For full experience, unmute the speaker
Click quotes to listen
For full experience, unmute the speaker
The Covid-19 pandemic has created collective concerns about hygiene, wellbeing and immunity, and is driving new directions in beauty and wellness.
This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to rewrite the norms of society and human behaviour, so we wanted to gauge what this moment meant to you and to brands, and what it will mean for our collective future.
The Future Laboratory has reached out to our readers, experts and clients about the themes explored in our new Beauty, Health & Wellness report, such as Touch Deprivation, Cyber-care, Virtual Beauty and Whole-system Wellness.
Touch Deprivation
Touch Deprivation
The role and importance of physical contact and the ways we connect with one another have never been more pertinent. With the current barriers around intimacy and physical touch, what does a lack of touch do to you personally?
‘As a yoga teacher, not able to physically teach and touch is heartbreaking’
‘I feel nervous around touch’
‘I don’t have a physical release
for my anxiety through hugging
people I’m close to’
‘It made me realise how often I pet my dog and how this helped me to feel less stressed’
‘I miss trying on and testing products, and the fun of trying on different eyewear or make-up’
‘I miss the sense of togetherness’
‘Hello hugs from a new friend who was a stranger 30 seconds ago’
‘I miss peeling the labels off beer bottles while in a pub deep in conversation’
‘My senses have only been heightened’
‘The few products you will buy will add more emotional value than ever before. This will escalate as science gets to grips with how textures in beauty, as well as touch and your senses, are playing in combination’
Annika Grenz, director of global insight, Oriflame
‘Products that mitigate risks of contamination by utilising touchless formats and offer extended shelf life to consumers rationing supplies... will stand out as being safe and dependable’
Clare Hennigan, senior beauty analyst, Mintel
‘With big business focused on digital or sitting it out, skin therapists are not willing to give up on the important industry of human touch and connection’
Aurelian Lis, CEO, Dermalogica
Read Recuperative Living on LS:N Global
We are currently forced to find new ways of taking care of ourselves and virtually connect with each other. How is the virtual world affecting your wellbeing, and how do you express emotions virtually? Will the pandemic permanently change how we interact with each other?
‘I write about it on Twitter,
debating with myself’
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’
‘A significant change happened in how I express my emotions through different creative outlets’
‘Through Animal Crossing‘
‘Tactility will have a negative stigma and affect the way we touch each other’
‘New tools will help and assist the professionals. A few procedures will be possible to do online and will reduce queues’
‘The pandemic will change the way we interact: I’m not shaking hands and I am disinfecting items my guests use’
‘It will be a retrenching back into care of oneself – of rituals around how people take care of their skin, bodies
and immune systems’
Michel Brousset, former president of L’Oréal USA and founder of Waldencast
‘Wellness, too, has come out of the labs and into the home… And in that way, it’s looking at connecting with people on a more approachable, friendly level’
Clare Hennigan, senior beauty analyst, Mintel
‘Like so many brands, this has been a perfect opportunity to come together as a business, and to dedicate time and focus into understanding how we can best connect with and provide for our customers remotely, now and in the future’
Mia Collins, head of beauty, Harrods
‘When Covid-19 hit, we changed our programming to the digital space. We created a Slack channel for our VIP community members to share ideas and inspiration, and hosted Instagram Live workouts with Nike master trainers and yoga masters’
Oli Walsh, co-founder, ASYSTEM
Read Recuperative Living on LS:N Global
Virtual Beauty
Virtual Beauty
Our current lives are thriving virtually, and beauty rituals are being expanded and reviewed. We can use augmented products to improve our appearance without harming the planet. How does the virtual world affect beauty and your perception of it, and is this shaping new rituals? Do you think it is ok to use AR filters to enhance your appearance online?
‘Living virtually has made me realise just
how strange my pre-Covid beauty routine was.
It feels very foreign now and out of place’
‘AR filters spark joy, conversation and curiosity’
‘Beauty in virtual platforms is becoming more non-judgemental about gimmicks’
‘I have definitely stripped things back’
‘It is ok to use AR filters to enhance your appearance online, as long as you are being transparent about it’
‘I have used less make-up, and more skincare and haircare treatments to nourish and restore’
‘DIY facials are a new ritual’
‘I am saving time by going natural most of the time – and using make-up for special occasions’
‘There will be a shift [where] consumers prioritise how they feel over how they look, creating even greater potential for self-care and wellbeing claims’
Michael Nolte, creative director, BeautyStreams
‘We recently introduced the Deciem At Home service, which allows our audience to connect with our store teams via live video chat. We have noticed that consumer confidence is higher when they have been provided with a human experience’
Nicola Kilner, co-founder and CEO, Deciem
‘Our approach will certainly include a different emphasis on our existing services: magic mirrors for a virtual make-up experience, virtual shopping, online master classes and tutorials featuring international talent, and live-streaming of new launches’
Mia Collins, head of beauty, Harrods
Read Recuperative Living on LS:N Global
Whole-system Wellness
Whole-system Wellness
Covid-19 has reconnected us and made most of us re-appreciate the natural world and its processes. It reminded many of us how the world is cyclical and interconnected. How has the importance of sustainability changed in lockdown for you? Are you changing your beauty regimes to reduce your consumption of resources?
‘I had been thinking about sustainability for a long time, but lockdown made me feel we need it’
‘Reflect = Research = Act on the lessons learned’
‘Sustainability is more than just
a consumption and consumerism issue,
it is a class and race issue’
‘When I think about the excess of disposable solutions to hygiene, I’m disappointed that we reverted immediately to convenience rather than innovation’
‘It has become a positive, subtle lifestyle change for me that will stick in the long term as part of a broader re-prioritisation of my values’
‘Post-pandemic rubbish
will take years to decompose’
‘The importance and goal of sustainability should be to build inclusive systems of community and care rather than curbing and eliminating consumption’
‘I previously felt a lot of guilt and pressure from greenwashing in the media; now the lifestyle change has meant I can just get on and do it in peace’
‘Sustainability became more
pronounced for me’
‘[Covid-19] will define consumption for the decade… the data indicates that it is a fundamental re-examination of consumption behaviour’
Oliver Wright, global lead for consumer goods and services, Accenture
‘Covid-19 and the lockdown period have brought consumers closer to their environmental and human values. We have a dedicated Earth Initiatives team at Deciem, and we have been looking for a director of sustainability to further lead our efforts in this area’
Nicola Kilner, Co-Founder and CEO Deciem
‘We have seen a shift in our customers desires and patterns throughout Covid-19 where the focus has been on making considerate and consciously-driven purchases and showing a more conscientious approach to their consumption’
Mia Collins, head of beauty at Harrods
‘We are looking at ways of using No Tree paper in our packaging, reducing the layers of fulfilment packaging and joining the 1% For The Planet movement. With every batch we search for ways to improve’
Evelyn Montgomery, founder of pioneering nutritional supplement brand M+E
Read Recuperative Living on LS:N Global