Trends To Watch: Beauty in 2024

During a year that has challenged many, the Beauty sector has truly emerged as a space that offers real opportunity for Creative, Marketing and Digital specialists. 

With clients that include By Terry and Jo Malone plus DTC big hitters, The Hut Group and spaceNK, Profiles Creative have identified some opportunities, for both brands and Candidates alike, in 2024.

The Savvy Beauty Buyer

Understandably “sustainability” has been the watchword of the last 5 years. A more nuanced development has been the more recent appetite for science backed beauty products. At the forefront of this trend is Biotechnology, labelled as the ‘trusted’ type of beauty offering. It’s a trend that further reflects the increasing trend of a “conscious” consumer. 

According to The Future Laboratory, “savvy beauty buyers [are] begin[ning] to approach products with the same discerning eye they bring to their nutritional, exercise, and supplement choices – marking a seismic shift towards an ingredients and functionality focus.”

The trend of transparency has led brands such as Paula’s Choice and The Ordinary to deliberately place their ingredients to the forefront of their branding and packaging strategies. All of these bold Brand decisions have been driven by a range of skilled Strategists and Designers. We expect more brands to open their doors to this type of Talent in 2024! 

The rise of TikTok Shop

Beauty brands wishing to capture The Gen Z market will be continuing to invest in in-app shopping experiences. Adweek reported that 40% of Gen Z users prefer using TikTok and Instagram for search over Google and this only continues to grow. The power of TikTop shop is staggering: 55% of TikTok users have bought something from a brand after seeing their products on the app and a further 50% of TikTok users have made a purchase after watching a TikTok Live. 

So, what does this mean in talent? With users spending a whopping $380 billion worldwide on in-app purchases, Beauty Brands increasingly need talent that can help maximise this channel. An opportunity for Paid Media, Social Strategists, Content Creators, Data & Insight specialists. 

Levelling up the in-store experience

With the high street reinvention in full swing, delivering an in-store “Brand Experience” is the holy grail for Beauty brands. Beauty’s best newcomer Glossier is wowing customers with the launch of their newest pop up, ‘Realms of you’ at Regent Street. The fragrance focused experience continues to make headlines as ‘a one of a kind sensory experience’. Kudos to Glossier’s Retail Design and Experiential Director, Kendall Latham! Glossier aren’t the only ones making the most of this buzz, with LOOKFantastic and even Harry Styles’ brand ‘Pleasing’ appearing with pop-ups in central Selfridges and John Lewis.

With this more ambitious and daring approach to in-store activation, Retail Design, Experiential and CX strategists can now look at Beauty brands and see an opportunity to enjoy career defining work. 

An Exciting year Ahead 

To say the future of beauty is bright would be an understatement. With huge retailers like Sephora landing in the UK after years of dominating Europe and the US markets, all signs point to growth. Social commerce and an elevated in store experience standout as key Marketing priorities that will dictate the need for ambitious Talent.

As experts in the field, we’re excited to be working with brands and candidates in this dynamic space. 2024 promises to be another exciting year in the Beauty Industry. 

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