Five trends influencing the delivery device market

12 Oct 2021 --- Sampling technology, shifting mindsets amid COVID-19 and the natural progression of leading beauty and personal care trends are all shaping consumer expectations of delivery devices. As skin and hair care brand Réduit launches its new Boost universal applicator, we explore five core trends in the innovative beauty solutions sphere with the company's CEO Paul Peros.

Personalization

Click to EnlargePaul Peros shares his views on the dominant trends in beauty. Source: Réduit.Réduit believes that in every part of life we are all connected in some way to technology, and beauty should be no different. “A personalized beauty hub, via an app for example, will be the future for personalized skin care and a one-stop-shop for consumers for education on ingredients and products, as well as app-controlled treatments to deliver those ingredients in the best way for their individual needs and concerns,” says Peros.

This level of personalization continues right down to how a product is used. In response, Réduit notes that each active ingredient reacts to different waveforms and the brand states it will activate specific ingredients in a certain formula to emphasize the results, depending on whether you want more of one or another. “There is a heightened demand for personalization in the beauty sphere and we aim to address this by acting with different waveforms,” adds Peros. 

Sustainability

Sustainability is a key demand from beauty consumers. Shoppers are now much more aware of the environment and not just from the perspective of packaging. While packaging is still of vital importance and a prevalent part of brand sustainability strategies, reducing product waste is also prominent. “Sustainable beauty is big business and brands must comply,” outlines Peros. 

Click to EnlargeRéduit says its pods result in zero wastage. Source: Réduit.To answer demands to limit the amount of product wastage, Réduit created its 5ml Smartpods, which it says have the same amount of product that consumers typically receive from a 50ml skin care bottle, or 100ml of hair care product. The brand has devised its delivery system to ensure that 100% of the usage from its Smartpods will go on to consumers’ hair or skin, meaning zero wastage. 

Réduit has conducted testing, which shows that using its products can give consumers 25% more hydration while using 10 times less product compared to traditional applications. Additionally, the company notes how the requirement to stabilize actives in skin care, or thickeners that allow for the manual application of traditional hair care products, are some of the many ingredients that do not directly contribute to the treatments. In the presence of valid alternatives, these will come under increased scrutiny from ever more ingredient-aware consumers.

Digital connection

Consumers are also asking to be digitally connected. The world has changed and brands and products must adapt to address this change. “Having your beauty regime literally at your fingertips, like everything else in one’s life, is also going to be a core consumer demand,” says Peros.

Beauty merging with wellbeing 

The heightened focus on health and wellbeing over the last 18 months, combined with an increase in time available to explore and try out new content, has led to the adoption of a more critical view of ingredients used in products. “Beauty, health and wellness have never been closer and they will continue to converge,” explains Peros. 

Talking about the importance of this in product creation, Peros explains: “Successful value propositions will increasingly have to tick all three boxes, and for many of the traditional product concepts there will be limitations given by the very product architectures they rely on.” 

Macro-trend: Recuperative Living

“There will be a shift in consumer behaviors and a pattern to weave beauty and health routines together to enhance hygiene and immunity. This will happen on a big scale,” says Peros. “COVID-19 shocked consumers into taking a deep dive into ingredients and now brands will have to pivot to address this to ensure they stay on the front line with consumers.” 

Réduit has created concepts that enable the elimination of over half of a formulation’s ingredients. For example, a traditional conditioner has around 35 ingredients, whereas the brand’s Precision Conditioner Hairpod has 15. “In a world that is more critical of health in every aspect of one’s life, consumers will not opt for continuous exposure to 20 chemical ingredients — and this is only one product,” stresses Peros.

Looking at its range of products, Réduit states there are hundreds of necessary chemicals that are effectively eliminated with its enhanced delivery system. “Brands will be taking note throughout the rest of 2021 and as we enter 2022, and pushing to meet the demands of every conscious wellness and beauty consumer,” Peros highlights.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist