Falling into autumn with darker tones, multifunctional makeup and TikTok beauty trends

03 Sep 2024 --- The change in seasons brings a shift in beauty trends as consumer preferences move past summer solutions to darker makeup colors and increased skin hydration due to drier climates.

Personal Care Insights speaks to machine intelligence platform Spate and cosmetic ingredients manufacturer Lignopure about the upcoming trends in the beauty industry this autumn. We also look at Pinterest’s latest data on popular search terms for the upcoming season.

Innova Market Insights data indicates that from April 2023 to March 2024, 30% of Personal Care product launches featuring autumn-related claims were in the Hand, Bath & Shower category, particularly in Body Lotions, Moisturizers and Oils. Additionally, there has been a 44% increase in Skin Care launches with autumn claims from April 2019 to March 2024, with facial treatments showing rapid growth.

Autumn aesthetics

Spate gathered Google Search data from the US until the end of July and for TikTok, until late August. It discovered a “push and pull” between natural, effortless looks and elaborate routines.

Beauty strategy and innovation manager Addison Cain tells us that aesthetic-driven beauty continues to shape consumer behavior, with trends like Clean Girl and Indie Sleaze.

Gabriela Meza Armenta, marketing and business development manager at Lignopure.According to Spate’s research, Google searches for Clean Girl Makeup jumped 56% year-over-year while TikTok views soared 318.2% in the same period, reflecting the minimalist routine’s continued popularity. The Tradwife aesthetic, standing for traditional housewife, involving 1950s-era principles and visuals, amassed 15.6 million weekly views on TikTok.

Indie Sleaze searches surged 178.6% year-over-year on TikTok, next to Brat, a party-girl aesthetic inspired by singer Charli XCX’s new album. These aesthetics encapsulate a messy, “rough around the edges” look and Spate believes its data “highlights the ongoing tension between minimalism and maximalism in beauty.”

In skin care, Spate saw effective and gentle products leading the way with hypochlorous acid spray receiving 25.1 thousand average monthly searches, a 368.2% increase compared to last year. The product received 3.5 million average weekly views on TikTok, rising 1,900% since last year. This trend is cited as “especially driven” by the concern of acne on the popular social media platform.

Niacinamide serum also continues to capture consumers’ interests with 36.2% growth in Google Searches since last year and 689.7% growth in views on TikTok. The top related concern for this trend on TikTok is #acne, which received 540.6 thousand average weekly views alongside #niacinamideserum. However, on Google Search, the most popular skin concern alongside this trend is dark spots, which received 1,400 monthly searches.

Traceability for sustainability

Lignopure names sustainability and inclusivity as areas that continue to increase in demand as the fall season approaches.

“Within this spectrum, I think that traceability is something that has become very important and has good reasons because, without it, there is no real sustainability,” mentions Gabriela Meza Armenta, marketing and business development manager at Lignopure.

“In the inclusivity department, I have seen a rise in the demand for more skin shades in multifunctional skin care, more and more consumers are looking for a ‘foundation’ approach, which means that just ‘light and dark’ or ‘light, medium and dark’ are not sufficient anymore for many consumers.”“Brown, red, deep oranges and corals are perfect for the autumn color palette,” Armenta tells us.

She sees autumn trends focusing on skin hydration due to the weather change, spicier and floral notes for perfumes and a shift in makeup color toward warm tones.

“A variety of red for the lips, from deep red to sophisticated burgundy, and makeup shifts to earthy tones. Thanks to its plant of origin, each LignoBase variant has a natural brown hue, which simplifies color formulation in products [with tones such as] brown, red and deep oranges and corals, perfect for the autumn color palette.”

Tinted sun and hair care

Multifunctional skin care solutions are gaining popularity as the weather becomes drier and consumers crave products that help lock in moisture and combat aging processes.

“Multifunctional care is a game changer. They can provide hydration, nourishment and antioxidants all in one product,” says Armenta.

Additionally, even though the sun’s power diminishes with the changing seasons, consumers are more aware than ever of the adverse effects UV rays have on the skin and, therefore, still see sun care as an essential step in autumn.

“Tinted sun care offers the benefits of sunscreen and a light coverage foundation, simplifying beauty routines. Also, tinted mineral sunscreens offer the benefit of diminishing or eliminating the undesirable white cast effect that those formulas tend to have, which makes them perfect for highly sensitive skin and inclusive products,” highlights Armenta.

For tinted solutions, Lignopure says its LignoBase ingredient line boosts the antioxidant and sun protection factor of serums, while its natural color mimics skin tone to help even out skin complexion. The ingredient can also aid in formulating mattifying foundations with SPF as it has oil-control effects.

The company also predicts that dry shampoo will be a “go-to” for consumers. Armenta explains that “the change in weather can increase oil production in the scalp. Dry shampoo helps absorb excess sebum, extending the time between washes while boosting volume.”

She says LignoBase has a natural color with oil adsorption properties, which can be implemented in developing tinted dry shampoos.

“The ingredient’s SPF-boosting and antioxidant capacities can also enhance dry shampoos [as part of the skinification trend] by adding protective properties all with one ingredient,” says Armenta.

Another big trend is scalp care. Spate says the industry is starting to enter an era in which consumers understand that the scalp is also skin and deserves to be pampered and treated like other areas of the body.Addison Cain, beauty strategy and innovation manager at Spate.

Pinterest predictions

Pinterest beauty trends this autumn feature intricate Japanese-inspired nail art to foxy red hair colors. More-is-more makeup is also considered “back in style,” pioneered by glowing and dewy looks.

Top searches related to nail care include “bow nail designs” with 2,220% growth compared to last year, Japanese-inspired nails with 600% growth and “Greek goddess” nails with 1,975% growth. For makeup this fall Pinterest users are searching for “soft baddie” makeup with a 700% increase.

The second and third most popular makeup searches include “Igari makeup” (a flushed look) with 460% growth and “cool tone makeup looks with 360% growth. In hair care, “fox hair color” takes the number one spot with 1,530% growth in searches. “Honey brown curls” increased by 7,770% and “honey brown knotless braids” by 3,845%.

Continued interest in K-beauty

More generally, Spate predicts the surging interest in K-Beauty will continue into autumn and beyond. Searches for “Korean Sunscreen” are up 77.3% since last year.

K-Beauty brand Medicube is driving 111.2% growth in Google searches compared to last year and 230.9% growth in TikTok views within the same period. Other popular K-Beauty brands include Cosrx (10.0% growth in searches, 147.0% year-over-year growth in TikTok views), Anua (1.9K% growth in searches, up 429.7% year-over-year n TikTok views) and Mediheal (118.0% growth in searches, rising 349.2% year-over-year in TikTok views).

Personal Care Insights previously reported that the South Korean government was increasing its efforts to promote its country’s position among leading markets in the cosmetics and beauty industry. In a joint initiative, the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced a comprehensive plan to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in the sector.

By Sabine Waldeck

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