Active ingredients, ‘Shower Tok’ trends, mood-enhancing scents and unusual textures have all contributed to our new obsession with body products and it’s only set to get bigger and better. Vitality Editor Becci Vallis looks at all the latest developments.
At the start of this year Pinterest revealed that searches for ‘body skincare routine’ were up 1025% from the previous year, while Sephora predicted that ‘skinification of the body’ would be taking over in 2024. They weren’t wrong and as a beauty trend, it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Another fallout from the pandemic when people had more time to focus on self-care and embrace beauty rituals and elevated bathing experiences, people created new habits of caring for the skin below their neck they’ve stuck with it.
Education around certain ingredients has also driven demand. “Consumers are now more interested in chemical exfoliants for the body such as BHA and AHA-rich body washes, serums and peels and they want to tackle concerns like ingrown hairs and rough textured skin,” explains Dr Sonia Khorana, GP and Derm Expert for Hero Cosmetics.
Lisa Payne, Head of Beauty at trends forecasting agency, Stylus, agrees. “Young, independent start-up brands are really driving trends in this space, developing and introducing out-of-the-box products with sophisticated scents, as well as a diversity in product types – think anti-chafe sticks and whole-body deodorants.”
Enter the actives
To achieve noticeable and targeted results requires the same hard-hitting ingredients as your facecare. “This approach is known as ‘technical bodycare’ and it ensures that the products are effective and can deliver the same benefits to the skin on your body,” says Dr Anna Persaud, CEO of This Works. “The skin on your body does feel and behave differently though, so it won’t respond in the same way to these ingredients. For example, the skin on our feet is much thicker compared to the skin on our neck and chest which is exposed to more environmental factors.”
Retinol, AHAs, BHAs, PHAs, niacinamide, vitamin C – you name it, the clinically proven skincare heroes are now being added into formulas for the body too, with brands such as 47 Skin, Paula’s Choice, Naturium, Face Theory, The Inkey List and The Ordinary (to name a few) all incorporating these gold standard ingredients into bodycare.
As to whether they’re needed – now more than ever people are complaining of skin conditions from head to toe, be it keratosis pilaris, bacne, dullness, dryness or uneven skin tone. “One of the reasons I was so inspired to create a bodycare range was because my patients in clinic were increasingly presenting with body skin concerns such as breakouts, dry skin, crepey skin and pigmentation,” admits Dr Alexis Granite, Consultant Dermatologist and founder of super cool bodycare brand, Joonbyrd. “It is an oversight to only focus on the skin on our faces.”
Let’s also remember that as a population we’re more active than our predecessors – hello sweaty bodies; more stressed than before – hello inflammation, and probably not eating or sleeping as well as we could (but regardless of that documenting our lives on social media more). It means that skin concerns on the body become not only noticeable, but a growing issue.
On the flipside, the awareness is bringing with it solutions and education. “Previously a lot of people would have ignored things like bacne or been too embarrassed to seek help, but people are far more educated now,” admits Dr Sonia.
In salon solutions
It makes sense that if consumers are seeking out advice and products to deal with bodycare, they’re going to be looking for treatments and expertise in this area too. “People want body treatments that provide visible results and address specific skin concerns, not just relaxation. By offering science-backed, technical bodycare and treatments, beauty therapists and experts can better meet the needs of today’s consumers,” says Dr Anna.
If you already offer body treatments, think about how you can give your clients more of a takeaway. A physical body scrub is often standard, but could you incorporate chemical exfoliants into the treatment as well? If you offer extraction and LED in your facials, could you extend that to the back and chest, or any problem areas your client is experiencing? Why not have the option to finish the massage with a retinol body cream or serum? It’s also an ideal opportunity to promote your retail offerings so if certain brands you already sell have introduced bodycare ranges, there’s the opportunity to create a tailored bodycare plan, as you would a skincare programme.
Scent stories
Alongside the increase in actives in bodycare, there has been a growing interest in the importance of fragrance and scenting too. “Bodycare should go beyond the physical benefit of the product itself and encourage a practice of self-compassion,” continues Dr Anna. “Our nervous system and ultimately our mood is impacted by cues that come from our body and our surroundings. Smell is arguably one of the most powerful senses and it’s through experiencing different smells that we can harness our nose-brain connection to impact our mood. Our Perfect range was formulated with this in mind using an essential oil ‘Functional Fragrance’ blend proven in fMRI studies to activate areas of the brain associated with reward, memory and emotion.”
Just like we’ve seen people choosing their new perfumes based on how they want to feel, people are now choosing the bodycare collections on the same reasoning. It also chimes in with the swerve beauty is taking towards wellness. “Bodycare not only benefits the skin but provides a moment of self-care which we now realise is so important to our overall wellbeing,” explains Dr Alexis. “Joonbyrd was born out of what I love most about being a dermatologist – helping patients feel confident in their own skin, and my grandmother’s legacy of finding joy in self-care. The name is a nod to her – joon means soul, spirit or life in Farsi – my grandmother’s native language - and our formulas are designed to be seriously effective yet sensitively kind.”
What’s next in bodycare?
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s on the horizon. “Hand care and foot care routines are becoming very popular on social media and fragrance is definitely back in the spotlight,” says Dr Sonia. At Stylus, they’re predicting a strong movement towards whole-body rejuvenation in spas that incorporates biohacking and body treatments and links to the longevity trend. “Lymphatic drainage is also becoming more of a buzzword in treatments and includes products that promise to help sculpt the body,” flags Lisa. It’s no doubt why Dr Alexis decided to incorporate a body Gua Sha tool in her line-up too.
In terms of technology and formulas, this is where the ‘skinification’ trend continues. Body serums, masks, body ‘spot stickers’ that cover a larger service area, body toners, and mists that help target tricky to reach areas with active ingredients are all appearing on shelves. Murad has recently launched Body Pads and a Clarifying Body Spray. And let’s not forget the product textures, feeding into the TikTok trends with whipped mousses, gels, clays and jellies all splattered across social media, it brings the element of ‘play’ back into beauty.
Multi-tasking products which have been catching on in skincare are also appearing – the Germaine de Capuccini Timexpert Sun Blue Protective Bi-Phase Antioxidant SPF 30 uses Tan Activating Technology to increase the intensity of your tan, whilst hydrating and revitalising the skin. Another innovative does-everything product is Lush’s Solid Sunscreen Wash - eco-friendly, practical and encouraging people to use SPF protection daily, this wash-on formula takes showering and moisturising and then uplevels it by adding SPF.
Planet-positive packaging and more sustainable formats are on the horizon too. Plastic-free, waterless products such as AKT deodorant, shower bars like Sbtrct Daily Product Cleanse and Eco Warrier’s Solid Shave Bar and the biodegradable shower sheets from Plus prove it’s a category that is continuing to flourish.
Finally, there’s the element of AI and personalisation. Again, becoming the norm in facial routines, it’s something bodycare brands will likely start to consider in 2025 - Skin+Me don’t offer it yet but there are whisperings it’s something they want to look into. Providing formulas developed for consumer’s specific skincare issues, be it pigmentation, blemishes, stretch marks, combined with sensory experiences, it’s clear that the mind-body connection and demand for beneficial body products is only set to surge further.