This year, without many chances to visit salons, spas, and dermatologists, consumers took skincare into their own hands. Most notably, this DIY skincare approach has led to an explosion of interest in at-home beauty tech, or the innovative devices and apps that can monitor, analyze, and improve the skin.
“Before Covid-19, the at-home beauty tech sector was already primed for growth. But pandemic lockdowns have given it one giant push in the West, further boosted by the enthusiasm of Gen Z consumers,” explains Bethany Fulton in Vogue Business.
Now, experts predict the at-home beauty tech boom will stick around, long after this year ends. In fact, the global beauty devices market is projected to grow to $107.2 billion USD by 2024, according to Vynz Research.
Driven by brand new devices, intense personalization, and better data and results, it’s clear at-home beauty tech is here to stay.
Innovation in the category
To start, the at-home beauty tech boom is being led by the recent slew of innovative new devices and apps that can help consumers monitor and improve their skin.
At-home beauty tech now encompasses three categories:
- Digital – mobile apps to monitor, analyze, and improve skin
- Physical – devices to improve the skin
- Phygital – a blend of digital app and physical devices that work in tandem
Without access to dermatologists and other skincare experts, many of these smart skincare devices and apps have filled in the gaps for consumers this year. Moving ahead, the convenience and relative affordability of at-home beauty tech and tools is likely to convince more consumers to try these groundbreaking devices and programs.
Highly personalized skincare
Additionally, the high levels of personalization that smart skincare offers is another huge driver behind the recent at-home beauty tech trend.
Today, smart skincare devices and apps can collect personal information, diagnose skincare issues, and offer a customized solution based on the data.
Smart skincare devices and apps offer convenience and relative affordability
But, it’s not just about personal data. At-home beauty tech can also assess conditions like:
- The temperature
- Projected sunniness
- Pollution levels
…and then create a highly personalized skincare routine for the day. For skintelligent consumers, this kind of intensely personalized information takes the bespoke skincare trend to the next, higher-end level.
“Nothing says luxury like a bespoke beauty product. Whether it’s a treatment made just for your breakouts or a supercharged serum that probably scored better on the SATs than you did, options for a custom bottle of moisturizer have never been more readily available. Methods for fine-tuning formulas range from intuitive mobile apps, fun online quizzes, and one-on-one IRL consultations, but the writing’s on the wall: Personalized skin care is just getting started,” writes Karina Hoshikawa in Allure.
As consumers continue to demand even more personalized, customized beauty solutions, at-home beauty tech tools can help deliver the radiant results savvy skincare connoisseurs desire.
Better data, better skin
Finally, experts predict the at-home beauty tech wave will continue due to the ability of smart skincare tools to test and monitor the effectiveness of products and routines.
Similar to tracking devices that monitor steps or heart rate, experts anticipate that skincare devices and apps that can analyze and improve the efficacy of products will be of the highest demand.
“In the same way we track our steps, our sleep, our food intake, the amount we go to the gym and analyze all that, we’ll be doing that with our skin health, and checking our products are actually working for us,” Jenni Middleton, director of beauty at trends specialist WGSN, told Vogue Business. “It’s how you know you’re getting it right and it’s how you motivate yourself to maintain good habits.”
For consumers seeking to maximize the effectiveness of their purchases, at-home beauty tech tools create an irresistible opportunity to sculpt the best, most efficacious skincare routine possible.
Smarter skincare
The collision of technology and skincare has resulted in the smartest beauty tech tools yet. As savvy consumers attempt to perfect their skin, the at-home devices, apps, and phygital tools that promote skin health and appearance are poised to catapult into the mainstream.
