2. 2
Abstract
Beautysphere 20/20, a future-forward DDB Thinktank, brought together some of Canada’s top
beauty media and industry experts to forecast the most promising beauty trends and sales
opportunities poised to emerge over the next decade. The session focused on four key areas: 1)
The Future of Men’s Grooming, 2) Beauty Enhancements, 3) Nutricosmetics, and 4) Natural
versus Synthetic Ingredients.
This DDB chic pink paper dives into the Beautysphere
20/20 findings. It addresses such questions as: how will
men’s beauty and grooming attitudes change in the future?
When will medically-based at-home beauty applications
become commonplace? Are Canadian consumers likely to
make the connection between beauty and oral
supplements, turning “beauty diets” and “oral skincare”
everyday terms? How is the “green movement” affecting
consumer purchasing decisions and how must the beauty
industry adapt to these attitude shifts? This report
addresses each of these questions and provides an outlook
on the beauty industry’s greatest upcoming must-have
innovations.
3. 3
Introduction
Twelve of Canada’s leading authorities and media within the
beauty industry, along side consultants from DDB chic,
congregated upon The Drake Hotel in Toronto, Ontario for the
inaugural DDB chic Thinktank, entitled Beautysphere 20/20.
Their purpose was to identify and explore some of the world’s
most promising beauty trends, as they related to the Canadian
marketplace.
Beautysphere 20/20 participants included Canada’s top beauty editors from A-list women’s
magazines such as: Flare, Glow, and Fashion, as well as leading dermatologist Dr. Skotnicki-
Grant, beauty industry expert Daniel Thompson, beauty blogger Janine Falcon, Judy Inc. co-
founder, stylist and TV personality David Clemmer, make-up artist Jackie Godeon, leading
psychic Robin Cleland, etc.
Beautysphere 20/20 focused on four key areas of opportunity for sales and business growth
within the beauty industry including:
1. The Future of Men’s Grooming
2. Beauty Enhancements
3. Nutricosmetics
4. Natural versus Synthetic Ingredients
The results of their discussion and analysis are presented on the following pages.
4. 4
The Future of Men’s Grooming
Despite these uncertain economic times,
across both prestige and mass categories,
one of the biggest areas for growth lies in
men’s grooming. Many brands have
enjoyed double digit growth in this area,
year upon year, and all signs indicate that
there’s no slowing down. This consistent
development and category growth are not
fads or trends. Men’s grooming is a
mainstay. Put simply, brands who do not
keep up will lose out.
The men’s grooming category entered
mainstream consciousness with the rise of
the “meterosexual,” 10-15 years ago in
Canada. They pushed the boundaries of the
men’s grooming and beauty category when
they were 25 to 35 years old. The
Beautysphere 20/20 experts were asked to
consider the “meterosexual” of the future.
What would they be looking for? How could
their approach to beauty be described?
What would they be purchasing? What
would they be called – would there be a
specific new term to describe them?
A clear consensus among the group was
that the depth and breadth of the men’s
grooming category would continue to evolve
tremendously. It would become so
mainstream that a specific term would no
longer be needed to describe the
“meterosexual” of the future – it would
simply apply to the majority of men.
The group also cautioned that if brands
apply women’s product, marketing and sales
formulas to men’s grooming, they are likely
to miss the mark. Brands will have to pay
close attention to the unique characteristics
of the men’s grooming category as they
develop, in order to market to men
successfully.
The “Peacock Factor”
“Even though men’s grooming is turning into
a mainstream thing, we are not going to see
women and men sitting side by side
applying facial masks together in the
bathroom,” said one of the Beautysphere
20/20 experts. “I think women will
appreciate that men are working harder to
make themselves look good, but they won’t
want to see or be a part of that process.”
Socially speaking, the dynamics will be
different in contrast to the bonding
experience that many women have with their
girlfriends.
As the men’s grooming category continues
to boom, certain social expectations will
change. A hairy back in public, for example,
will no longer be accepted. People will start
to see those situations and think to
themselves, “Hey, you have options now.
Get waxed or put on a shirt!” Similarly, the
uni-brow on a man will be seen as a sign of
bad grooming and being unkept.
However, health, not primping will be the big
motivating factor in the growth of men’s
skincare in Canada. It will be the key entry
point for many men as they seek out
skincare products with SPF. The
Beautysphere 20/20 experts felt many men
will enter into a skincare regime in this
manner, and once in, they will expand their
interest into anti-aging skincare that features
technology specifically formulated for men.
