The document discusses trends that will shape the beauty industry in 2015, including: 1) Continued influence from Asian beauty trends like lightweight "liquid care" products and niche fragrances gaining popularity over celebrity scents. 2) Growing interest in "smart" beauty devices that analyze skin and provide personalized feedback via mobile apps. 3) Beauty brands adapting to changing demographics and increasingly catering to multicultural consumers in Canada. 4) Digital technologies revolutionizing customer service and mobile shopping, with brands focusing on engaging consumers online.

1. T R E N D S T H A T W I L L S H A P E 2 0 1 5
54
WITH INTENSE GLOBAL COMPETITION FOR THE ATTENTION OF INCREASINGLY SAVVY
CONSUMERS, SUCCESS IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY CALLS FOR NONSTOP INNOVATION. WHAT
TO EXPECT IN THE YEAR AHEAD, FROM NEXT-GEN GADGETS TO NOVEL SKINCARE TO THE RISE
OF NICHE FRAGRANCE
BY TRACEY HO LUNG
THE
FUTURE
OF
BEAUTY
SPRING 2015
T R E N D S T H A T W I L L S H A P E 2 0 1 5

2. 1
2T H E
ASIAN
I N F L U E N C E
55
FIRST CAME THE BB AND CC
CREAM CRAZE, the popular-
ized-in-Korea skincare/makeup
hybrids that landed in North
America circa 2012. Next came
sheet masks (disposable, se-
rum-soaked fabric treatments
for the face) and sleeping
masks (gel-creams that work
as we snooze), both new prod-
SMART(ER)
B E A U T Y
D E V I C E S
CALL IT THE CLARIONIC EFFECT: the massive
success of the 14-year-old sonic cleansing brush has
lead to numerous copycats—and rising consumer
interest in beauty hardware. Market research from
The NPD Group Canada found that purchases of
facial devices in 2014 were up 83 percent in this
country.
Such tools appeal to consumers who want more
for their dollar, comfort-seekers who like to carry
out spa-like treatments whenever and wherever they
want, and beauty enthusiasts who want results fast.
“They are the most effective and convenient way
to achieve a professional
beauty finish at home,”
confirms Jamie Mills,
associate analyst at Data-
monitor, pointing out that
the trend has ushered in
devices such as Dr. Scholl’s
Express Pedi and the Ther-
adome Laser Helmet. “You
put it on your head and it’s
supposed to encourage hair
growth and reduce bald-
ness,” explains Mills.
While Clarisonic contin-
ues to upgrade its pioneer-
ing tool (the newest model,
Smart Profile, is embedded
with an RFID chip to
enable a preprogrammed
cleansing routine), other
companies are trying to sell
consumers on breakthrough
new tech. Take the Oku
Skin Health Sensor, an
iPhone-compatible, cube-
like gizmo that promises to give users feedback
on their skin. Unveiled at the 2015 International
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and expected
to launch this spring, the $249 USD device has an
optical sensor that peers into the epidermis. It then
sends readings on skin characteristics like moisture,
texture and wrinkles to the accompanying app, and
dishes advice on lifestyle and dietary changes for a
better complexion.
Similarly, Panasonic’s upcoming “magic mirror,”
also revealed at CES, claims to analyze skin and
offer scientifically backed beauty tips. It will even
show users what they’d look like with different
hairstyles or makeup looks, plus track the progres-
sion of wrinkles so they know if that fancy cream
is doing what it says it will. Another tool coming
to market is Kolibree, a toothbrush that uses 3-D
motion sensor technology to give people real-time
feedback—via a grid—on where they have and ha-
ven’t brushed.
While many of these “smart” devices aren’t cheap,
analysts are forecasting they’ll still do well. “One of
the primary drivers is long-term investment,” says
Mills. For consumers, the belief is “if you invest in
a beauty device now, you can use it over and over
again, and there’s the convenience of doing it at
home. Over time it is seen as more cost-effective.”
uct categories imported to the
West in the past two years. Al-
though we’ve been seeing this
trend for a while, it’s still going
strong: beauty inventions and
traditions originating in Asia—
where skincare and makeup
tech is far ahead of the game—
will continue to migrate over
here in 2015.
