As a beauty editor, my job has traditionally been about looking forward. My role in this industry is to tell the masses what's in and what's out when it comes to beauty. I'm supposed to predict trends, educate you on the latest products and, ultimately, help you figure out what to buy. But the truth is, while I'm more than happy to provide all of the hair trends and nail trends inspiration out there, in 2022, the historical premise of my job in terms of telling people what to buy just doesn't fly anymore.
Typically, in December, I'd sit down and compile a sort of 'trend' report for the upcoming year. I'd tell you things like 'animal haircuts are going to be the next big thing' and that 'face gems are going to be all the rage'. But nowadays, doing that just doesn't feel right to me. I've had to ask myself: do people really care about these short-lived trends anymore?
The reality is, people are more clued up than ever on their beauty products. TikTok provides endless streams of short and snappy beauty reviews, Instagram lets us in on what products our favourite celebrities and influencers are using and, if you want even more detail, YouTube is chock-full of lengthy, educational videos straight from the experts themselves. So what good is there in me telling you what's hot and what's not?
As a result of this professional awakening, I've decided to tackle things a little differently this year. You see, what we at Marie Claire can offer you that social media can't is insight. With beauty trends coming and going quicker than ever, we're looking less at the micro-trends that exist within this space (think wolf cults and cold girl make-up) and much more about what people are actually buying. Because although the beauty trends we see all over social media are entertaining, it's not to say people are physically buying into them.
To help paint a picture for what 2023 beauty trends have in store for us, we've spent the past few weeks analysing statistics. We've sat down with some of the biggest names in retail, picked apart social media trends with a fine-tooth comb and compiled a round up of the bestselling and most popular beauty products of 2022.
What this list reveals about beauty trends is more telling than you might have thought. While social media might tell us that Wednesday Addams make-up is everything right now and that the Euphoria effect reigned supreme all year, the products we've been buying actually paint a very different picture.
In reality, trending social media fads only make up a small fraction of the products we've been buying. Below, we've compiled our findings on the beauty trends that really defined 2022, based on the most popular beauty products of the year—and I'll be honest, it speaks volumes about the way the beauty industry is moving.
Without any further delay, here are the beauty trends we can expect to carry into 2023 and beyond.
TikTok sell outs
Let's get this one over with first, shall we? While it's true that TikTok hasn't inspired every beauty purchase we've made over the past 12 months, we couldn't possibly overlook the role it's played. Countless beauty trends have gone viral thanks to the popular app, from slugging to heatless curls, glazed donut nails and more. And while the trends have come and gone, the real power of TikTok has been its ability to cause products to fly off the shelves.
Lip products had quite the moment this year. Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey became famous due to its universally flattering shade, with John Lewis telling us it has consistently been in their top three bestsellers. John Lewis also saw a whopping 1000% increase in sales in their most popular shade of the Dior Lip Glow Oil after going viral on the app.
It wasn't just lipstick either. The UOMA Beauty Trippin Smooth Powder completely sold out at John Lewis after TikTok users shared how it smoothed their skin and practically 'erased' their pores. The powder creates a soft-focus, matte finish thanks to the microfine spheres that control excess oil and shine. Not only that, but the unique twist to dispense jar means you won't end up using more than you need. Clever, right?
So yes, it's true that TikTok has the power to sell out product. But it's worth noting here that when it comes to the biggest sell-out TikTok products, the stakes are relatively low—and this could be mean we're losing trust in the app when it comes to skincare reviews. For example, 2021 saw The Ordinary's AHA/BHA skin peel sell out due to claims on TikTok that it had the power to clear up acne, but after a string of expert warnings, it comes as no surprise that we're seeing a move towards make-up-related TikTok purchases in 2022. We're talking relatively expensive buys that are only going to have a negative impact on your bank account (rather than your skin) if the results don't live up to the TikTok hype.
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Fragrance goes luxe
It is somewhat of an old wives' tale in beauty that during times of economic hardship, sales of luxury beauty products remain strong. The theory goes that while the rest of the world is all doom and gloom, we want to invest money into ourselves in a bid to lift our spirits. Whether or not this is true across the board is tough to say, but if fragrance trends throughout 2022 are anything to go by, it's sounding more and more believable.
It would be wrong not to talk about Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, here. Yes, it could be deemed another TikTok fad considering its surge in sales is thought to have come off the back of a few viral videos about it, but to us Baccarat Rouge's success goes so much further than its TikTok springboard.
Costing a cool £215 for 70ml, Baccarat Rouge 540 has come to define the scent of 2022. You can barely walk down the street without coming across someone that smells like the familiar sweetness. Both Harvey Nichols and Net-a-Porter named Baccarat Rouge 540 one their best-selling beauty products of the year.
And the luxury fragrance trend goes beyond just Baccarat Rouge 540. Proving that TikTok might have only had a small part to play in its success, it's worth noting other luxury fragrances saw big sales spikes, too. Take, for example, the success of Creed Wind Flowers this year, with both Harvey Nichols and John Lewis listing in in their bestsellers.
And this trend speaks volumes for what's to come. Luxury fragrances have traditionally been purchased in retail environments. However, in 2022 people started dropping huge amounts of money on perfumes online, too. Net-a-Porter revealed to us that Le Labo Eau de Parfum Discovery Set proved a big seller for them this year—showing that people are willing to pay to sample niche fragrances at home before they invest in a full size. It would seem that 2022 was the year that luxury fragrance truly went mainstream.