From there, a multiple-step skincare routine
will become a mainstream practice. Within
ten years, it will become a norm to see the
bathroom vanity in a household half-filled
with women’s products, and half-filled with
men’s.
5. 5
So what will those products look like?
According to the group, brands that invest
into packaging their products in an
aesthetically pleasing manner will win. Men
will choose products they want to see in
their bathrooms; they will choose brands
they are proud to have their family and
friends see as well.
To this end, the number of brands entering
into the men’s category will skyrocket, and
this sector will become increasingly
competitive. The biggest category growth
drivers will be:
1. Haircare and colouring products –
beyond the quick cover the grey
solutions, this category will evolve to
include at-home colour treatments
and highlights packages specifically
designed for men; specialized men’s
cosmetic shampoos, conditioners
and hair treatments will also grow in
popularity.
2. Anti-aging skincare technology –
men will be looking for specialized
formulas that address their unique
skin attributes (skin thickness, facial
hair, etc.). Ethnic skincare will also
grow in this area, addressing
various skin types, pigments, etc.
3. Grooming – shaving offerings will
continue to expand, especially in the
high end category; luxury in men’s
grooming will grow exponentially.
4. Hybrid skincare products – while the
Canadian marketplace is not yet
ready to welcome men’s cosmetics
such as “guyliner” and foundations
into mainstream store shelves
(these offerings will continue to be
relegated to the artistic and eclectic
community), hybrid products such
as tinted moisturizers or concealer
eye creams, etc. will have real
growth potential.
5. Waxing – men’s waxing will become
much more commonplace in the
future, but the Beautysphere 20/20
experts didn’t feel that at-home
waxing kits for men would take off.
Rather, specialized professional
aesthetic services for men will
continue to grow. As such, men’s
spa services will grow considerably
over the next decade, but as
opposed to the growth of
mainstream men’s spas, these
services will be offered at health
clubs and gyms (breaking any
discomfort men might feel about
walking into a “spa” – a place still
dominated by women).
When the Beautysphere 20/20 experts were
asked what new innovation would be a
must-have by the year 2020, they nominated
two areas – men’s spa services at health
clubs, and hybrid products for men.
6. 6
Beauty Enhancements
Cosmeceuticals have become an integral
part of many women’s beauty regimes
today, and the popularity of this category will
continue to grow. Many new and emerging
technologies used for other medical
treatments are now being tested for efficacy
in beauty enhancements (e.g. cancer
treatments used to grow longer, thicker
eyelashes). According to the experts at
Beautysphere 20/20, such advancements
will make significant strides in the beauty
industry in years to come. The rapid growth
of the cosmeceutical industry will greatly
expand the options available to women
between cosmetics and skincare, and
dermatological treatments and surgery.
What will the next chapter of cosmeceuticals
look like? From correcting discolouration to
discovering new anti-aging innovations,
where will cosmeceutical technologies take
the beauty industry?
According to the Beautysphere 20/20
experts, the cosmeceuticals industry will
develop in two different areas – professional
treatments and services, and at-home
product offerings. Both areas will see sharp
growth within the near future; however, the
at-home product market in this area will
eventually wane out due to lack of perceived
efficacy and safety fears with unsupervised
at-home applications. As always, prominent
early adopters such as well-known
celebrities will continue to bring awareness
and credibility to the cosmeceutical industry.
This will be key to growing this sector.
Healthy skin will increasingly be a top
priority among the majority of consumers,
and as such, the beauty industry will also
have to tailor its work and communications
to this area. Preventative anti-aging
skincare measures will continue to grow
considerably and consumers will become
even more educated on skincare matters.
As a result, brands will have to show more
research and proven results because
consumers will be much more skeptical
about claims, questioning them more and
disbelieving them. Small-sized sample
groups will no longer suffice. Consumers
will demand real testing that garners real
results.
Developments in the cosmeceutical industry
will result in beauty regimes becoming more
medical based. Beauty dilemmas will have
to be fixed. Creating illusions will no longer
be accepted. Proactive skincare will be
about permanent or long term solutions.
Today’s patch work model will eventually be
outdated.
The biggest category growth drivers for
cosmeceuticals over the next ten years will
be:
1. The rise of at-home treatments –
certain treatments have already
been adapted and offered for home
use, such as micro-dermabrasion,
and this area of the beauty industry
will continue to grow. Future
products in this category could
include wrinkle/line “erasers”, etc.