Korea, in particular, is still
leading the way. “Korean con-
sumers are young—they are
economically dynamic, digitally
active and have high expecta-
tions. The [beauty] industry is
there to meet and provide for
all their needs,” explains Flor-
ence Bernardin, founder and
CEO of Information and Inspi-
ration, an agency that provides
COSMETICSMAG.COM

3. 3
4 IN CANADA, visible minorities will
make up 31 percent of the popula-
tion by 2031, according to a study
by The NPD Group Canada. And
the competition will be fierce to nab
these consumers, meaning that beauty companies will either have to blur the lines between
general and multicultural beauty, or begin offering products tailored to each market. From its
inception, Canadian makeup brand Vasanti has been in tune with multicultural consumers.
“Embracing diversity and recognizing similarities among all women is part of our corporate
DNA. That’s why we’ve never used titanium dioxide, which leaves an ashy finish on anyone
with a bit of colour,” says Priti Patel, marketing director at Vasanti.
Moving forward, connecting with consumers will take more than appointing diverse
spokesmodels. Market research firm Kline & Co. recently noted that in areas with a sizable
ethnic community, brands are hiring more beauty advisors fluent in the language. Ad cam-
paigns are also being fine-tuned to suit local markets: “You can’t have a blanket marketing ap-
proach for a country as multicultural as Canada,” says Silva. “You have to be more genuine.”
56
insights on the Asian market to
companies like L’Oréal.
The next in-demand im-
port: skincare with super-fluid
textures—such as toner-like
hydrating lotions, essences and
emulsions—made to fulfill Asian
women’s preference for the
thinnest veil of moisture. “We
call this liquid care, or watery
care. The products are very
light and non-greasy,” says Ber-
nardin. “It’s very different than
traditional moisturizers in Eu-
rope—rich creams that typically
suit women in their 50s or 60s.”
Getting a head start, this
past January, Lancôme brought
Énergie De Vie Milky Lotion and
Lotion-in-Gel, both originally
developed specifically for Asian
women, to counters in Canada.
Other on-trend spring launches
include La Prairie Cellular Swiss
Ice Crystal Emulsion (see page
38), Sisley Sisleÿa Essential Skin
Care Lotion and Biotherm Life
Plankton Essence.
Consumers who want to
shop Asian-made brands can
also get their hands on more
options: last year, TheFace-
Shop—the LG-owned Korean
cosmetic retailer that operates
more than 2,300 stores world-
wide—rolled out brick-and-mor-
tar stores in Ontario, Quebec,
B.C. and Alberta. The brand’s
vast, budget-friendly assort-
ment includes cleansing foams,
toners, emulsions, essences/
serums, sheet masks and more.
Meanwhile, the Racinne line
of Korean stem-cell-enhanced
skincare is slated to hit shelves
at a major retail chain in Can-
ada this summer.
THIS YEAR, RETAILERS WILL increasingly court fragrance-philes with
niche offerings and enhanced personalization. In a recent report, Euro-
monitor beauty and personal care analyst Nicholas Micallef observed
that consumers have become more selective and price-sensitive: they
would rather splurge on a fine fragrance less frequently, for instance,
rather than buy what seems like a commonplace scent.
Hardest hit by this revelation are celebrity fragrances, which experi-
enced a 30 percent slide in sales in 2014, reports Sandy Silva, beauty re-
search analyst at The NPD Group Canada. The bright spots in sales were
for perfumes launched by jewellery brands, which went up 20 percent,
and for artisanal fragrances, up 8.6 percent. “There is the prestige allure
with jewellery scents, and consumers view artisanal as [having] elevated
luxury and a feeling of newness,” explains Silva.