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Glow Comes First
We'll admit, this trend isn't new. In fact, it's been building momentum since circa 2017 when baking and contouring became things of the past. In 2022, we saw the glowing skin trend solidify itself as a mainstay. Since the breakout of the Covid pandemic in 2020, it's no secret that our make-up routines have become more low maintenance. We want skin that oozes health, without having to make any effort.
But up until this year, the products haven't really been there to deliver our desired look—the demand was unprecedented and came quickly, meaning beauty brands have only now just started to deliver. Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation shot to the top of bestseller lists when it came out earlier this year, with both John Lewis and Harvey Nichols telling us it had overwhelming success for them. Packed with skincare ingredients and delivering a natural-looking, glowing finish, it's no coincidence it's been such a hit.
Similarly, Nars also stepped up to the plate to deliver the people what they wanted in 2022 by releasing its Light Reflecting Foundation. With a buildable, medium-coverage finish, it leaves skin looking as though it's glowing from the inside out. Not only did it become a bestseller for John Lewis, it also became Space NK's bestselling foundation across the whole business.
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Healthy Hair (at all costs)
One thing that people have been focussing on more than ever this year is their hair health, so it's no surprise that the Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector was one of Harvey Nichols' and Cult Beauty's best-selling products. The Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner Bundle was also one of Cult Beauty's bestsellers, while John Lewis reported a 50% increase in sales for the Olaplex No.4 Shampoo and Net-a-Porter named it a bestseller.
Although Olaplex remains one of the most popular haircare brands you can buy, this year we also saw the rise of new brands such as JVN Hair and K18. In fact, the JVN Complete Instant Recovery Serum was Space NK's biggest haircare launch of 2022. The clever leave-in treatment helps to strengthen hair and reduce split ends. The no-rinse formula is super easy to use and protects against heat damage, so you can apply it to damp hair before styling.
The K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask was another Cult Beauty bestseller, and also appeals to those looking for a simpler beauty routine. The rise of 'skinimalism' has seen people take a more minimalist approach to their hair and make-up, and this product does just that. The mask can be used in place of a conditioner, all you have to do is apply to towel-dried hair and wait four minutes before styling.
The common factor all of these products share? They're expensive and they work. As we become more and more considered with the purchases we make across all areas of our lives, it seems haircare is no exception.
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Health is wealth
As we all became increasingly time poor and more mindful of what we were spending our money on, we searched for quicker and easier ways to faux a healthy look. This meant that matte and powders formulas across skin and make-up moved down our priority lists and got switched out for products that deliver a dewy, glossy, healthy-looking finish.
When Space NK launched Tatcha The Skin Dewy Cream earlier this year, it quickly became the retailer's top skincare launch of the year. Space NK also saw its exclusive launch of Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Dewy Blush become a bestseller, selling over 50,000 units.
A standout product across retailers was Hourglass Phantom Lip Gloss. A product that delivers a glossy tint to lips but has all of the nourishing and non-sticky properties of a balm, it sums up this trend expertly. Not only did Harvey Nichols reveal it as a bestseller, but Space NK told us it was actually supposed to be a secondary launch for Hourglass in 2022 but it turned out to be a sell-out success. Since then, Space NK revealed they have "barely been able to keep it in stock".
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Everyday Excess
As beauty journalists, we think this is probably the most impactful beauty trend of 2022—and it has been totally unexpected. The truth is, as a beauty desk, we're still trying to wrap our heads around it. In short, this year has seen a huge uplift in demand for elevated beauty basics. By this we mean that people are spending big on luxury items that we wouldn't typically expect them splurge on.
For example, here at Marie Claire UK, we have seen a major interest in silk pillowcases. In fact, the Slip Silk Pillowcase has been one of our bestselling beauty products on the site (off the back of our editorial stories), and it's proved a bestseller for Harvey Nichols, too.
Net-a-Porter experienced a huge volume of sales of Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, a £215 face cream. They also named Dr. Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro mask a bestseller—a £430 LED face mask which has sold out regularly across all retailers throughout the year.
When it came to body care, people were also spending big. Necessaire, a luxury body care brand that specialises in fragrance-free formulas, launched exclusively in Space NK in 2022 and became the retailer's biggest bath and body launch ever. Over at Net-a-Porter, Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash was in their top 11 bestselling products across beauty for the entire year—that's a £28 hand wash.
As a whole, we're seeing people invest in products they know they can buy cheaper if they wanted to. A pillowcase doesn't have to be made from silk, an LED face mask can be purchased for far less than £430, hand washes and body creams can be picked up for a couple of pounds in supermarkets and a £215 face cream is about as luxe as they come.
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And during a cost of living crisis, it's needless to say this might seem surprising. People in the UK are treating themselves and choosing to spend their hard-earned money on big-ticket beauty items. And we'll be honest, we're still scratching our heads over the intricacies of this trend and what it really means. Sure, it could mean that people in the UK are spending more on their everyday beauty products. However, the nuances of such statistics also mean there is every bit of chance that a small portion of the population with a high amount of disposable income could be responsible for these spikes.
One thing these trends prove for sure? Beauty's importance to both the individual and the economy is categorically indisputable.
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