What’s big and what’s next – we look at the cosmetics trends taking the industry by storm

So far 2012 has brought the UK a royal flotilla, a Wimbledon final, bunting, street parties, more bunting, the Olympics, a whole load of rain, even more bunting and more Union Jack-adorned products than we’ve ever seen in our wildest dreams. But what’s been going on in the beauty world while all our attention has been focused on royals, athletes and our brollies?!

Here we take a look at the biggest cosmetics happenings of 2012; what inspired them, and how they’ve affected the industry.

Strong foundation

Flawless skin is the ideal foundation to any make up look, but it’s become particularly important over the last year as more and more cosmetics have been targeted at giving skin a healthy, dewy glow. Georgina Pelosi, senior beauty team artist for Bobbi Brown, says: “2012 has been a year with a strong focus on the skin. We kicked off the beginning of the year by concentrating on how to achieve a gorgeous, healthy, glowing look and have maintained this direction throughout the year.” The growing BB Cream phenomenon has helped to feed consumers’ desire for flawless-looking skin. Zahra Jeraj, product development at Sleek MakeUP, says it is the unique formula of BB creams that appeals to so many consumers. She says: “BB cream contains the creamy texture of a tinted moisturiser yet offers the same coverage as a foundation. This is what a lot of consumers are looking for so the BB cream is ideal and becoming increasingly popular.” The desire for flawless skin has also encouraged brands to pay attention to their foundation collections. YSL has recently launched its Le Teint Touche Éclat, which promises to provide skin with healthy and natural illumination, while Stila is preparing to launch an industry first – a foundation with a concealer included in the lid, together with a tiny mirror.

The brow factor

Strong brows are another big look for 2012, with more and more consumers investing in brow defining pencils, powders and stencils. Georgina Pelosi says: “The return of the bold brow, thanks to the catwalks and popular television shows, has had a few of us in a flurry. If the power brow is not for you, then well groomed, naturally defined brows are just as effective at opening up your eyes. You can use a soft powder to fill out sparse brows or add a little depth to light hairs. The brow frames the eye, and done well it can create the illusion of an eye lift and also shape and balance the face. A well-finished brow can really polish off your look and so it has become a focus for many women.”

Who says make up can’t multi-task?

The launch of Stila’s foundation and concealer is an example of another trend sweeping the cosmetics market – multi-tasking products – many of which now offer consumers additional skincare benefits. Changing consumer lifestyles are likely to have contributed to the success of make up that will do more than just conceal or highlight. Georgina Pelosi says: “Women’s wants and needs have changed over the years, with busy hectic lifestyles becoming the norm nowadays.” Consumers want products that will offer them more for their money, and time. One of the biggest skincare/make up hybrid launches of the last few months has been Clinique’s Even Better collection, which now features a liquid foundation to cover an uneven skin tone while treating its cause. Malene Van Hauen, marketing director at Sleek MakeUP, says a crowded marketplace and better educated customers are putting pressure on brands to go the extra mile. She says: “Products need to work hard to save the consumer time and to fit into an on-the-go and fluid lifestyle. Consumers want skincare that is also make up, along with multipurpose products.”

J’adore adornments

Paper eyelashes, transfer tattoos and nail art have all been popular trends throughout 2012, as consumers look to create unique looks for occasions such as festivals, which continue to grow in popularity. Look out for gorgeous lash adornments from Paperself as we move into late 2012 and 2013, as it has some beautiful floral and animal-inspired patterns. There is even a set featuring the London skyline – perfect for some late Olympics celebrations.

Under influence

There are a number of factors that have affected the cosmetics industry in 2012, and will continue to do so in 2013. One of the most influential has been the number of beauty fans reviewing products online. Brands are increasingly under pressure to produce products that are popular among the online community. Malene Van Hauen says: “The landscape of the cosmetics industry has shifted fundamentally and irreversibly with the explosion of digital consumer engagement. The accessibility and speed of information has created a generation of educated and knowledgeable beauty enthusiasts – we no longer deal with consumers; everyone’s an expert. The depth of knowledge and level of detail described by bloggers and devoured by eager fans has surpassed any amount of information previously delivered to the market in a controlled manner by traditional methods. It’s a new era of transparency, urgency and democracy and things will never be the same again.” Social responsibility is also more of a concern for consumers now than it has been in the past. Demand for ethically-sourced, natural and organic products continues to grow, as does consumers’ awareness of animal-testing. Van Hauen says: “Social responsibility has moved right to the top of the agenda. Consumers are no longer purely buying a product, but are buying into the values of the brand. Hence issues of recycling, fair labour, and particularly animal testing, are things all brands need to consider or ignore at their peril.”

Coming up

“A big trend this Autumn/Winter is the return of the bright lip, which is a really easy trend to wear,” says Georgina Pelosi, who adds: “Remember the formula will make or break a bright lip; avoid matt textures on dry, cracked lips and lean towards sheer, creamy formulas. Bobbi has developed a new Lip Color formula that launches in October; it’s a creamy matt, long wear lipstick, with fun wearable bright colour options in addition to the classic nudes.” Fresh looking, flawless skin is expected to continue as one of the biggest trends among consumers, and apparently there’s one for beauty spots in the shape of birds and butterflies on its way – we can’t wait to see that!

The Launch Effect

Pure Beauty’s pick of the top cosmetics launches of 2012

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat

Yves Saint Laurent has taken the leading edge technology that made its highlighter one of the most iconic products of the last decade, and has applied the same priniciple to its new foundation, which promises the same illuminating results as Touche Éclat, but this time for the whole face.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters

These smoothing lip colours sumptuously glide onto lips like a balm, giving them instant glamour as well as high-shine moisturisation. They are available in 14 shiny colours and contain mango, shea and coconut butter to naturally soothe lips. Delicious!

Liz Earle Colour

We were so excited when our favourite skincare brand, Liz Earle, launched its first collection of colour cosmetics earlier this year. The Healthy Glow Crème Blush is a deliciously smooth blusher that gives cheeks a dewy glow, while the Lash Care Intensifying Mascara Base nourishes lashes while priming them for mascara.

Benefit they’re real!

The UK’s number one selling mascara lengthens, curls, volumises, lifts and separates lashes with a long-wearing formula that won’t smudge or dry out. The specially-designed brush complements the mascara’s winning formula with staggered bristles that grab lash hair close to the root, boosting lash length and volume.

GOSH BB Cream

This all-in-one foundation, primer and moisturiser contains active ingredient Phytosan to increase skin smoothness, firmness and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains mineral pigments that help it to adapt to any skin tone for light, flawless coverage. You can’t beat a good BB cream!