Oil and clay-based skin care textures on the rise
Skin care oils appear to be particularly popular in France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, according to information analyst firm NPD, who says some of the old methods are being rediscovered by many.
“The popularity across continents of mud and, particularly, oils demonstrates just how important this trend is for newer skin care formats,” says Karen Grant, global beauty industry analyst, The NPD Group.
“For more than a decade, all the news in skin care was about serums and the technology. The success and increasingly global footprint of the brands offering oil and mud products is telling us to also look for solutions from less traditional sources.”
Old routines, new appeal
As mentioned, oil and clay-based products are not a new innovation, and are in fact quite an old tradition, as they were recognized and used regularly by the Ancient Egyptians for their beauty benefits.
Nowadays, these ingredients have recently become beauty buzzwords, and according to NPD’s figures they are also the two skin care textures experiencing the greatest growth within the US prestige beauty industry, with Europe seeing a similar trend.
Oil is most prominent as a facial skin care moisturiser, though recently it has experienced the greatest lift within facial cleansers, while clay/mud is most common among facial skin care masks.
“The growth in oils and clay/mud comes on the heels of the shift to more primary facial care products we first began watching about five years ago,” continues Grant.
“While corrective anti-ageing treatments are still an important part of the facial skin care market, the consumer is increasingly recognizing that there are other vehicles that provide great looking skin.”
The beauty expert adds that with innovative new applications of age-old beauty secrets, consumers are discovering the noteworthy benefits of products that soothe and nurture the skin as well as address environmental aggressors, a primary source of ageing.
