond.

4) Sustainability – driving brand switch

While consumers do not actively seek eco-friendly brands today, they would switch to one that also gives a similar product experience. This trend has picked up in the past couple of years even more, as consumers are becoming conscious overall. Sustainability benefits emerge as an opportunity for a brand to differentiate itself strategically, and being a brand that cares for the environment resonates the most with consumers.

As brands start embedding a purpose, it will be important to leverage sustainability as an incremental advantage, without compromising on the core product benefits.

5) Occasion-led purchase vs festive purchase

Consumers are looking up beauty products on occasions that are relevant to them. We will be moving towards occasion-led purchases, celebrating personal milestones of life. Marketers have already taken cognisance of this trend and are sending out relevant brand communications throughout the year, with the same rigour, as one would have done during the festive season before.

6) Focus on total wellbeing and skin minimalism

With stress and mental health becoming front and centre since the onset of the pandemic, there is a greater focus on health, immunity, and total wellbeing.

This trend will also get manifested in the way consumers will increasingly pick personal care products that support mindful, and relaxing rituals (facials, sheet masks, hair colour, and more) to recuperate from the pressures of the day, promoting ‘me time’.

This has also resulted in skin minimalism in which consumers are inclined to keep their skincare routines much simpler with quality products that cater to their concerns.

7) What works there, might not work here

Given the awareness and the beauty boom in the country, brands will continue to localise global beauty brands that would resonate better with Indian consumers. They are looking at products that are specifically personalised for the Indian skin type, made with local ingredients, that suit the Indian weather patterns, and more.

8) Personalisation

Today, consumers are getting even more aware of their beauty needs due to social media and internet penetration. This informed consumer of today is aware of their own skin and hair type, and would like their personalised needs to be catered to. Men present a huge opportunity for personalisation, even more than women.

9) Tech to drive experiences

The pandemic resulted in a renewed focus on health and affected the transition to a low-touch economy. Earlier, consumers would physically try beauty products at the retail counter and an advisor would assist the consumer. Now we are seeing consumers trying products virtually aided by technologies like VR and AR backed by eConsultants and eDiagnosis. Further enhancing the overall consumer experience are interventions like virtual assistants and chatbots, which I think take personalisation to a whole new level and is here to stay.

10) Consumers without borders

Owing to increased awareness and technological advancements like virtual try-ons that can be experienced anywhere, beauty is no longer an urban-only phenomenon. Consumers from tier 2 and 3 markets are also seeking products for self-improvement, self-care and celebrating personal milestones. The rise of awareness and ease of accessibility of products through a multichannel approach, including company stores and websites, e-commerce channels, and doorstep delivery and more will be driving the market further in 2022.

Amit Jain is the managing director of L’Oréal India. Views expressed are personal.