2. Anti-aging technology – there are a
few tried tested and true anti-aging
formulations and ingredients such
as Retinol that has proven itself with
7. 7
strong scientific results. The
Beautysphere 20/20 experts believe
new innovations with increased
medical influences may give these
mainstay ingredients a run for their
money.
3. The merging of natural and organic
products – with so many educated
consumers out there who are
concerned about parabens and
toxins, the scrutiny on ingredients in
beauty products is huge.
Beautysphere 20/20 experts believe
that the pendulum will swing quite
far towards natural skincare
remedies at first before settling back
at the midline. Brands will have to
stay abreast of where their
consumer mindset is during these
shifts, and address them
accordingly in order to ensure they
remain loyal.
4. Mainstream pharma brands
introducing cosmetics – within the
cosmeceutical arena, safety is a big
issue for consumers. FDA and
Health Canada approvals are a
must, which means only large drug
companies will get serious about
developing this market. This may
lead to these mainstream pharma
brands introducing cosmetics,
leveraging a “safety reassurance”
based on their brand heritage. They
may even consider co-marketing
products with medical companies or
beauty brands to cut costs and
provide improved, technologically-
advanced products. There is a lot of
interest in this area right now, and
competition in the future will grow
considerably.
According to the Beautysphere 20/20
experts, the biggest innovation that will
become a must-have in cosmeceuticals is:
at-home treatments such as skin patches
that address discolouration and age spots,
or at-home collagen or botox injections.
Even though the group sees this trend as
short-lived, they feel this will make the
biggest impact immediately.
8. 8
Nutricosmetics
Beauty diets or oral skincare is not top-of-
mind among most Canadians. But in many
parts of the world, these are a natural part of
everyday life. For example, in parts of Asia
it is a daily norm to drink collagen in order to
maintain younger looking skin. Many
European women regularly take “beauty
vitamin” supplements. Can these kinds of
staples from other parts of the world,
influence Canadians and become a
mainstay here? In today’s global village, it
would be logical to think it is only a matter of
time before these influences burst into North
American markets.
The experts at Beautysphere 20/20 said that
in Canada, the trend of Nutricosmetics
(beauty diets or oral skincare such as
specialized vitamin formulas designed to
improve the appearance of skin, etc.) is not
an imminent one that is likely to rise to the
top. However, opportunities for expansion
do exist for beauty brands that may want to
increase their sales and growth beyond their
current categories. Nutricosmetics have the
biggest likelihood of growth in the urban
markets in Canada, where consumers are
focused on getting fast, convenient but
efficient solutions, and who are interested in
seeking out new innovations. These
consumers also don’t mind spending more
to get the results they are looking for.
Because there is no mainstream
connectivity today between beauty/skincare
and nutrition, the future success of
Nutricosmetics lies in how the industry
educates the consumer. The Beautysphere
20/20 experts feel that the bulls eye target
lies within the 35 to 42 year old
demographic. Many women in this age
group feel a sense of desperation when it
comes to anti-aging, and are therefore more
open to experimenting to satisfy their beauty
needs. Proving efficacy and establishing
credibility are also key factors for success to
see a breakthrough for Nutricosmetics in the
Canadian market. To this end, the greatest
opportunity for success lies in the prestige
category, not mass. Building on their history
of innovation, and leveraging their
established credibility will allow these brands
to expand into a new category successfully.
One factor that could have a significant
impact on the rise of Nutricosmetics in
Canada is the emerging “natural, local, slow
food” movement. Today, many consumers
have become highly conscious of what they
put in their bodies and are well educated on
how this affects their overall health. They
are fueling their bodies with natural products
to take a proactive and preventative
approach. If this movement continues to
build mainstream awareness, the beauty
industry will have a greater opportunity to
capitalize on it, and piggy back off of that
messaging to build a mainstay
Nutricosmetics industry in Canada.
The challenge will be to create value for
beauty diets, vitamins or “oral skincare” that
complement and don’t interfere with a
consumer’s existing oral healthcare/
9. 9
vitamin/supplement regimen. Establishing a
need for this kind of “oral” beauty practice
will be critical. This means that credible
Canadian research studies will have to be
conducted in order to generate both
attractive and proven claims that appeal to
the health and beauty-conscious consumer.
Industry-driven governing bodies that can
attest to the safety and efficacy of these
products will also be critical to see success.
If the beauty industry can capitalize on this
growing mainstream awareness of “what
you put in, is what you see coming out”, they
will be able to show consumers how to
better leverage the best of nature, not just
through topical products and applications,
but also through oral consumption.
