What are the leading body care trends?

09 Jun 2021 --- With body care leveraging the success of hand sanitizers to show the ability and sophistication of the sector, evolving sanitizers, body wellness and facial ‘skinspiration’ are dominating the body care sphere.  

According to Innova Market Insights data, the body care category shows a slight negative growth in 2020 versus 2016. However, it still demonstrates a stable growth trend, with Europe the leading region for new product development (NPD) in the second half (H2) of 2020; a position it has held for the past three years. 

Affordability is an important decision-making factor among consumers, and consumer confidence in brand and products’ claims, labels and marketing is paramount. As body care prepares to bounce back with new and exciting ingredients, formats and claims that spur NPD opportunities, we take a look at the key trends and drivers impacting the body care consumer space.  

Click to EnlargeHand care revolves around hydration and preventing germs. 

1.    Hand hygiene

Hand care is an integral part of the body care sector in today’s beauty and personal care (BPC) industry. Hygiene and sanitizers are a core component of our everyday body care essentials range. 

Opportunities revolve around body care products that hydrate the hands and prevent germs from entering the body through cracked skin. Hydration claims on hand sanitizers represent an evolution of consumers’ skin concerns relating to regular hand washing and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

New launches that offer extra care after disinfection, post-hand washing and post-sanitizing are putting the ‘care’ into hand care as frequent hand washing can cause damage to our skin, making them dry, irritable and sore. 

Brands need to consider the claims they include, however, any additional skin care claims, such as ‘skin-friendly,’ need to be supportive and secondary of its main claim for any hand sanitizing product, which is its efficacy. 

Hand care with microbiome-friendly and probiotic claims may also push the body care sector forward by addressing consumer concerns that hand washing and hand sanitization can remove the skin’s friendly bacteria.

 2.    Holistic wellbeingClick to EnlargeConsumers want to pamper their whole bodies, not just the face.

Throughout the pandemic, consumers are increasingly focusing on their self-care routines to support their wellness. Proving that self-care in beauty is not only confined to makeup and facial skin care—consumers want to pamper their whole bodies too.

With a growing interest in self-care, consumers are also favoring a greater demand for natural and lighter-textured body care products to create a feel-good sensorial experience. Driven by the desire to showcase a fresh glow amid stressful lifestyles, self-care-based launches that consider holistic health are prevalent.

In a self-care ritualistic practice known as ‘pandemic pampering,’ BPC consumers turn to body care products to support their efforts to overcome anxiety, stress and boredom. The sensorial experience of applying body care products strives to help consumers decompress and connect with themselves and humanity.

Soap strategies and bathing basics also gained traction as new routines prioritizing the importance of relaxing, detoxing and cleansing holds strong in the body care space. In the bathing and soap category, cleansing routines are driving launches and engagement. 

In the first two weeks of lockdown, hand soap was the most purchased personal care product, a US survey by Poshly revealed, Innova stated in its Trends Insider: Top 10 Trends in Europe report. The consumer insights platform also highlighted how soaps are set to propel the space forward, with a focus on innovation to spark added interest.

Body wellness and the concept of home cocooning have directed brands’ launch initiatives. As such, products entering the market are focusing on striving to help de-stress, calm, support relaxation, and aid sleep. The whole environment and body care experience is also front and center with newly released products seeking to appeal to the senses.

Body care products that aim to bring the professional spa-based environment to in-home care routines are also formidable, with brands looking to offer quality and efficacious product collections that are typically associated with spa professionals. 

3.    Inspiration from facial skin care

Amid the pandemic, skin care is driving our self-care routines and habits as a way to boost confidence, that feel-good factor and overall wellbeing. Body care became far more than simply hand sanitizer with a single purpose function. Body lotions, moisturizers and oils was the top subcategory for NPD in the second half (H2) of 2020. Brightening/illuminating, exfoliating and antioxidants are among the popular claims recorded during H2 2020, reveals Innova’s Body Care Trends Analysis released in April 2021.

Moisturizing and hydrating is the most prominent positioning for NPD in body care, with claims leading the category. We are seeing products that aim to provide optimal moisturizing effects with vitamin E and natural moisturizing factor granules; extracts that claim to deeply moisturize the skin; scrubs that strive to purify and moisturize the whole body’s skin; and oils that help to regenerate, moisturize and add softness to the skin.

The body care category is also seeing a wide selection of botanical ingredients such as Ginkgo Biloba, seed, mugi and marigold extracts that seek to add benefits such as moisturization and hydration to the skin as well as appeal to consumer demands for natural ingredients. 

Niches within the body care industry that appeal to specific target audiences are also featuring highly. The body care space is currently seeing launches emerge for pregnancy-related products that contain claims detailing their suitability for pregnant women or specifying that the formulation was made specifically for pregnant women. 

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist