Another new year is upon us, with so much to look forward to, especially when it comes to innovative futuristic skin and beauty care. This market is evolving at such a pace, it is hard to keep up.

I’ve never been a believer in resolution lists, as I think they are often unrealistic and doomed to fail, then we beat ourselves up for not sticking to them. This is never a good way to start the New Year. I prefer to advocate a few inexpensive, simple steps that are easy to fit into your routine, making it much more likely that you’ll still be doing them this time next year.

Easy to-do list
Top of the list is a daily SPF all year round – even on gloomy winter days. Increase to a factor 50 in the summer months or when travelling abroad to sunnier climes. Another easy step is to exfoliate from head to toe weekly, including your scalp. Increase your water intake to the recommended eight glasses a day, as this will certainly help your skin.

The future of beauty
The term ‘anti-ageing’ has bombarded us for years, as if there is an issue with the natural ageing process. Most skincare ranges have promised anti-ageing results, enticing us to purchase their products to eradicate wrinkles, lines and hyperpigmentation, as well as improve skin texture.

Often, understandably, we buy into this heavy marketing sell, as it can be very convincing. In the future, marketing will focus more on beauty from within. Wellness and beauty go hand in hand and savvy consumers understand that no matter what is applied topically, internal nutrition plays a huge role in how it affects skin, hair and nail health.

Numerous beauty brands are concentrating on holistic solutions like ingestible ‘beauty boosting’ ingredients, with lots more innovation in the nutri-cosmetics space. This is thanks to consumer demand for proof of product efficacy. Longevity will be the new key word taking over from anti-ageing.

Beauty and bacteria
Increasing research associates skin microbiome with skin health, ageing and numerous skin conditions, and there are an increasing number of customers reportedly suffering from hypersensitive skin, rosacea and adult acne. Brands such as L’Oréal and Unilever have spoken to Cosmetics Design – Europe, as they regard this topic as important for future skincare innovation. Where they go, others will follow.

Exosomes
These are nano-sized particles excreted by stem cells that can be used for skin and hair rejuvenation. French biotech firm Naolys has launched its new ExoCell range after an intense two-year research programme.

A new award-winning ingredient from a Barcelona-based biotech company LipoTrue is SE{HA}+™ – a naturally synthesised enriched HA ferment for skin hydration, plumping and resilience. It is a unique method that enhances the skin’s hyaluronic acid network. Results are deep, long-lasting, hydration-boosting collagen and elastin, all with a non-invasive, visible plumping effect. This all sounds very futuristic but it is here now; you’ll soon see major brands incorporating these new well-researched innovations into our everyday skincare products.

Sustainability
Many cosmetic brands have been listening to their consumers with the ‘go green or go home’ mantra, so sustainable ingredients and innovations are becoming much more commonplace. Watch this space for more innovations in 2026.