THE VALUE OF BEAUTY

European Spa brings together a panel of international experts to discuss the beauty trends that will influence the wellness economy in 2023 and beyond

In the past decade, beauty has rapidly developed into a broader wellness category to meet consumer demand for new products and services that resonate with lifestyle choices. Whether it’s professional care services, selfcare or new areas like psychodermatology and nutricosmetics, all are influenced by advances in beauty innovation. The pandemic has also driven a rise in selfcare and beauty at home, as well as a revolution in digital shopping and social media influence, pushing demand for development in beauty and wellness technology.

Beauty is by far the biggest revenue driver within the wellness sector and now connects and overlaps with many other verticals. According to the latest research released by the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is now valued at $4.4 trillion (£3.6 trillion). The largest segment of this is defined as Personal Care & Beauty, contributing $955 billion.

In this report we invite six leaders in spa and wellness to give their view on the true value of beauty and what trends to watch out for in 2023.

A treatment at Ambassade Biologique Recherche in Paris

‘Looking good leads to feeling even better’

Pierre-Louis Delapalme, Co-chairman, Biologique Recherche

I don’t believe that beauty gets enough respect for the value it brings to the wellness economy, and it is often perceived as a second-rate citizen compared to wellness.

On the one hand, it can be perceived as a superficial component of the wellness journey, compared to meditation, yoga, nutrition, medical wellness, etc. And on the other hand, operators know it can make the difference on the bottom line, especially when it comes to retail sales beyond the wellness service revenues, which are always heavy in asset investments and payroll.

Whether you like it or not, proof of the strong link between looking good and feeling positive explains why the economic contribution of beauty to the wider wellness economy is so large.

With over 30 years of experience in the beauty industry in Asia, Europe and North America, Pierre-Louis Delapalme has been co-chairman and co-owner of Biologique Recherche since 2007. The 40-year old results-driven and professional skincare brand has a very selective network of partners in more than 80 countries and recurrent double-digit growth.

Beauty is more than skin deep If you assume the consumer is always right, then the size and contribution that beauty makes to the overall wellness economy as defined by the Global Wellness Institute speaks for itself (see right). Its remarkable and significant contribution in spend on services and retail sales tells us a lot about how vital looking good is to actually feeling good, and vice-versa.

We know that beauty services can catalyse a great sense of self-esteem. The best and most extreme example is the role of beauty-related services for people undergoing cancer treatments and living with cancer. As a brand we are proud of the work we do in this area and believe that people living with cancer should be welcome in every spa to find treatments that raise self-esteem, enhance skin health and provide vital touch and connection.

We need new language for beauty

Going forward we might have to fine-tune the vocabulary issues in how we best define beauty in wellness and the extraordinary value it can deliver. Beauty is often unfairly judged – perceived as unequally distributed and superficial. Maybe as an industry we should change up the language and talk positively about looking good and having healthy skin and a positive attitude, and not see beauty and wellness as two separate areas that are in competition. Finally, the beauty offering that is delivered as part of any wellness or spa menu should really differentiate itself from beauty in retail, in terms of expertise, products, and education. Wellness beauty needs to be exclusive.

Global Wellness Economy: $4.4 trillion in 2020

We have commissioned the first medical-grade study measuring the impact of a facial treatment on a wellness index, using a mix of neuroscience, blood pressure and pre and post-treatment interviews. First learnings will soon be available to help the debate move forward.

www.biologique-recherche.com

Children’s artwork from Avène Hydrotherapy Center expresses how they feel about their skin

Beauty for self-esteem

Sarah Camilleri, Founding editor, European Spa magazine

Having reported on the latest innovations in the spa world for the past 20 years, I have seen the transformational impact beauty and wellbeing services can make to people’s lives.

Spas provide invaluable space, services and access to wellbeing modalities that can help people massively improve their health and shift their lives to embrace preventative health. Beauty services and selfcare are essential to the spa mix.

