Read our updated trends report here: 2024 Skincare Industry Trends

Clarkston’s team of health and beauty consultants have highlighted the top skincare industry trends that businesses should consider. Read all five trends for 2023 by downloading the full report here.

Skincare is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has become the fastest-growing category in beauty. With social media giving headway to research about home treatments, affordable dupes, and seemingly a new “miracle ingredient” every few months, this sector continues to boom. On the app TikTok alone, the hashtag #skincare has an enormous 138.2 billion views and counting, with experts and influencers alike sharing their routines, top tips, and favorite products. With all of this buzz, it’s no surprise that the global skincare market was valued at $146.29 billion in 2021, and it’s expected to reach a value of $207.22 billion by 2028. 

With the global skincare market poised for growth, there are bigger and better treatments, products, tools, and innovations to come in this sector, creating an opportunity for well-informed brands to capitalize on upcoming trends and shifts in consumer behavior.

2023 Skincare Industry Trends

Trend #1: Proactive Protection from Aging with Non-Invasive Treatments 

Millennials and Gen Z are the biggest contributors in the market for beauty and personal care. However, these consumers in their 20s and 30s aren’t just seeking a cure for aging – they’re trying to prevent it before it happens. Retinols, facials, and night creams are being joined by non-invasive treatments, such as LED facials and skin rejuvenations, all dubbed as “notox” products and devices that help to replicate the effects of a cosmetic procedure without the cost, pain, and downtime. 

The facial sculpting tools like the gua sha, facial massagers, and ice rollers we began to see in 2020 are only growing in popularity into 2023, with accelerating advancements in technology, increased availability of inexpensive options on the market, and the popularity of “results” or “transformation videos” circulating the internet via Tik Tok and Instagram platforms. Further, home devices such as vibration therapy and LED light therapy will continue to increase in popularity as a way to achieve your best skin without the need for expensive, invasive treatments. 

Download the Full 2023 Skincare Industry Trends Report Here

Trend #2: A Renewed Focus on Microbiome Skincare 

Gut health has been a trending topic among wellness influencers, with its benefits ranging from digestion and de-bloating to sleep and mood enhancement. The correlation between the gut’s microbiome and overall health has become not only mainstream but has also sparked interest in what other microbiomes, such as the skin microbiome layer, might experts previously have overlooked. This will also be a focus of marketing tactics in years to come, with the microbiome market projected to reach $269 million in the next year and skyrocket to $1,370 million in the next six years.   

We know disruptions of the microbiome are associated with an altered skin barrier function, like dryness, premature aging, and even acne breakouts. Influencers and brands alike have welcomed the notion to view the skin as a living ecosystem as this supports broader trends for more natural, holistic, and healthy beauty. From skin microbiome-friendly cleansers and moisturizers to skin microbiome-enhancing probiotic mists and serums, there’s plenty of room to innovate and potentially also redefine or reposition established products within brands. As the microbiome becomes a new mainstream focus in the self-care and wellness world for 2023, we will see increasingly more products hitting the market advertising benefits such as “probiotic,” “prebiotic,” and “fermented” in their labeling. 

Trend #3: Skincare + Whole Body Wellness 

Treating the skin on your body just as well as the skin on your face will be a focus of whole-body wellness and self-care in 2023. Products that combine skincare and body care are already on the rise, but the trend will only get bigger in the next year. Built on the foundation of body positivity, brands will be moving into products focused on real-life concerns that were considered “taboo” in the past, such as body acne, bloating, keratosis pilaris, stretch marks, and razor bumps.   

Top brands like Cerave, The Ordinary, and Olaplex have been given an opportunity to hone in on individual concerns of people “oversharing” online on platforms like Tiktok, YouTube, and Instagram about their body skincare problems and exchanging advice or solutions. This sets the stage for lots of innovation in the body-care space in the upcoming years for brands who can continue to leverage this growing trend, going beyond the basics of exfoliation and moisturizing for the face and exploring total body skincare solutions.   

2023 will be the year of embracing wellness of the whole body and caring for body skincare concerns with innovative products like body serums, body masks, and body sculpting tools continuing to enter the market. Continue reading by downloading the full report below.

Download the Full 2023 Skincare Industry Trends Report Here

Read last year’s Skincare Industry Trends Report here.

Contributions from Julia Hoffman