Square : 5 Beauty and Wellness Trends to Watch in 2018

As 2018 begins, the beauty and wellness industries are bidding adieu to 2017 trends like unicorn hair and saying hello to meditation spaces. They're also sticking with some lasting trends like beauty box subscriptions.

Here's what will be hot in 2018, and how you can adapt these trends for your business.

Personalized skin and hair care

From DNA-sourced skincare to personalized shampoo, bespoke beauty products are exploding in popularity. Bespoke products give customers a personalized, elevated experience, and provide more effective results.

Lancôme recently began offering custom-made foundation in select Nordstrom locations. The process involves scanning a customer's skin for the exact shade, customizing the formula, and preparing it immediately in the store. Brands like Khiel's and Kevyn Aucoin have launched similar in-person customized experiences, while Function of Beauty and MatchCo have gained popularity as online options for customized products.

You can adapt a bespoke approach by including customized products in your own space - if you own a salon, consider selling customizable hair products - or have a specialist that can help customers select products specific to their needs.

Clean beauty continues to dominate

As the organic health food trend continues to grow, consumers have shown interest in clean, healthful beauty products as well. From skincare products like charcoal face masks to makeup, brands are creating their own clean takes on products, while new product lines are becoming popular as well.

Clean beauty companies like Follain, BeautyCounter, and Goop screen products for safety and effectiveness, garnering customers' trust in the process. And it's working: Goop recently expanded into selling everything from clean vitamins to nontoxic lipstick, and was estimated to have brought in $15-20 million in revenue in 2016.

Beauty box subscriptions

With the rise of eCommerce, the subscription box industry has expanded by over 3,000 percent in the past three years, and will continue to see strong growth. The offerings of subscription boxes have grown since beauty subscription company Birchbox began in 2010. Now you can find beauty boxes for ethical luxury products, and even Allure magazine has branched out to offer customers a subscription box of its favorite products.

With all of these different options, subscription boxes are a popular way to a curated experience for your customers. Explore how to start your own subscription box or how to get your products in a subscription box.

Meditation studios

Brick-and-mortar locations for meditation and mindfulness are becoming increasingly popular. Major cities like New York and San Francisco have seen an influx of meditation-focused studios like Inscape, while other yoga and wellness spaces have added meditation to their schedules. New York-based gym chain Equinox offers fitness classes that incorporate mindfulness and meditation, giving members the chance to regenerate.

A burgeoning men's market

Guys want to look good, too. And according to Google, there's a strong opportunity in 2018 to educate men about different types of skincare products and how they work. Online retailer The Motley specializes in men's grooming, selecting a few quality products instead of an overwhelming catalog. It categorizes products by problem/solution, and offers test kits for guys to pick their favorites.

Consider setting men's products up in a particular space, offering educational events for men to learn more, or even having a guys wellness specialist on tap for any questions they might have.

Related Articles
How to Open a Salon
2018 Marketing Trends
2017's Hottest Health Food Trends