The beauty industry is constantly reinventing itself with innovations from Korea and Japan influencing the rest of the world’s beauty culture — from bubble masks and the 10-step skincare ritual to cushion technology. In 2016, the beauty industry was abuzz with the concept of customisation, and the rise of products that fit snuggly into our busy daily routine and are adapted to grooming needs. Lightweight foundation formulations that last all day, shade intelligence, morphing lipstick textures — products could be whatever your wanted them to be. Still focusing on the customisation and time-conscious aspect of the previous year, 2017 sees a shift in beauty and grooming trends towards a more eco-conscious, gender-fluid direction.


The traditional beauty blender could be replaced with the craze of theSilisponge, a silicone pad-like blender (not yet available in South Africa) that does not waste or dilute the product pay-off.


GENERATION GOURMAND

The world of male fragrances is taking a more experimental path, as men are willing to invest a little extra money into building couture cologne collections, with artisanal creations from designers such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, andDolce & Gabbana. Gone are the days of male fragrances having a generic “just showered” scent; cologne now has edible notes, such as tiramisu, vanilla, toffee and whiskey, as in Paco Rabanne Invictus Intense EDT, 100ml, R1 320.


BRUSH UP ON YOUR TECH

Beauty gadgets have greatly expanded, with the introduction of sonic cleansing brushes that have taken over the scene in recent years. Now tech expands into the makeup and malegrooming domain, with the rise of beautytools that use minimal product, while still delivering pro results. Foundation brushes are transformed into hi-tech blending tools that give airbrushed results, such as the Inglot Oval Makeup Brush, R799, with a dense bristle head that blends product, wet or dry, into the skin. Men are also getting a piece ofthe pie, with male-cleansing facial brushes making their way onto the local market. Brands such as Clinique, Foreo, and Clarisonic have launched male brush ranges abroad, while Remington has launched its Reveal Facial Cleansing Brush (R1 399, exclusive to Clicks) locally.


Dip manicures — It’s possible to do almost anything to your nails these days: from giving them a chrome finish to printing out nail stickers from your own photos for a personalised touch via the NailSnaps app. Most women rarely have time to go for a regular manicure, hence the concept of DIY manicure application is becoming more popular, but not everyone is an at-home professional. We have started to see the development of presson nails: spray-on nail colour that would give in-salon results at home, while still being long-lasting. Morgan Taylor recently launched its Gelish Dip system (from R200) that is changing the way we view manicures. The nail is dipped into a coloured powder, which adheres to the nail surface using a base coat. It is cured with an activator fluid, so the use of UV light is removed. Though it’s not the first dip manicure system, it’s a first in the gelish field, which has a two-week staying power.


ALL - NATURAL SKINCARE

With beauty consumers becoming more health and eco-conscious, the decision-making process when it comes to choosing a product or brand has changed. Although the efficacy of the product is still high on the list, most women want products that are natural, free of toxic ingredients, and have cruelty-free value systems. Kiehl’s has recently launched an all-natural skincareproduct, Pure Vitality Skin Renewing Cream, 50ml, R895, which does not sacrifice the efficacy derived from the use of cosmeceutical skincare. This leads us to believe that the future of skincare is 100% natural — or close to it.

“Ingredients from nature have always inspired our formulation process, as the earth is such an amazing resource,” says Roberta Weiss, Kiehl’s head of productinnovation. “Formulating with natural ingredients can be challenging, though. For this very reason our skincare innovation, which is 99.6% naturally derivedand has clinically demonstrated efficacy, is a true industry achievement.” Two traditional medicinal ingredients, New Zealand Manuka honey and Koreanred ginseng root, are used in the cream — the genius lies in the discovery of natural alternatives to emollients, actives, and other synthetic ingredients usually found in most skincare products on the market.


TIME - CONTROLLED DIFFUSION TECHNOLOGY

This new technology, hot on the heels of encapsulation, looks like it may bethe next big thing. Local beauty brand Optiphi has developed a way to deliverretinol into the deeper layers of the skin effectively, as well as control theamount and frequency of retinol delivered. One of the main concerns aboutencapsulation was the capsule structure’s possible after-effects on the skin and being able to control how retinol is used in the skin. Optiphi is using a time-controlled delivery technology in its reformulation of Intense Retinol Serum, 30ml, R1277. Retinol is transported through the skin barrier via osmosis in a cross-linked polymeric porous sphere that keeps the retinol stable. It is slowly released into the skin and prevents the skin becoming photosensitive. The sphere then dissolves onto the surface of the skin, creating a barrier-protecting, clear, lipid film.


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