Current skincare keywords: what’s making the biggest impact in the industry?
I’ve rounded up the keywords I often see in stores and online. I’m curious which trends you’re actually noticing in your work.
- PDRN·salmon — expanding to pads, serums, and sunscreens
- Gentle·barrier — ceramides, panthenol, fragrance-free
- Diversifying sun care — sun serums, sun sticks, tone-up sunscreens
- Pad products — toner pads becoming their own category
- Men’s·scalp — moving from niche to mainstream
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Which keywords will last through next year?
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Based only on publicly announced new products and retail displays, the combination of gentle formulas·barrier care and sun care seems like the trend with the most staying power. PDRN has a lot of buzz, but the ingredient name alone doesn’t mean products will feel the same or have the same level of evidence. It’s a keyword where you need to distinguish the ingredient story, such as “salmon-derived,” from the actual formula and texture.
For barrier care, ingredients consumers already recognize, like ceramides and panthenol, are easy to explain as a reason to repurchase. Add fragrance-free formulas and a lightweight feel, and the trend naturally carries over to sun care. I see sun serums and tone-up sunscreens as a way to broaden the choice of textures, while pads are more of a format that sells quick convenience. That said, pads themselves don’t mean new benefits, so in the end, what matters is the contents and how they feel for the price.
If I had to pick just one, I’d recommend gentle formulas·barrier care. It seems more likely to spread across multiple categories than to end as a buzzword. In your experience, are there any keywords where repurchases or customer inquiries have changed more than new product visibility?