COLOUR COSMETICS
Artistic, bright, bold and beautiful
Every year, fashion trends shift the beauty world to a new place of innovation. They inspire agencies and ingredient suppliers to collaborate on colour forecasts, which help brand owners and manufacturers create colour cosmetics consumers will love. By Abby Vorster
M
erck’s colour forecasts
The first look, Solar Celebration
Experimental woman is fascinated
have been shaping
is based on a makeup palette that
by the vital force of plants and the
makeup palettes for
gives skin a sun kissed look and
development of microorganisms. In her
decades. According to
warm radiance. On the eyes, shades
personal style, she pushes biomimicry
the Beauty Business Journal, creating
of red earth and clayey browns
to self-metamorphoses and dares to
the right colour palette is an important
are combined with the colours of a
wear the craziest contrasts.
element of a product’s success.
canyon’s fiery sky. The deep, dense
Colour forecasting also provides
pigments of Neo Folk – the second look
a reliable gauge of next season’s
– plunge into twilight spirituality. Sticky,
popular colours.
oily textures are crushed and spread
For its 2019 spring/summer colour forecast, Merck has focused heavily
like fruit directly applied onto the skin. Its textures like these which inspired
Solar Celebration is based on a makeup palette that gives skin a sun kissed look and warm radiance
on fusions of the natural and artificial,
Merck’s glossy lip finish formulation
bringing interesting contradictions into
(see Table 1). Hot and almost molten in
play. Developed in collaboration with
texture, this innovative lip care product
NellyRodi, a renowned international
is based on the deep red of Merck’s
forecasting agency, the Captivation
Ronastar Flaming Lights and Ronastar
variety of bright, fresh shades. There
forecast presents four key themes.
Red Allure with Colorona Red Brown,
are two looks, one for the daytime
protected by RonaCare AP.
and another bolder evening look.
Solar Shaman
Green is present in this theme in a
Green Lab is based on laboratory
Karen Maier, Merck’s head of
Organic Experimental
romanticism, with pastels and
performance materials in South Africa,
Consumers want beauty brands to be
variations of pink in the palette. In
says the Solar Shaman theme is a
ethical. Mintel’s trends and innovation
Micro Organism the colours become
good look for the local market. It is
consultant, Marta Panasiuk says
deep and intense, with dense reds
natural; Ethnic; full of sunshine, light
consumers judge beauty brands by
spread over midnight blues and
and earthy tones; primitive and it
the way they treat their employees,
heavy greens – a perfect palette for
celebrates life.
suppliers and the communities within
the evening.
‘The main colour range resonates
the regions in which they operate.
with South African skin tones and is
‘Sustainability is also important, but
Magnetic Vestal
complementary to local consumers’
companies have to be totally credible
Ethereal, sophisticated, digital and
needs,’ she explains.
and transparent,’ Panasiuk comments.
evanescent, the Magnetic Vestal
Solar Shaman celebrates life to
Sustainable, green innovations are
woman is radiant and captivated by
the rhythm of the sun and earth.
the starting point for Merck’s Organic
Influenced by tribal cults and primitive
Experimental theme, which has a
rituals, this woman envisages the
strong multifunctional focus on ‘care
and glow are key characteristics of this
world from a mystical point of view. Her
and colour’ or ‘colour and protect’
theme,’ comments Maier. ‘Both the
inspirations are the fruit of the cultural
concepts. It speaks to the curious,
Luminescence Fantasy and Floating
melting pot assembled in a joyous
ingenious consumer who believes
Cloud looks of Magnetic Vestal
tumult of psychedelic chaos.
in the power of nature. The Organic
require metallics in order for the trend
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| AUGUST 2019 | P C Review
the sun’s magnetic glow. ‘Strobing, radiance, luminescence