Sarah Camilleri is the founding editor and owner of European Spa magazine and its affiliated daily news website www. europeanspamagazine.com. Its international success is built on a reputation for in-depth expert content derived from comprehensive ‘in-the-field’ research and journalistic integrity. Sarah is committed to the spa and wellness industry and passionate about sharing the latest innovations in beauty, wellbeing, fitness and preventative health services

I was given a glimpse of how spas would transform to wellness destinations over ten years ago when I was invited to Avène Hydrotherapy Center in the Cévennes mountains in France. There, I witnessed a powerful convergence of medical, hydrotherapy and beauty services to promote self-esteem, healing and skin health.

Where spa meets medical

Celebrated for its natural healing waters, Avene Hydrotherapy Center boasts an extraordinary success rate for skin health. Today, more than 3,000 people a year are treated there for skin conditions like atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea, psoriasis, burns and skin side-effects from cancer treatments.

Back then I was taken to see the dedicated children’s hydrotherapy spa, where a group of children of different ages were playing in the water – laughing, splashing and having the time of their lives. Despite being covered from head to toe in psoriasis lesions, their time together was deeply therapeutic and with a medically supervised hydrotherapy programme they would be weaned off harsh topical steroids and medication to allow their bodies to start to heal. It was a watershed moment for me regarding the invaluable role spas can play.

Avène offers children healing programmes for skin conditions

Skin health and beauty

Chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema are all too common, but we woefully underestimate the impact they have on people’s own sense of beauty and self-esteem. As a child I lived with constant flare-ups of guttate psoriasis, which continued long into adulthood. I understand the discomfort and isolation of psoriasis as well as the constant shame of having to explain that it was not an infectious disease. It made me self-conscious, anxious and shy.

Looking back, although dermatologists prescribed everything from tar baths, topical steroids and powerful immune system-suppressant drugs, no one ever asked me how I was feeling. Back then, no one saw the value of a more holistic approach to treating inflammation and my skin. Thankfully, today my skin is clear and healthy and, dare I say it, beautiful. It is something I am grateful for daily and work hard to maintain through my own holistic approach to wellbeing and life.

Avène Hydrotherapy Center, France

Beauty can transform lives

Also, on that memorable trip I watched Avène’s work with guests suffering facial injuries and burns. An extraordinary team of makeup artists and therapists were brushing on confidence and self-esteem with every stroke of specially created skincare and makeup. They told me that many of their classes to teach beauty techniques were also about creating a safe space to talk. For many, these makeup lessons were the vital first step back into society and back to themselves.

Back then, Avène’s famous waters together with the openness of the medical team and extraordinary work of its beauty and spa specialists was unforgettably powerful. It was also a glimpse into the future of spa and wellness, and what we would go on to achieve.

www.aveneusa.com/about-avene/hydrotherapy-center

A Tok Sen treatment at Anantara Chiangmai Resort

Green beauty for people and planet

Chunxia Gao, Group spa and wellness director, Asia, Minor Hotels, Thailand

I don’t think beauty gets the true respect it deserves in the wider wellness industry. As a spa operator, I believe there is generally a misperception about beauty in wellness. Beauty is often considered to be on the surface. On the contrary, it is not just the finishing touches, it reflects health, vitality and inner happiness. Beauty is also important for self-confidence and can bring happiness. The key is not to focus only on the outer beauty but to nourish it from within.

Chunxia Gao has been in the spa and wellness industry for 21 years. She has lived and worked in beautiful hotels and resorts in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, alongside what she calls “incredible people”. During the last decade, Chunxia’s role has been in corporate hospitality companies involved in operations, new projects pre-opening, project management, technical services, and design.

The paradox of beauty

For me, the ugly side of beauty is often how it is defined, by certain looks, or at least that is how it is perceived by many, especially by the younger generations. This could be due to the influence from media, social media, advertising, models, fashion and some beauty brands etc.

In Asia, we see a lot of young women getting their already perfect nose, eyes or lips fixed to meet the so-called beauty standards of other cultures.

