Introduction

The personal care industry is driven by a strong consumer demand for new and innovative products. Innovation can come not only from new formats, textures, ingredients and science but also from the claims we make on our products and how these claims are conveyed to the consumer. The increased premiumisation of some product types such as shampoos results in new and stronger claims being used to add additional value. New testing technologies may enable us to move into more precise, quantified claims, so we may see a simple claim around “hair has increased shine” evolve to become “hair has 120% more shine”. Advanced innovation is directly linked to the pursuit of new science and the increased cultural importance of scientific validation driven by the recent Covid pandemic. Global phenomenon such as environmental change will provide new challenges for our skin and hair which must be understood and met by new product development and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being embraced by an industry which is fast paced. We are also seeing a shift to an advanced biological approach to personal care products, deep diving into the complex networks of molecules, genes, organelles, cells, tissues and organs which place the human itself at the centre of health and longevity (1). Post Covid the concept of decentralised clinical studies has really taken hold and provides multiple benefits to study sponsors. The following article explores five key emerging influences and insights shaping the future landscape of beauty claims.

Bodycare

The bodycare market is a rapidly growing personal care sector, predicted to exceed a global value of $25 billion by the end of 2026 (2). The growth in part is due to the increased premiumisation (defined as elevating a product's value through superior quality, unique features and enhanced consumer experiences) (3) of bodycare products which are increasingly using claimable, active ingredients more usually found in facial skincare products. This sector has also been boosted by the widespread use of GLP-1 agonists for weight loss (4). We are seeing the emergence of a new generation of bodycare products talking about appearance improvements with claims based around radiance boosting, luminosity, complexion evenness, brightening and anti-age spot and pigmentation (5) alongside more sophisticated textures and diverse formats. Expect to see premiumisation rolled out into other product areas too such as foot care, lip care and nail care, the enhanced margins being particularly attractive to indie brands looking to scale into retail.

Recent advances in 3D scanning anthropometry devices has resulted in an ability to highly accurately measure the size and volume of the human body and its trunk and limbs. This technology has allowed us to define the changes in body shape as we age which would lend itself to anti-ageing bodycare claims (6). We are also seeing anthropometry being used to further investigate biological ageing with the proposal of an “Anthropoage” to evaluate accelerated ageing of the body and predict mortality and age-related outcomes (7). More recently a phone based scanning and digital anthropometry app was developed which in trials has been shown to perform similarly to large, clinic-based systems which would make the technology widely available, almost to domestic use levels (8).

Ingredient Led Science

For certain brands in the cosmetics market we are seeing a greater focus on the incorporation of rigorous, independent scientific research in their marketing content. This gives a real authenticity and credibility to the products and also engages highly with consumer trust. A recent piece explored this concluding that overall, more brands are doing research to adapt to post-pandemic consumer behaviours (9). During the Coronavirus pandemic, people started investing more in health and wellness and more closely scrutinizing products in these categories and demanding data driven skincare solutions. Ingredient suppliers are viewed as one of the key providers of innovation in the personal care industry and are also making a shift from providing proof of principle type studies with lower numbers of subjects to published scientific data in well controlled studies on their ingredients. Recent examples include a study by Chemyunion with Sao Paulo State University on their ingredient composed of Myrothamnus flabelifolia and Coffea arabica (10) and a publication by Activen on their ingredient Oligopeptide-1 (11). Expect to see more brand and ingredient collaborations with academic institutes in the future as companies seek to engage with “skintellectual” consumers who demand high levels of both efficacy and scientific proof.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The impact of AI not only in the personal are industry but in the world in general has been huge. In beauty we see AI being used to tailor personalised recommendations for consumers, develop new cosmetic ingredients (12) and help brands identify new, highly efficacious molecules for their products (13). The applications for the technology are endless. AI can be used to analyse massive datasets incredibly quickly and accurately to derive accurate, meaningful insights. Unilever have taken the lead in terms of microbiome research, working with IBM to identify insights from huge amounts of data from a large subject study. Measurements such as skin hydration were combined with bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing obtained from skin leg samples, with the subsequent analysis allowing the prediction of skin hydration, subject's age, pre/post-menopausal status and smoking status from the leg skin microbiome (14). This could potentially have applications beyond beauty such as microbiome-based personalized therapeutics and non-invasive diagnostics.

The ability of AI to assist with the rapid analysis of trial data was also seen in recent publication investing the link between images of hands and chronological age. In the study images were taken of the dorsal side of the hand and also the front of the face of 1454 females subjects. Convolutional neural network (CNN) models were developed for image categorisation, which, when validated, were shown to accurately predict chronological age to the same degree of accuracy (15).

