While beauty trends tend to be less dramatically ‘in’ and then ‘out’ than they used to be, 2022 still had its fair share of them. Some move faster, thanks to their birth on social media platforms and our desire for new online content. Some, like transformative skincare ingredients, stick around for longer and evolve more slowly, given production lead times and research and development.
In a post-pandemic world where the pandemic actually trails on, our approach to our routines has been both downsized and upsized. By that we mean the emergence of more simplistic beauty routines (think the minimalist makeup trend), and also that occasional motivation to go bold and embrace the joy that makeup and skincare can bring. (Think Julia Fox’s dramatic eyeliner moment).
Even if we’re doing less, we’re demanding more of our products. It’s something that has given rise to a new wave of hybrid skincare and makeup items and overnight masks and treatments that work while we catch some ZZZs.
What will carry over to 2023? It remains to be seen but if you want a hint, social media platform Pinterest has recently analysed traffic and searches to predict what might make a splash.
Here are all the biggest beauty trends that made their mark this year:
Minimalist moment
So long full-coverage, farewell contouring. This trend embraced a makeup look that appeared pared back, focusing on fresh, dewy and natural-looking skin and monochromatic eye and lip makeup, if any is used at all. The trend has seen the popularity of hybrid skin tints with skincare properties, combined with mascara, brush-through brow product, cream blush, and lip balm or gloss.
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TikTok trending
If the trend-related terms ‘slugging’, ‘siren eyes’, ‘I’m cold makeup’ and ‘crying makeup’ fail to ring any bells, you might not be of the 1 billion active users of the social media video sharing app TikTok. If you are using the app, the platform’s algorithm is likely to have served you videos on one of these trending beauty approaches. This year has clearly demonstrated TikTok is instrumental in launching beauty trends that often trickle into mass appeal and influence subsequent product releases.
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Man oh man
While celebrity beauty brands continued with their release schedule apace – new arrivals included those from Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts, Gwen Stefani and more – the spotlight was snatched by the males also getting in on the act. There was much discussion around those, like Brad Pitt and Jared Leto, that had previously shown little interest in the beauty industry but launched skincare lines this year anyway. Other launches included those from Idris Elba, Harry Styles and even Elon Musk.
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Hailey Bieber’s year
There can be little talk of the beauty industry without mentioning Bieber’s influence this year. One of the celebrity launches with ‘cut through’, Bieber’s Rhode Beauty launched in June with a small handful of products. The line quickly leapt to popularity on the back of Bieber’s signature look prominently displayed on TikTok and Instagram, a glossy skin look she called ‘glazed donut skin,’ created with a hydrating gel-serum. Her follow-up lip balm product, Peptide Lip treatment was quickly a sell-out and regular top-ups to her online store are also quickly snapped up.
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Dramatic hair looks
Elements of the 70s shag was the look to try if you were hip and game with your hair this year, but if you really wanted to display your trend nous? It was the much talked about ‘wolf cut’ and subsequent more dramatic ‘jellyfish cut’ to try. Nicole Kidman’s version of the jellyfish in the pages of Perfect magazine were lapped up by those in the know. The jellyfish cut has disconnected layers that resemble a short bob with longer layers underneath. Just call it a thoroughly modern mullet.
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Graphic eyeliner
In the wake of extended mask-wearing, eyeliner started strong this year, and only got stronger. That’s thanks in part to another influential figure, Julia Fox, and her penchant for exaggerated winged eyeliner that dominated celebrity gossip sites this year.
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Wellness in beauty
It’s not enough for a beauty brand to colour your lips or boost your skin, these days discerning consumers are seeking further wellness and holistic benefits from their products. For example, Moon Juice includes adaptogenic reishi mushroom extract in its AHA exfoliant while ‘energising’ fragrance brand Vyrao includes a ‘supercharged Herkimer diamond crystal energised by the brand’s healer, Louise Mita’. The brand says Herkimer diamonds are known to clear, amplify and raise energy.
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Skin barrier focus
Instead of jumping in with numerous products and aggressive exfoliants, 2022 was the year we embraced ‘skin kindness’, increasingly selecting gentle products that focus on balancing skin’s natural microbiome and its protective barrier function.
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Image (top): @Gigihadid