A nutrition consultation at Longevity Hub by Clinique La Prairie Bangkok

Even though beauty is supposed to make us happy, the pursuit of beauty often makes people less happy and dissatisfied with how they look. I think beauty brands could shift by promoting more healthy self-images and embracing beauty in every shape, origin, age and season.

How is beauty relevant to wellness?

In spa and wellness destinations, we can address beauty from within and get to the fundamentals, for example: stress management, mindfulness, sleep, hormonal balance and nutrition.

We are also able to use technology, advanced diagnosis, professional skin analysis, expert guidance and high-tech beauty equipment to help our guests tailor their experiences and achieve long-lasting results. At the Longevity Hub by Clinique La Prairie at The St. Regis Bangkok, our beauty services are built on four pillars including medical, nutrition, wellbeing and movement, delivered by a team of professionals including doctors nurses, nutritionists, therapists and personal trainers.

In spa and wellness destinations, we can uncover local traditions and bring these experiences to our guests. For example, in Thailand, there are traditional therapies for new mums after giving birth, which involve local herbs and steam tents. It is wonderful to help new mothers to regain their strength and beauty.

Anantara Kihavah Maldives villas

Personal care for a modern world

One obvious reason for the rise in personal care is that in modern society, we live less in a large community and more as nuclear families or individuals. We are more isolated than our grandparents or even parents in many societies today. Add to that our fast-paced lifestyles and this contributes to loneliness and other health issues.

The advance of technology and more readily available self-care knowledge enable us to take healthcare into our own hands, focusing on prevention rather than cures. This is positive.

Beauty for the planet

I would also like to highlight the impact beauty could have on the health of the planet. For example, can we remove excessive or unnecessary packaging of beauty products? Even though packaging is an important marketing tool, if beauty brands spend less on the packaging and put more into the content of the product, consumers will support that. This might be a more effective marketing exercise than producing beautiful but expensive packaging.

Many beauty brands do this already, but there is always room for more progress – every brand should also have a close look at the ingredients in their products to ensure that there is no negative impact on our health or on the environment.

Our body is the manifestation of our mind and soul. Our outer look is the reflection of our inner happiness, self-love and care. Let’s nourish beauty from within.

www.minor.com

High-tech beauty is a high-value business

Tech takes spa and beauty back home

Zarina Kanji, Head of health and wellness, Tmall Global, Alibaba Group UK

Beauty is a well respected driver of the wellness industry in China, as beauty and wellness are deeply connected in this market. The notion of beauty from within is centuries old in China – Chinese Gen Z consumers act with a preventative versus reactive mindset, so they start engaging with beauty at a young age.

They were the first to innovate novel consumption habits for supplements to ensure that consumers could get the advanced ingredients required to tackle inner beauty concerns but in tasty and enjoyable ways, with products such as niacinamide breadsticks, collagen ice creams and melatonin gummies. This brings more joy into everyday wellness.

Zarina Kanji leads Tmall global business development for health and wellness, food and beverage, and beauty-tech brands at Alibaba UK and Nordics. Zarina is responsible for helping brands to enter the Chinese market and build their international business by connecting them to the over 1.31 billion global annual active consumers across the Alibaba ecosystem. She is based in London.

The opportunity for beauty in China is huge – the country’s beauty market is set to grow by 117% by 2025, while in comparison the mass market is expected to grow by only 24%.

Wellness tech at home

Beauty is just one subset of the overall wellness industry, and technological innovation has played a huge part in making both beauty and wellness even more accessible. For example, the connection between a spa treatment and at-home wellness is a very exciting space in China because of the Chinese consumers’ open-minded attitude to tech, as well as product development itself.

According to the research firm Qianzhan, China’s at-home beauty device market reached $1.38 billion (9.6 billion RMB/£1.13 billion) in 2021 and it is still considered relatively nascent despite comprising 60-70% of the global market share.