At the 2024 Anti-Ageing Skin Care Conference in London, Juliette Rengot from Qima Life Sciences presented on the use of AI to build a digital atlas of skin wrinkling which could then be used to expert assess images captured during clinical studies on eg the efficacy of products to reduce crow’s feet wrinkling. The scale, called the “Standardised ColorFace AI-based Wrinkle Assessment scale”, or SCAWA for short, was shown to be more accurate in analysing images than the incumbent facial atlas (16). A further scale is now being developed using the same methodology to assess wrinkles in the glabellar region (the area between the eyebrows) of the face. We are already seeing AI being used to develop facial attractiveness scales which can be used to guide aesthetic surgery so expect to see the development of models to use alongside clinical trials to continue (17).

Interestingly, in the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority also use AI to rapidly screen high volumes of digital ads and identify any which are non-compliant (18).

Environmental Protection

The need to protect our skin from the ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun has been known for a long time, with the sun protection market projected to grow from USD 16.8 billion in 2025 to USD 25.4 billion by 2035, at a CAGR of 4.2% (19) as consumers focus on skin longevity, skin health and the adoption of preventative skincare strategies= whilst also becoming more aware of the dangers of sun exposure. Alongside this we are seeing an increase in the number of publications linked to the impact of other environmental factors on skin. Particulate matter has been shown to have a severe impact on skin, increasing exposure to free radicals, depleting antioxidant stores and promoting degradation of extracellular matrix components leading to premature ageing (20).

Climate change influences human skin health through a combination of intensified environmental stressors that disrupt its structural integrity, immune defences, and regenerative capacity. Rising temperatures increase transepidermal water loss and promote vasodilation, leading to persistent dehydration, redness, and exacerbation of inflammatory dermatoses such as rosacea and atopic dermatitis. Altered humidity patterns affect the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum, weakening barrier function and making skin more permeable to allergens and pollutants. Furthermore, climate-driven changes in ecosystems increase the geographic spread of vector-borne and water-related skin infections, exposing populations to fungal, bacterial, and parasitic conditions previously rare in their regions. These combined effects make proactive skin protection, including photoprotection, antioxidant support, and barrier-repair an increasingly important aspect of personal care adaptation strategies (21). If this continues it is not a far stretch to imagine that, alongside the SPF and UVA levels currently used to indicate protection from UV we could witness the emergence of an environmental protection factor which takes into consideration the ability of a formulation to protect from external, environmental stresses such as those mentioned above.

Decentralised Studies

Both the pharma and the beauty industry are undergoing a research transformation with the emergence of Decentralised Clinical Trials (DCT’s). These are clinical or consumer trials conducted remotely using digital tools, AI-powered analytics, and participant-driven data collection (22). Unlike traditional centralized trials confined to specific sites or laboratories, Decentralised research allows brands to include diverse populations across geographies, lifestyles, and ethnicities. This shift is potentially pivotal for a global sector like beauty, where skin physiology, climate, and cultural preferences can have a significant impact on product performance and perception of efficacy.

Through mobile apps, wearable sensors, and smart dermatological devices, participants can now share real-time skin data, images, and feedback directly from their everyday environments. We have already seen examples of studies where participants take “selfies” as part of the protocol (23). This approach creates a more authentic evaluation of product efficacy by capturing how skincare behaves under natural conditions in the consumer environment all factors rarely reflected in standard laboratory settings. Moreover, digital connectivity enables rapid recruitment, improved compliance tracking, and scalability, dramatically reducing the time and cost of traditional studies. At home devices which can measure transepidermal water loss, hydration and skin elasticity are already becoming common place and are being evaluated by many large cosmetic companies (24).

For brands, the implications go beyond efficiency. Decentralised studies foster transparency and inclusivity, two values increasingly demanded by conscious consumers. Data collected across a wider spectrum of users enhances the credibility of clinical claims and supports personalization, allowing brands to tailor formulations and marketing narratives with context-aware precision. Scientifically, these models also open doors to longitudinal insights, mapping skin health trajectories over months or years without geographic constraints.

Ultimately, Decentralised research represents a convergence of science, technology, and consumer empowerment. It democratizes access to beauty testing, redefines how efficacy is validated, and positions brands to innovate ethically and globally. As data reliability and regulatory adaptation continue to strengthen, Decentralised studies are set to become a new gold standard for human-centric beauty innovation.

Conclusion

Outlined above are five key areas where there is significant change in how we approach beauty product testing and the claims we make. Premiumisation of products beyond the face will mean we need a new language and a new way of assessing efficacy of products on multiple different body sites. AI will give us the ability to manage and interrogate data sets in a way we have never been able to before and do it incredibly quickly. Looking to ingredient suppliers for science led innovation will become even more important to brands and building successful relationships in this space will become a huge competitive advantage. The impact of climate change and our eternal environment will bring future challenges in terms of skin health and finally decentralised clinical studies need to be engaged with in a thoughtful and thorough way so we can effectively utilize mobile health applications, telemedicine, and wearable devices to collect real-time data and ensure robust study endpoints in the consumer environment.