A favourite of Cleopatra, oils were historically incorporated into beauty regimens, and it seems that for beauty what goes around comes around, with oils triumphantly back in favour. With dozens of new oil-embracing products launching daily, BD takes a look at just where the sector is heading in the future.
Oils today
PR associate Nikole Duong says: “The rise of ancient beauty rituals have really come full circle in the beauty industry – using products and ingredients that have been tried, tested and trusted. This was really proven when argan oil and moroccan oil came back as buzz ingredients for the skin, face, body and even hair.”
regional trainer Charlotte Hoye agrees: “Oils can be dated back to Ancient Egyptians… in recent years, the desire for oils has increased starting with hair care and has now cascaded into facial skincare.” Argan, rosehip, and jojoba are common on beauty shelves, with more exotic offerings (such as the camellia oil embraced by The Body Shop) also gaining ground. The reasoning behind their return? “Consumers have realised that oils are suitable for all skin types and leave the skin with the healthy radiant glow that many modern consumers desire,” says Hoye.
The interest in oils is booming, with the numbers speaking for themselves. Olivia Watson of comments: “The market has increased significantly (by 20 to 30 per cent) according to the euro stats. It is the single biggest growing trend in beauty.” in-house beauty expert Corinne Morley agrees the appeal has been impressive: “In both New Zealand and Australia, the penetration of beauty oils in the market is still relatively small, accounting for 3 per cent of consumer spending. [But] as of the beginning of 2016, we were selling a bottle of Trilogy rosehip oil every 22 seconds and [the] demand continues to increase!”
Public opinion
Consumer education on the benefits of oils has dramatically shifted over time. “I think people were scared of using oils as they might cause a breakout and there was a lack of recognition about their benefits.” Swisse Skincare product developer Selina Mithen continues: “The perception of oils in the past was that they were heavy and too greasy to use regularly on the skin, and that they [may] cause skin breakouts, so they weren't a popular choice for consumers. Consumers have now caught on that pure, natural oils are very lightweight and absorb very well into the skin.”
Shoppers are now also understanding the multiple ways in which oils can be incorporated into a beauty routine. Senior brand manager of Christina Diamond comments: “There has been increased awareness about the use of natural oils in your make-up routine, whether it be as a primer, a concealer base or an additive to your favourite foundation, oils are proving to be a multi-purpose beauty tool that is accessible to a large variety of beauty lovers.”
For Morley, oils were previously ignored out of habit. She comments: “Moisturisers have been the go-to product for hydration and skin nourishment for decades. And for years the oils that were available were mostly used for therapeutic benefits (think aromatherapy) or for spa massage treatments and therefore associated more as a body application than facial skincare.” Those beauty oils on the market were often unsophisticated: “The few facial beauty oils available were usually mineral oil-based, which can leave a greasy film on the skin and disappointing results,” she continues.
botanical chemist Annabelle Personeni says oil popularity is a direct by-product of consumers eager to simplify an overly complicated beauty world. “Since the ‘80s, the skincare world has been in a race for the most high tech concepts and actives, the most advanced textures and packagings, and most consumers have followed, thinking that more is always better. I think that today's consumers understand that simplicity is often the best way to look after one's skin. There is a reform to return [to] the basics.”
Education of the benefits of oils and their specific ingredients is rising, along with the best ways to use them. Australia national education manager Ben Ferguson comments: “A trend being seen not just in the oil category, but across skincare as a whole, is layering. It is a great way to maximise your results as each product has a specific benefit or function to the skin. Oils are just one part of this skincare regimen. Each layer has a specific benefit and by layering, as opposed to mixing, each works more effectively.”
Powerful partnerships
While singular oils are flying off the shelves, the next few months will see a range of hybrids hit the market. Morley says it is a natural progression to formulate oils with different benefits, providing consumers with a multitude of benefits from the single product. “There are some incredibly effective botanical ingredients, backed up with strong clinical data, which simply weren’t available a few years ago. There are so many natural oils being identified which offer different and complementary benefits for the skin, I think we’ll see more blends coming out which target specific skin concerns. Glycablend™, our newest plant oil innovation, is a prime example. Combining blueberry, strawberry, pomegranate and chia seed oils, it’s designed specifically to combat glycation, one of the key causes of skin ageing.”
Personeni agrees hybrids are next on the oil sector agenda: “Oil blends will bring a more complete approach to skincare, compared to pure single oils which can lack certain vitamins or have a narrow profile of fatty acids. I am certain that the skincare industry will find many ways to complicate the delivery of oils and try and create gimmicky concepts [but] my view is that for health and beauty, simplicity is best, because you know exactly what you are applying to your skin.”
Mithen comments that oils will not only find popularity in a hybridised form, but incorporated into other types of beauty offerings: “The future of beauty oils will be creating new textures and playing with form and function. Oils will have more variety in textures such as ‘dry oils’, ‘oil gels’, and ‘oil to milk’ products, where different uses can be applied such as cleansers, shower oils, and dry silky feeling body oils.” Diamond agrees with this sentiment, adamant that the sector’s growth also lies in its development into cosmetics. She says: “We believe in the future these oils will be worked into foundations to create a light and dewy complexion that follows the current and upcoming trends of the ‘barely there’ make-up look.”
Brands proudly a part of the growing oil trend include:
