2020 beauty trends

In these days when one must always be Instagram-ready, it’s no surprise that social conversations about beauty are on the increase. Consumer analytics platform Social Standards analyzed 235 million Instagram posts over the last year and found what’s hot and what’s not in beauty for 2020.

A few key takeaways:

• The pressure to maintain a youthful appearance is way up. Conversations about facelifts increased by 53 percent over the past year.
• Streamlining is good and multi-step beauty routines are out of touch. Social Standards found customers are looking for multifunctional ingredients and lasting looks.
• Along those same lines, consumers are looking to simplify their beauty routines. Palettes are down 17 percent.
• One-and-done options like serums and lash/brow products suggest what Social Standards called a “polished simplicity.
• As for color options, dark blues and grays are overtaking blue-green tones, and gold is waning.
• Celebrity makeup artists are getting a lot of attention — and when their names are attached to a brand, all the more so.
• Consumers aren’t so trusting anymore. Conversations around proven results — like award-winning and certified products — are on the rise.
• With a rising interest in semi-permanent treatments like lash extensions and microblading, cosmetics and skin care brands have to account for how they interact — can’t have that cleanser damaging the lash extensions.

Devon Bergman, CEO of Social Standards, says these conversations add up to one key point: “Given the shift toward highly effective but minimalistic beauty, in 2020 we wouldn’t be surprised to see consumers clearing out the clutter in their makeup bags.”