How to formulate a viral skincare trend

Skincare trend formula tip #2: Captivate their attention

As part of that sensory delight, make sure your formula also has the right aroma for your target market: do they want lasting aroma or none? Conduct market research with our Certificate in Cosmetic Market Research to know what appeals most to your target market in order to really deliver.
You might also want to think about the product form – can your formula transition from one form to another, such as oil-to-milk or powder-to-foam? Products that can show their benefits are also more likely to go viral, like the Elemis Cleansing Balm.
Get inspiration from these videos:

• Oil-to-milk cleanser
• Powder-to-mask-to-foaming cleanser
• Natural oil to foam cleanser
• Foaming shower oil
• Powder to foam cleanser

Skincare trend formula tip #3: Winning formulas are not all natural

While consumers are more up on reading their cosmetic ingredients now more than ever, ultimately they want a product that feels great and works. They will compromise on all natural ingredients if it means they get better results from their products. Sure, there are some consumers who absolutely insist on all natural or organic cosmetic formulas – and if that is your target market then give them what they want! But the far larger audience of consumers want a product that works. They are definitely attracted to marketing stories which include natural and sustainable ingredients, but the vast majority of consumers aren’t looking for a completely natural formula.

Take a look at top selling brands such as Estee Lauder, Kiehls, Lancome, LÓreal, Nivea and so on. You’ll see their marketing stories heavily promote their hero ingredients (which are increasingly emphasizing their natural ingredients), but the rest of their formulas contain a variety of synthetic and natural ingredients to ensure efficacy, potency and a sensory delight.
 

Skincare trend formula tip #4: Marketing matters

The story that is used to promote your cosmetic formula is one of the key things to help go from spiral to viral. Look at the top trending products right now and you will see they have certain things in common:

• Highlighting at least one natural ingredient – consumers love seeing natural ingredients in their cosmetic formulas; and there is a lot to choose from with some amazing skin benefits.
• A strong ‘hero’ story about an ingredient unique to their range – sometimes it might be a combination of a few ingredients combined to make a uniquely named blend (hint: think Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Magic 8 Matrix’ combination of ingredients).
• A number of other ingredients not mentioned that provide the sensory delight and are not usually all natural – refer back to tip 1, 2 and 3 if you need convincing of why!
• Clinical efficacy data and scientific results.

Having a great visual aspect to your cosmetic formula will also help it stand out and go viral across the socials. Anything visual works… here are some ideas: interesting or changing product form; instant blurring or mattifying effects; data showing % effects; before/after photos that are legitimate.

Then of course make sure you get your marketing message out there using the right channels for your target market. There are loads of cost effective social media platforms you can utilize, even as a small brand, so long as you get the medium and message right. Start with our Cosmetic Brand Workshops or get serious with our Diploma of Cosmetic Brand Management to ensure you get all the elements of your marketing mix right for best brand success – start now and refine your brand’s message and marketing strategy to have a viral skincare trend.

Skincare trend formula tip #5: Make sure your cosmetic formula really works

So, you’ve captured their imagination with your marketing message, you’ve got their attention with the product form; and you’ve formulated a sensory delight… now, you need to make sure that formula really delivers on it’s promises.
Make sure your cosmetic formula works by ensuring it has:

• the right delivery methods for best results;
• a stable base to ensure long term bioavailability of the actives;
• strong clinical efficacy data; and
• great results from consumer trials.

Word of mouth and friends’ recommendations have always been a key to cosmetic trends success. Your consumers will help spread the word if they are captivated by your cosmetic formula and love the results, so let them be your best advocate in person and on the socials by making sure your cosmetic product meets and exceeds their expectations from the moment you market it, right through the sensory experience, and results obtained.
Get tips from these videos:

• Maximise cosmetic absorption with skin penetration enhancers
• How to select the best active
• Actives & vitamins webinar
• Formulating with cosmetic actives webinar
• Cosmetic product evaluation

Also read our blog How to formulate cosmetics for rapid results for extra tips on instant consumer gratification.

Learn how to create cosmetic formulas with the best delivery, performance and stability with our Certificate in Advanced Cosmetic Science or Diploma of Personal Care Formulation. Learn how to conduct efficacy testing and create a winning marketing strategy with our Diploma of Cosmetic Brand Management.

So now it’s over to you: are you thinking of starting a cosmetic brand but not certain on how to ensure cosmetic brand success? Or maybe you have a cosmetic brand but struggling to really stand out… how many of these items does each of your cosmetic formulas truly have, and where could it do better?

Make sure you get started right with the correct cosmetic formulation and brand information… our International and Industry recognition ensures you’ll get the right learning to create and inspire the next cosmetic trends when you put the training into practice. Don’t wait any longer, get started now…
 

Happy formulating!