The average Canadian consumer spends
approximately $2,500 a year on beauty and
grooming products. Nutricosmetics need to
be targeted to consumers who already buy
into a “healthier” lifestyle – by living green,
embracing holistic and eco-friendly lifestyles.
This industry would also need to speak to
people who have a dedicated income that
they spend on health and beauty. That pre-
existing value on beauty and health, along
with a disposable income will be necessary
for Nutricosmetics to really take off in
Canada.
Ideas to drive the rise of Nutricosmetics in
Canada over the next ten years are:
1. Mainstream beauty brands cross
over into the Nutricosmetics
category – according to the
Beautysphere 20/20 experts, this
crossover is most likely to happen
among mid to high end brands. It’s
possible too for nutritional
supplement companies to co-
partner with beauty brands to
produce a dedicated Nutricosmetics
offering.
2. Luxurious packaging –
Nutricosmetics won’t affect the
luxury skincare and beauty market
as it is today. Success will come in
this endeavor when the
Nutricosmetics offering is presented
and sold in as a value-added bonus.
The products must be beautifully
packaged and they must feel
luxurious and high end. Moreover,
consumers must believe that these
products cater to their individual
needs to provide a more
customized, personalized beauty
regime (i.e. the combination of
topical and oral beauty products).
3. At retail: introducing the ultimate
skin centre – there must be
cohesion of product lines at display
– e.g. offering moisturizers and
beauty vitamins side-by-side. In the
absence of this, consumers will not
see the natural correlation between
these two categories.
4. Marketing Nutricosmetics – brands
in this category will need to better
communicate the technological
benefits of beauty diets or oral
skincare in order to educate the
consumer and inspire them to
experiment.
5. Educating through the blogosphere
– consumers want transparency,
and they value word-of-mouth
endorsements, so the blogosphere
is a key vehicle to communicate the
Nutricosmetics message to
consumers. Here brands will attract
savvy consumers and early
adopters who are not afraid to
experiment.
According to the group, if Nutricosmetics
were to take off, the biggest innovation that
would become a mainstay by the year 2020
would be: retail/POP displays. It’s all about
creating cohesion and making the
connection between cosmetics and nutrition.
By then consumers would understand the
mutual benefits, and would see all the
products (cosmetics and nutrition) as part of
one “beauty regime.”
10. 10
Natural versus Synthetic
The experts at Beautysphere 20/20 were
asked to analyze how the green movement
was affecting consumers’ buying decisions
in the beauty category. How concerned
were consumers with their favourite brand’s
carbon footprints, especially when it involved
shipping products from international
markets? Are consumers averse to
synthetic ingredients today? How will the
beauty industry adapt to a new eco-friendly
world?
The experts all agreed that nature is
catching up. Canadian consumers want to
find natural ways of getting the same results
that synthetic ingredients give them. They
are looking for natural alternatives.
But while the natural category in beauty is
on the rise, barriers to penetration are price
and efficacy. According to the group,
prominent retailers in Canada such as
Shoppers Drug Mart and Sephora are
moving towards providing more naturally-
based offerings in beauty. This is not only
helping to educate consumers, it’s also
giving them additional beauty options to
consider in the retail environment.
There was definite consensus on the fact
that today, people are starting to evaluate all
products on their “naturalness” and their
“green credentials”. The first tier is an
evaluation of ingredients, the second is
packaging, the third tier is the brand and
product’s carbon footprints, and finally,
labour practices.
In the future, Canadian consumers will want
manufacturers to be increasingly
accountable. Today, many brands are
having to make up for their past history, as
consumers have felt let down by brands and
companies. With discussions around the
safety of plastic baby products, tainted milk
and meat products, etc. many consumers
feel like they are fending for themselves. It’s
also making consumers question what they
are putting on their skin. There’s a lot of
confusion around ingredients and production
practices. Consumers will embrace brands
and retailers that show they are trustworthy
and credible. As it is today, communication,
education and transparency will continue to
be foundations for long-term success.
When it comes to future trends in the natural
versus synthetic battle, here is what the
experts at Beautysphere 20/20 had to say:
1. Natural products replicating
synthetic efficacy - the current
perception is that synthetic
ingredients produce better results
than natural ones when it comes to
skincare. It’s hard to let go of
something with that perceived
benefit, no matter how “green” one
is trying to be. As such, consumers
will continue to search for natural
ingredients and products that
replicate synthetic effects. Brands
that can answer that quest will come
out on top.