The growing appeal of such alterna-scents may explain Estée Lauder’s
recent purchase of Le Labo and Frédéric Malle Editions de Parfums, as
well as Puig’s just-announced acquisition of Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan
Parfumeur—all indie labels with cult
followings.
At beauty counters, perfume con-
sumers are looking for a personal touch.
Rather than seeking out a signature spritz
from off-the-shelf options, there’s more
interest in mixing their own scent and
getting fragrance education. “Selfridges
has something [new] called the Fragrance
Lab, where they do a personality test and
then the consumer is matched with his or
her fragrance,” says Ramaa Chipalkatti,
senior analyst at Datamonitor. Saks Fifth
Avenue in New York also recently opened
a fragrance library, allowing consumers
to learn about a scent’s heritage before
they buy.
A L T E R N A T I V E
SCENTS
T H E
MULTICULTI
M A R K E T
S P R I N G 2015

4. 57
want. Businessweek reported
that as of September 2014,
Makeup Genius had been down-
loaded 1.7 million times in the
U.S. and France.
At beauty counters, tech
tools are enabling innovative
customer service. This Decem-
ber, Yves Saint Laurent intro-
duced Google Glass at select
Hudson’s Bay stores in Toronto
and Montreal: makeup artists
don the cool, video-recording
eyewear while giving make-
overs, then clients take home a
copy of their session on a USB
key. The beauty brand plans to
continue testing the glasses
across Canada in 2015.
5DIGITAL
C U S T O M E R
S E R V I C E
ECO, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL
causes are top of mind, and consum-
ers will increasingly make decisions
based on how a brand handles issues
that resonate with them. In the
U.K., 33 percent of consumers claim
they’re influenced by a company’s
environmental policies when buy-
ing products, according to a recent
Mintel U.K. study. It also found that
the younger generation in the U.S.
(19- to 26-year-olds, accustomed
to making their voices heard using
digital platforms) is driving “political
purchasing,” with 18 percent of them
buying from companies that support
LGBT issues. There’s also growing
demand for product transparency,
with consumers wanting to educate
themselves on what’s inside what they
buy. Apps like Think Dirty let users
plug in a product name to identify
ingredients it deems “dirty,” while
GoodGuide rates products on their
social, eco and health impact.
SMARTPHONES AND
TABLETS have revolution-
ized the way consumers
interact with brands and
purchase products—now
possible virtually anywhere,
even in flight. Conse-
quently, companies will
need to find creative ways
to capitalize on conve-
nience, mobile apps and
social media.
This idea of a one-step
checkout is growing, with
Facebook still testing its
“buy” button, which will
allow users to purchase a
product directly from a
business without leaving
the social-networking site.
Meanwhile, Twitter’s “buy
now” button (currently
only available to a small percentage of U.S. users) may soon
enable consumers to purchase items with the click of an in-
dividual tweet. Companies are also testing the use of tweets
as virtual money: before the official launch of Marc Jacobs
Daisy in the U.K. last year, consumers were able to buy the
fragrance early from the pop-up shop in Covent Garden by
sending a tweet that included the hashtag #MJDaisyChain.
TO COMPETE IN the digital
world, the search is on for new
ways to captivate customers
and provide a unique online ex-
perience. One way is the “omni-
channel” approach: integrating
all of a brand’s resources—
spokesmodels, red-carpet looks,
how-to vlogs, promotions, and
Facebook, Twitter and Insta-
gram feeds—into one site, so
consumers can receive all their
beauty information without
ever leaving. Another route is to
develop interactive tools (such
as apps) to engage a tech-savvy
audience. Both strategies are
currently used by L’Oréal Paris,
which recently launched the
Makeup Genius app. Using facial
recognition technology, it lets
users “try on” various makeup
shades virtually. Although it’s
designed for a game-like sense
of fun, it also lets consumers
shop products whenever they
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7O N - T H E - G O
SHOPPING
ETHICAL
C O N S U M E R I S M
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THE FUTURE OF BEAUTY