NEW YORK — It’s another new year, which means another chance to take care of ourselves by indulging in amazing skincare and cosmetic products.
It's been a well-known fact that women have been coping with the pandemic by either doing their makeup even at home, or trying new skincare products that can address their skin issues such as the most common one like "maskne."
From a little blast from the past to futuristic approach in beauty, here are some beauty trends we can look forward to:
'Skinimalism'
Skinimalism is the biggest skincare trend last year, and it is not going anywhere this 2022. Consumers are just naturally more comfortable donning their bare skin, especially with the use of protective face masks.
Hada Labo, the cult J-beauty brand, offers hydrating, moisturizing, and brightening products in convenient trial sets. Touted as Japan’s "#1 face lotion," it’s trusted by beauty experts from Vogue, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan and loved by Asian superstars like K-drama actress Jun Ji Hyun and Jisoo of Blackpink. The brand aims to make beautiful skin simple and achievable with its three-step skincare kits.
The brand offers two product ranges that can keep skin all aglow. The Hydrating line or Goku Jyun for hydrating and moisturizing skin, and the Premium Whitening line or Shiro Jyun for achieving crystal bright complexion and preventing dark spots. The Hydrating Goku Jyun starter set contains the Hydrating Face Wash, an ultrafine foam that gently washes away impurities, dirt, and oil without drying or irritating the skin with two types of Hyaluronic Acid. It’s the perfect first step in preparing the skin for enhanced absorption of skincare ingredients. This set also includes the famous Hydrating Lotion, infused with 4 types of Hyaluronic Acid to fully hydrate skin up to its inner most layers to get that significantly soft, smooth, and supple skin.
To finish off this three-step routine, the pack includes the Hydrating Light Cream, with its light watery texture and 4 types of Hyaluronic Acid that’s meant to lock, replenish, and store moisture deep into skin, layer after layer. For a treat fit for the season, Hada Labo’s Hydrating Trial Set is available at the Mentholatum Flagship Stores in Lazada and Shopee.
Shiro Jyun or the Premium Whitening skincare kit comes with the Premium Whitening Face Wash that delivers 3x the brightening benefits while reducing visible redness and reawakening dull skin. This cleanser also has the Triple Anti-Pollution Formula for purifying skin against environmental pollution and 3 types of Hyaluronic Acid for keeping it soft and supple.
The beauty kit also has the Premium Whitening Lotion that contains Tranexamic Acid to fight dark spots, rebalance skin tone, and restore skin radiance, as well as Hyaluronic Acid that prevents moisture loss, and Nano Hyaluronic Acid that provides moisture deep down into the inner skin layers.
The brand completes the pack with the Premium Whitening Water Cream that has all the goodness of the Premium Whitening Lotion — plus Meadowfoam Seed Oil and Shea Butter to deliver deep nourishment to the skin. Hada Labo is available at Watsons, and online at Lazada and Shopee.
Y2k aesthetic
Beauty trends in the early 2000s were about one thing: fun glam. Think shimmers and sparkles in fun, bold colors and fearless graphic eye looks. Millennials are surely having a flashback of shimmery blue eyeshadows with gemstones they pulled off in their teenage years ala Gwen Stefani.
Well, 2022 is reviving the Y2K vibe in the beauty department with stick-on gemstones and colorful sheens on the eyes in bright colors. Filipino makeup brand Ready Set Glow can help you achieve playful eye looks with its colorful gel liners in various shades.
Organic beauty
RMS Beauty is respected in the beauty world with its makeup collection produced with raw, food-grade, organic materials that hydrate and illuminate your skin, while enhancing your already lovely complexion. RMS is dedicated to creating products that are not only nontoxic and GMO-free but also healing and nourishing. In the Philippines, the brand is available in Sephora Philippines, Rustan’s Beauty and Adora.
At-home beauty devices
Due to the pandemic, beauty junkies are not as comfortable anymore to visit derma and cosmetic clinics for safety reasons. That’s why there’s a sudden boom in at-home devices wherein one can address skin issues like aging, acne and dryness. The beauty technology is futuristic and exciting, as you can solve skin issues with premium gadgets at the comfort of your home.
One of those devices is the “Iconeck” by Iconique Skin. This top-of-the-line device is used to reverse signs of aging in the neck and chin area. It incorporates high speed massage, light therapy and heat technology to target loose and sagging skin in the neck and shoulder area, lessen fine lines, and tighten of the skin. Iconique Skin is available in Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Paranaque, Mall of Asia, Pasay, Resorts World Manila, Pasay, Greenbelt 5, Makati, Century City Mall, Makati and Ayala Malls the 30th, Ortigas.
Skin barrier repair products
Skin is our body’s largest organ, and each of its many layers has its own role in helping to protect your body. Your skin barrier, or stratum corneum, is the outermost layer of your skin and although it’s thin, you can think of it like a brick wall. It has keratin and natural moisturizers. Plus, the lipid layer also has cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides. Our skin barrier is made of strong skin cells known as corneocytes, which are held together by mortar-like lipids.
This year in the skincare scene, products that enrich your skin barrier are going to most revered, as skin barrier is important to our ability to retain water, protect us from unwanted chemicals or exposures, and help us resist infections. Glossier Super Bounce is one of the most celebrated skin barrier repair products in the be Hyaluronic Acid (HA) serum for an instantly soft, smooth, and never sticky feel onto your skin. HA is a superstar skin care ingredient, with a reputation for moisturizing, wound healing, boosting skin elasticity and treating eczema.
Skin dryness from too frequent sanitizing will also not be a worry as Defensil Isopropyl Alcohol has moisturizing properties and is hypoallergenic, giving you one less thing to worry about when going indoors. One way to prevent the spread of the virus is by always carrying a trusted rubbing alcohol brand that contains at least 70& alcohol solution whenever you go outdoors.
Defensil 70% Solution Isopropyl Alcohol, the alcohol recommended by the Philippine Society for Microbiology (PSM), can kill 99.9% of common germs and bacteria starts to kill them on contact so that you can safely do the activities you love wherever you are. The brand also provides up to 12 hours of protection upon constant use so that you are protected and do activities with ease.
Inclusive makeup line
Inclusivity is the biggest thing in this day and age, and not just in movie casting, but also in cosmetics. Makeup brands that cater to all skin tones and genders are generally applauded these days. BLK Cosmetics' Universal Collection is one of the popular collections that truly encourage all-inclusive makeup products recently, as well as BYS Cosmetics with the intrduction of K-drama star Hwang In Youp late last year.
Related: K-beauty for men: Hwang In Youp shares secret to his ‘True Beauty’
One- or two-step K-beauty routine
K-beauty routine has always been known for its elaborate 10-step skincare regimen. New hybrid K-beauty products with a "less is more" approach are becoming more popular these days, thanks to a need for a more hassle-free routine.
Locally, Britory by actress Bela Padilla is one of the first ones to introduce a minimalist K-beauty regimen. Britory only has two products: The Like Snow Serum and the Like Snow Cream. The Like Snow Serum has Niacinamide, which smoothens lines and gives radiance to the face, and Neem Tree Flower Extract that has anti-inflammatory properties. Meanwhile, the brand's cream also has Niacinamide, Glutathione, Ceramide and Neem Tree Flower Extract, plus Panthenol which is supposed to help improve skin hydration and smoothen appearance.