Consumer insights: Banishing stress is high priority

Mintel’s Global Beauty and Personal Care Trend ‘Damsels in De-Stress’ report​ identifies the growing demand for quick and easy ways to escape.

Consumers are looking to “grab a little ‘me time’ and relax and re-energise whenever and wherever they can”,​ Angelia Teo, Beauty and Personal Care Research Manager, Asia Pacific, Mintel, revealed.

Recently, “there has been an emergence of new ingredients that claim to reduce cortisol levels (stress hormones) in skin”​, Teo went on to say.

Stress-busting choices​

Lancome’s Hydra Zen skin care range, for instance, promises 24-hour stress-free skin. The product contains a NeuroCalmTM complex using natural plant extracts to combat the negative effects of environmental and emotional stress.

Antonia Burrell’s Holistic Skincare range is another example of a collection that focuses on reducing stress. It features 100% natural formulations made from ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients. The range claims to respect and understand the true physiology of beauty while transforming the “monotony of daily skin care regime into an indulgent time for calm, wellbeing and healing”.​

Rest and relax​

Items that promote and boost relaxation are also on the up, as beauty brands are developing products to help encourage calmness and relaxation. SenSpa’s award-winning Body Therapy Range is said to be made with 97% natural essential oils that work to relax the user and relieve the amount of stress they feel.

The product range is specifically designed for women and men who wish to strengthen their skin’s own natural resistance to the effects of ageing and environmental influences, along with promoting natural beauty.

Oltana is another skin care range that features multifunctional products that are designed for busy modern people to rest, restore and energise the skin and mind, Teo revealed.

“Anti-stress claims in beauty are constantly evolving to meet consumer needs,”​ Teo emphasised.

Gone are the marketing days of overcoming fatigue?​

Previously, stressors in the industry related to “fatigue and recharging or resting of the skin and body”,​ whereas now, today’s stressors focus on “urban and workplace environments, environmental factors beyond weather such as water quality and air quality, sleep quality and emotional wellbeing”.​

While stress affects the skin, we are now also recognising both the mental and physical impact that stress has and these are all being considered in new skin care launches.

Teo highlights Lu Ming Tang, for example, which combines green tea—a well-known detoxifier and antioxidant—with biotechnology, to deliver tea-based skincare solutions to tackle pollution and urban stressors.

Scents to relieve stress​

“Scent and fragrance are an easy way to convey this in messaging as these can aid in creating a calming and sensorial experience —relaying a clear and distinct benefit to consumers,”​ added Teo.

Increasingly, brands are entering this market with scent-based claims. Shiseido is one of them, for instance. The personal care leader has launched a night aroma variant of its best-selling product in Japan, Shiseido Elixir Superior Sleeping Gel Pack. Its aroma blends chamomile and clary sage, which are well known for their relaxing properties.