Wellness is taking place at home in China

Being willing and able to invest in at-home devices, the take-up of at-home tech was accelerated by having to stay at home during the pandemic. A product such as an LED mask that can treat a range of problems from anti-ageing to acne, muscle and joint aches, not only works its magic but at the same time forces the user to take time out of their day to be still, listen to a podcast or meditate. It combines all elements of beauty, health and mental wellbeing for a holistic wellness experience in your home, and this type of product has created a new category within beauty – it is evolving the business of wellness to be more accessible to more people.

The beauty of slowing down

Personal care and beauty are readily accessible in terms of price point, variety of products and availability of access. It is the starting point for Gen Z and continues throughout generations and it has been education, coupled with the increased focus on health and wellness accelerated by the pandemic over the past 3-5 years, that has opened up the minds of Chinese consumers to invest in the broader economy – health, tech, fitness, travel, and a slowing down of pace for activities such as yoga or embracing zen culture in tea houses.

Healthy ice-cream offers a sense of wholesome luxury

The notion of affordable luxury plays a large part here and is very relevant in today’s economic climate. Investing in a wellness retreat costs more than treating oneself to a bottle of luxury shampoo or skincare product: ‘at-home’ is accessible and can still provide that coveted feeling of taking care of oneself.

www.alibabagroup.com

A fig body treatment by Six Senses

Beautiful wellness

Anna Bjurstam, Wellness pioneer, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Global

To look good is incredibly important and vanity is the doorway to wellness. We know that people who look good get hired more, paid more and generally in life have an advantage. This has been shown in research, but we don’t need research to confirm this, we already know it. We also know that we don’t look good, whatever our appearance, unless we feel good. Hence beauty and wellness go hand in hand.

And to add to that, we have the ‘lipstick effect’ – as in, when societies have bad times, lipstick sales go up because we feel the need to make even more sure that we look our best. So, wellness is at the centre of beauty on so many levels, physically, psychologically and of course topically.

Anna Bjurstam, a leader in the wellness industry for 25 years, was instrumental in developing Six Senses as a leading wellness brand and was co-owner of Raison d’Etre, which she sold in 2013. Today, Anna is the ‘wellness pioneer’ for these companies. She also works as an independent consultant and serves on a number of boards, including the Global Wellness Summit. She has a deep interest in quantum physics and a variety of

The pressure of beauty

Spending on beauty products that make all kind of claims and promises has always been high – we want to have that fast-track magic potion that will make us more attractive. We humans are always up for a shortcut, a pill, a trick that can solve the issue. This is how our brain is constructed, to always find the easiest way out.

Bad self-image, fashion, social media and trends in beauty all create a huge pressure on people to look good. Whether it is being skinny, curvy, having big lips, small lips etc – it is an incredibly unhealthy thing. We are being influenced by fabricated TV shows and false social media pictures and we are letting them lead us.

Meditation in nature

Norway has recently put a ban on retouched images – it can only be 8%, which is very little. Be Real and other apps are coming out and hopefully we can get away from an unhealthy beauty image, but I doubt it.

Opportunity knocks

Whatever the case, the wellness industry is presented with a huge opportunity. What we as an industry can do is advocate the importance of ‘inside’ beauty – brain beauty, gut health for beauty etc. And I am very much for making the most of this.

We know that sleeping badly and stress cause wrinkles and make us look bad from the inside-out and outside-in, and perhaps we should focus more on talking not only about sleep and stress but also about beauty sleep, de-stressing for less wrinkles and such like.

Beauty shifts to watch

Homecare beauty is growing rapidly, where you can do at home what the salons do, for a much more affordable price. Especially when it comes to equipment such as red-light LED face masks, EMS for hair growth, deep cleanse devices and electrostimulation. I also think that the collagen market has only just begun, as well as many other supplements that can help beauty and wellness.

A panoramic sauna bathes guests in nature

Furthermore I think we are going in the direction of natural beauty, as consumers are getting more and more educated about what works – false claims, chemical beauty brands and other equipment, services and products will have problems continuing to grow unless they jump on the ‘integrity bandwagon’, which I hope will become big in the next couple of years.