2. Being “green” is just the norm – ten
years from now, the term “going
green” will be obsolete. It will just
be a way of life. Students today are
already being taught about reusing,
reducing and recycling, and it’s a
non-issue for them. In the future,
those principles will also be
introduced into the beauty category,
11. 11
where packaging and presentation
of products will be adapted based
on green considerations. These
changes are not likely to take effect
as quickly as with other household
products. However some
movement in this direction has
already taken place – with more to
come.
3. Clear, universal definitions of
“green” terminology – today, a lot of
confusion exists as to what
constitutes organic? What’s the
difference between natural and
organic? The definition
discrepancies will eventually work
themselves out, and consumers and
brands will be armed with common,
accepted terms that will make
communications around natural
products much clearer. Savvy
consumers will know what to look
for and what to ask for and brands
will have to market to them
accordingly.
4. A new marriage of natural and
synthetic ingredients – the debate
on which is better when it comes to
beauty ingredients – natural or
synthetic, is not likely to be solved
over the next ten years.
Sunscreens with filter technologies
used to be considered better than
those that only contained zinc or
titanium. But now, research
suggests those chemicals may be
absorbed at higher rates in the
human body than originally thought.
And suddenly new health concerns
have arisen. While natural beauty
products are often housed in
different sections at the retail level
compared to “traditional” products,
in the future, this difference won’t be
so apparent. Within the next ten
years, brands will win over
consumers by communicating how
they are using the best of both
worlds to provide optimum efficacy.
According to the Beautysphere 20/20
experts, beauty brands must remain true to
their brand heritage, which means jumping
on a “green” bandwagon and making a 180-
degree move would prove to be detrimental.
The key will be to introduce green initiatives
across the business in ways that don’t
interfere with a brand’s core identity.
Beautysphere 20/20 experts felt the biggest
innovation that will turn into a must-have in
2020 is the marriage of natural and synthetic
ingredients that work together to provide
maximum efficiency.
12. 12
Conclusion
The beauty industry is poised to see some great opportunities over the next ten years, as the
collective consciousness of Canadian consumers change with the times. If there are a few key
points worth highlighting from the Beautysphere 20/20 discussions, they are as follows:
The baseline of men’s socially-acceptable grooming is going up, and it’s moving at an incredibly
fast pace. This part of the Canadian beauty industry will see exponential growth over the next
decade. From grey hair to unsightly body hair, on a social scale men just won’t be able to get
away with things in the future, that they can ignore today. Men will be forced to become aware of
their needs as Canadians’ social expectations change, and they will have to take care of
themselves accordingly.
Drug companies could quickly become the next big competitor in the beauty industry, given the
mainstream acceptance and increased popularity of technologically and medically based beauty
enhancements. Just as the practice of colouring hair has become ubiquitous today compared to
yesteryear, cosmeceuticals will also soon become a part of this country’s everyday vernacular.
While Nutricosmetics is unlikely to take off the way cosmecueticals are, there is still an important
growing sales opportunity for mid to high end brands. Retail placement and product packaging
will be the most important determining success factors (e.g. attractively packaged oral beauty
supplements must be available for purchase along side topical beauty products). Solid research
studies will then have to back up product claims for long term sustainability.
Over the next ten years, beauty brands will likely be able to win over consumers most by merging
organic and natural ingredients into their synthetic based “technologically-advanced” offerings.
Efficacy will continue to drive sales, however accountability and eco-consciousness will move up
to the top of consumers’ wish lists and these factors will dictate purchasing decisions. As such,
many brands will be forced to re-evaluate their product formulations, productions/operations and
marketing as a whole in order to stay competitive. Consumers will say, “I want a product that
works, but it can’t be responsible for poisoning our lakes or impacting the health of our children.”
They will research their favourite brands, and will be intimately familiar with their track records.
One last trend worth noting falls beyond the four main categories covered in this report. That is –
the new way in which consumers seek out and exchange information. For example: a woman
may hear about a new efficacious beauty ingredient at a cocktail party. Almost instantly, she can
google it. She can collect her information from numerous sources. She can try it, rate it online,
twitter about it, join a Facebook group (for or against it) and the discussions continue seemingly in
perpetuity. Beauty brands today, across all categories – mass, prestige, indie, etc. must ensure
their voice is represented in these new interwoven communication platforms, among these instant
“citizen journalism” editorials. No matter how exclusive a brand is, for mere survival in the future,
it will have to partake in these dialogues.
For the beauty industry, these are the new rules by which to play.
For more information on research and services provided by DDB chic, please contact:
Martine Lévy, Managing Director, DDB chic, 416.972.7719 | martine.levy@ddbchic.com
