Skincare has been growing faster than any other part of the beauty industry for the past few years. A reason for the rise is the increase in the number and popularity of online retailers like Nykaa, Amazon, and Flipkart, and the emergence of the D2C model that has essentially been trouncing traditional marketplaces by facilitating direct interaction between users and brands and ensuring a better customer experience overall.
This has resulted in a fierce competition, with brands grappling with the necessity to ensure that their formulations are better than the rest, especially considering the rising consciousness, knowledge and aspiration in the consumer for result-oriented skincare solutions.
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The one current trend that has particularly been rising is cosmeceutical skincare, thanks to the growing awareness among customers about skincare and the influence of beauty content creators. Small wonder then more brands are coming up in the field of cosmeceutical skincare, which essentially focuses on products placed between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that contain biologically active ingredients.
Traditionally, cosmetic products were formulated to beautify the way the skin looks. The results were more temporary in nature. For example, a cleanser's only function was to cleanse the skin.
This was before formulators tapped into a more biomedical approach to develop products, adding biologically active ingredients to their formula, so they had the ability to bring about a change in the functioning of the skin. These ingredients could include naturally and chemically synthesized actives like vitamins, retinoids, exfoliating acids, antioxidants and even botanical extracts.
Essentially, the formulations of these products are targeted towards the enhancement of both the biology and the outer appearance of the skin. Such skincare can penetrate through the skin, and the active ingredients in them enable the products to pass through the epidermis and act deep within the dermis.
This means, unlike cosmetic cleansers of the past, a cosmeceutical cleanser might include actives like salicylic acid to prevent acne, or ceramides to protect the skin barrier.
Among the reasons for the popularity of this kind of science-based skincare is its results-driven nature. Plus, the increasing expenditure capacity of today's consumers, who wants a product that makes their skin healthy and not just glow temporarily. This capacity is pushing brands to invest in extensive research and development to engineer technologies and formulations that treat the skin at a molecular level, driving the market even further.
While such products are easily available over the counter, it's imperative that consumers first check with a certified dermatologist to understand which formulation would work for them.
After all, it’s all about selecting the right formulations for the needs of one’s own skin and not jumping on to the bandwagon of what’s trending.
Ramandeep Singh is the founder-managing director of Lisén, a skincare brand.
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