Beauty forecast for 2020

1. Foraged beauty

Wildcrafting, foraging… whatever you want to call it, experts agree it's an area that will flourish in 2020. It's gone from our dinner plates and tasting menus to our skincare lines.

A new brand is launching in spring dedicated to this very ethos. The Rhug Estate in North Wales is launching a new 'foraged' skincare line. The estate is owned by the Newborough family, who have championed organic and sustainable farming for 20 years, and they are now applying these same principles to their face and body products.

The Estate forager hand-harvests ingredients responsibly, ethically and sustainably and waits for particular plants and flowers to mature.

The range embraces the ethos of slow beauty, which encourages consumers to think about what they are putting on their skin and to be mindful as to whether the ingredients are both good for the individual and the world.

Another Culture Whisper favourite, the Margate-based Haeckels, already forage for their staple ingredient, the seaweed, at Walpole Bay, Kent.

Staffers take turns in dragging it from the beach, cleaning and drying the salty stuff before it's turned into their magical Seaweed Bath, £18, and Rosehip Seaweed Suspension Oil, £26, that we can personally vouch for – it instantly calms and soothes stressy skin.

​2. Next-level compostable and eco-friendly packaging

Still gaining momentum are new sustainable packaging initiatives. Some have made great strides already.

Michelle Feeney, the Floral Street Founder, says, 'When I launched our brand two years ago, being vegan and sustainable were at the heart from the beginning. We care about the impact on the planet and people, so our ingredients are responsibly sourced and our packaging is recyclable, reusable and compostable and now refillable too.'

Expect to see even more refill bars popping up, like Faith in Nature and Wearth London, as well as eco-packaging, specially the compostable version that will spring new plants and flowers from your beauty and fragrance trash.

​3. Beauty and nail trends (unlike anything you've seen before)

Non-conformist beauty is going to be huge, as we step away from the uniform Insta-look and filtered selfies of the last decade. Nails have been the standout winner in the art of self-expression, and the next step in wearable manicure art is this: extensions that play with different artisanal shapes, like scalloped edges or your favourite character. Plus, a technology that allows you to transfer any of your phone images onto your nail plate. Cute pet mani, anyone? Coming soon to AfterBeauty, London.

​4. Let's get 'phygital'

According to Mintel, 2020 beauty will become even more digitally focused: 'Beauty consumers want to explore an immersive, personalised mixed-media experience that merges the physical with the digital and helps them learn about their skin/hair in new ways, offering an enhanced experience with services like personal shopping and customisation.'

It will be all about the next-generation apps that scan data from your skin and send them to subscription services – so you get the ultimate in tailored skincare solutions. Leading the way is Shiseido's Optune, just launched in Japan, which we're hoping to see on our shores soon.

Smart mirrors will also tell you how to apply make-up and give you skincare advice too. We imagine the mirror from Snow White – but let's hope they also come programmed with kindness and compliments-a-plenty, too.

​5. Blue beauty

There will be a whole lot of January blues… Expect to see Pantone Colour of the Year everywhere: in beauty palettes for shadows, on nails and as a hair colour du jour.

The Pantone Colour Institute states: 'The Colour of the Year, 2020 Pantone Classic Blue, is imprinted in our psyches as a restful colour. Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquillity to the human spirit.

'A reflective blue tone, it also fosters resilience. Symbolises protection, stability, and confidence, as well as encouraging deep thinking, open mindfulness, communication and offering refuge.'

And the fragrance experts concur. Firmenich states: 'The scent of the colour elicits contemplation and a feeling of optimism for the future, with notes of blue water and sea salt lifted by airy sky.'

Expect to find ozonic airy fragrances at a department store near you. If you can't wait, get ahead of the curve with the 'salt water' inspired scents we've already found for you here.

​6. Psychic surgeons

Well, not exactly psychic per se, but London aesthetic surgeon Dr Raj Ragoowansi predicts a massive trend for next year will be the use of DNA testing to check for potential scarring before plastic surgery.

Using a simple saliva test, doctors can now test a patient's likelihood of genetic susceptibility to thick or hypertrophic scarring. It takes less than a week to get results and the analysis helps patients and doctors determine if they want to go ahead with surgery or if they will approach it in a new way to avoid scarring.

​7. Lab-grown skincare

According to Beauty Tech Futures, a report by Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, 'Biocompatible lab-grown alternatives are being aligned with organic and sustainable solutions for the natural beauty enthusiast.'

Bio-beauty brand Eighteen B launched in March 2019; they developed the first-ever biodegradable, vegan silk, which has regenerative properties and helps improve skin's elasticity. Expect more groundbreaking products from them in 2020 and beyond.

Alicia Schweiger, co-founder of the scientifically based skincare range, Elixseri, says, 'We use Biotech to not over-harvest rare plants or marine extracts. An example of this is XEP 018 Snail Peptide found in Smooth Player, an instant line-smoothing peptide, which mimics the muscle-relaxing venom of the Marine Cone Snail conotoxin. It is bio-engineered in a Swiss lab, to recreate the properties of the toxin, without risking harm to the Cone Snail or its environment.'

8. And breathe…

Breath therapy and breathing classes are on the rise, and there has been a 219% increase in net searches for this, and here's why. By taking mindful and dynamic breaths, physically you have more energy, it helps detox, improves metabolism and digestion. While mentally, it can reduce anxiety, deepen relaxation, clear repressed emotions and increase peace, clarity and joy. Find a breath workshop in London here with the Breathpod by the incredible Stuart Sandeman.

Plus, once you’ve nailed the breathing thing the next question should be: how is my air quality? Hair salons and nail bars can be a pretty toxic place; even our homes can be five times more toxic than the street outside – so it makes sense to clean up the air around us.

Last season at fashion week, we spotted not only supermodels and celebrities backstage at the shows – but also the Dyson Air Purifier. It's especially good at cleaning up the fog of hairspray while keeping the fashion pack cool, calm and collected so expect to see plenty of versions making an appearance at a salon and nail bar near you.