I am very excited for the frequency with which beauty businesses are coming out with high-tech devices that can make a big difference – I see more and more of these coming my way and it will be interesting to see how this market grows.

We are finally moving away from anti-ageing to focus on either pre-ageing or longevity, which is also great.

www.sixsenses.com

Brands including One Skin are taking a new approach to beauty

‘Beauty with purpose’

Jessica Smith, Brand consultant, The Future Laboratory, UK

I think we’ve come a long way from beauty being confined to cosmetics and skincare. Over the last decade beauty has taken its place in the modern wellness realm. The two once distinctly separate worlds have converged, opening up a huge opportunity for growth innovation. The wellness industry has benefited from that massively and vice-versa. In fact, revenue in the Beauty & Personal Care market amounts to around $534 billion (£437 billion) in 2022, and the market is expected to grow annually by 5.86%.*

Jessica Smith has worked in brand director roles across the beauty and wellness space and been closely involved with several successful start-ups. As a senior strategic futures analyst at The Future Laboratory with a specialist niche in the beauty, wellness and luxury markets, and a content editor for social wellness club Remedy Place, she has over a decade of experience spanning across; trend forecasting; cultural and consumer insight; and brand strategy.

The evolving ageing conversation

This convergence has enabled a more positive experience of beauty. For example, we have moved away from negative terminology such as anti-ageing and now understand our skin from a health perspective.

Also, we are seeing beauty and skincare shifting to be more of a health-driven pursuit. A recent study from Euromonitor International indicates that more than 50% of consumers define beauty as ‘looking healthy.’ Scientists at the Babraham Institute, UK, have been able to restore a 53-year-old woman’s skin cells to match the profile of cells 30 years younger. Also, a 2019 research pilot* has suggested that twice-daily moisturising of the skin – the body’s largest organ – might be able to help mitigate age-related issues such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease and diabetes.

Smell, mental health and the skin

With more than seven in ten Gen Z adults in the US said to have experienced symptoms of depression during the pandemic, recent studies have shown the connections and direct correlation between mental health and skin health.

And there is plenty of innovation around the link between age and scent. Brands can alleviate the signs and cues associated with ageing.

The Respekt meditation app complements daily skincare routines

For example, LipoTrue has launched a proprietary ingredient that neutralises odours that typically escalate after the age of 30 from the feet, armpits, neck and stomach. According to the brand, ‘each one of us has an odour print, just like a fingerprint, which is our own and unique personal scent, and after 30, natural odours from the body, including isovaleric acid and 2-nonenal, become more potent.’

Feeling good in your own skin

Also, new frontiers in psychodermatology – a relatively new area in psychosomatic medicine – are exploring the interaction between the mind and skin. Dermatologists have found that one in three of their patients who have skin conditions also have a mental health condition, which might be anything from mild depression to anxiety, all the way to schizophrenia and delusional infestation.

Beauty brands are also stepping up to create new levels of access to mental health resources for today’s youth. Dopamine products that improve mood have also become skincare essentials. This Works’s Stress Check collection includes a fragrance Mood Manager. Created using MRI brain imaging, a motion-activated scent tackles the physical and mental effects of stress, helping to reduce anxiety.

In a similar vein, beauty brand Respekt has launched Beautitation, a meditation app designed to be used in conjunction with daily skincare routines. In building mindful moments into the daily routines of beauty consumers this demonstrates how lifestyle and emotional wellbeing can affect appearance.

* Source: University of California San Francisco, USA

www.jr-smith.co.uk

European Spa would like to thank our guest experts for their contributions to this report, which was first presented as a panel discussion at the Global Wellness Summit 2022, moderated by European Spa founding editor Sarah Camilleri. To find out more about the global wellness economy or to watch playbacks from the Global Wellness Summit, visit globalwellnesssummit.com/2022-global-wellness-summit