The quest for long term skin health

Research suggests beauty and skin care activities positively influence consumers’ emotional and physical wellbeing. The positive internal experiences associated with beauty can result in decreased stress, as well as identifiable benefits to the body and brain.

The emotional element linked to sensitive or problematic skin also presents an opportunity for brand owners and manufacturers to develop products that improve consumers’ mental state.

According to Keena Roberts, senior consumer health analyst at Euromonitor International, ‘skin care brands have always used claims of efficacy, but as health and wellness megatrends exert a greater influence on consumers, globally there has been a shift to beauty focused skin care brands adopting a more medicinal positioning’.

The emphasis on health has developed in skin care products over recent years, highlighting a shift in the market from products traditionally viewed as solely cosmetic to products designed to support the long-term health of the skin. An example is the Delta, a medical skin care brand by optiphi. Launched in 2018, to meet the demand for personalised treatments for facial and body aesthetic concerns, this medical skincare system is redefining how practitioners diagnose and treat the skin. The revolutionary Delta protocol extends from before aesthetic treatments to post-treatment and skin maintenance. This topical skin care system aids the medical practitioner to score and subsequently treat the skin according to visual indicators and genetic markers. The Delta skin care range was developed as a collaborative project between plastic surgeons, aesthetic practitioners, chemists, geneticists and biomedical engineers. Medical practitioners use the patented Delta diagnosis code during consultation to characterise the skin’s visible conditionsand, in combination with the results of a DNA skin test, recommend a treatment intervention and home care routine, uniqueto the consumer’s skin concerns.

Anti-pollution explosion

Although beauty is still a key motivator in consumers’ choice when purchasing a skincare product, consumers are approaching the concept of beauty differently. In a report produced by Euromonitor International for in-cosmetics Global, entitled Skin Health: The Evolving Landscape of Dermo-cosmetics, findings show consumers are looking to support their skin health from within rather than having a purely cosmetic perception of what beautiful skin means.

The report states ‘much of this shift is being driven by the growing knowledge of consumers of what factors might result in damage to skin health, and the consequent motivation to use products that can prevent the damage from occurring in the first place’.

Pollution – the environmental aggressor with a silver lining for the skin care industry – has been shown to accelerate skin ageing and increase its sensitivity. Over exposure to pollution may also lead to discolouration, dryness, dullness and roughness of the skin.

The anti-pollution category is one to watch, with new product launches spiking in 2019. South African skin care brand Theravine has launched a range of pollution protection solutions. Its Daily Defence Finishing Mist claims to offer an ‘any time protective shield against visible and invisible pollution’. The product is said to have a natural antibacterial effect and is packed with some of the best pollution fighting ingredients.