UK Edition
The beauty buzzwords to have on your radar for 2017
The beauty industry loves a buzzword and for 2017 there are plenty to choose from. Whether you want to up your skincare game or be up-to-date with the latest nail technology advancements, there is plenty to get excited about this year. From turmeric to DNA skincare, here's everything you need to know about beauty's new lingo...
Second Skin
In the quest for a flawless complexion, Scientists at MIT and Harvard have been busy uncovering new materials that create a “second skin” to restore natural tautness. Invisible layers of polymers are key because they act as sort of band aid. One brand harnessing this savvy skin tech is Nars. Their new Soft Matte Concealer, £23, is formulated with ‘stretch’ technology that plumps the crepey skin around the eye, ensuring the formula doesn’t gather in your lines or creases. Think of it as a second layer of skin that sits delicately over crows-feet to blur them out.
Turmeric
The traditional Indian spice turmeric, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, has been bestowed with a health halo thanks to the clean-eating brigade. Now beauty mavens are recommending it in face masks and creams to combat acne and skin flare-ups. Expect endless yellow face mask selfies to hijack your social media feeds.
Nail nourishment
Nail care is poised for an upswing this year thanks to the wave of game-changing nail treatments that are hitting shelves. Look out for Nails Inc's Nail Make-up, £15, which is a polish and treatment hybrid that works like a foundation to eradicates ridges and repair the nail bed overtime. Elsewhere, Sally Hansen's Moisture Rehab, £9.95, acts in the same way as an overnight moisturising skin treatment, while Nailberry Holy Grail Nail Bonder, £17, is a nourishing base coat that cleverly interlinks with nail fibres to form a reinforced structure of cross-bonds. Effectively it acts as an invisible magnet that constantly pulls your colour layer onto the nail thus mitigating the risk of chips.
Epigentics
Beauty is getting bespoke, especially when it comes to our skincare routines. Leading the way on highly advanced product personalisation is Geneu, who rather than offer a one-sized fits all approach, gather info on your lifestyle and DNA in order to create pesonalised serums that work for you and you only. The high-tech test only takes 30 minutes to determine how your skin will age by factoring in your genetic make-up. There’s no scalpels or surgeons, just a swab inside the mouth and a speedy questionnaire about your daily life. It doesn't come cheap though, expect to spend around £900.
Lavender luminescence
Frosty, lavender-toned highlighters are set to transcend the usual washes of gold and silver seen across cheekbones and cupid's bows. Evolving from last year’s colour-correcting craze, the creamy violet hue has more brightening prowess than other metallics and is better equipped at neutralising sallow tones and dispelling dullness. Try Rituel de Fille’s Rare Light Luminizer in Ghost Light, £24, a cool-toned pale pink with a hint of purple. Also, watch out for the launch of Shiseido 7 Lights Powder Illuminator, £40, which contains lavender-blue powder particles and glass-based pearl particles that allow the light to reflect evenly.
Astaxanthin
Currently identified as the most powerful antioxidant known to science, astaxanthin's superpower lies in the fact that it's able to mix with both water and fats, allowing it to be transported throughout the entire body and provide protection to every cell. It's measured at 3000 times stronger than Resveratrol and on a beauty front, benefits are said to include waging war on wrinkles and age spot size, whilst improving skin texture and moisture content.
Blue Zone skincare
It started with Bare Minerals Skin Longevity, £45, and now Chanel is the latest beauty brand to harness ingredients found in "Blue Zones", the areas of the planet where its inhabitants live much longer lives. Their Blue Serum, £81, utilises ingredients including coffee, green olives and lentisk, (a spice) which are all found in the diets of people living in Blue Zones.
Nude hues
Red lipstick has been knocked off the top spot when it comes to our perfect pout shade. Nude is the new go-to hue, taking its cues from fashion where the likes of Christian Louboutin has expanded its offering of nude ensembles. Paving the way in the beauty arena is Bare Minerals with the Gen Nude lip collection. Comprising of over 40 lipsticks, lip glosses, it's the biggest nude offering available in the UK. Meet your new lipstick wardrobe. Look out for Topshop's nude range too.
Micro-channelling
As skincare ingredients get savvier, so the does the way in which we apply them. Enter micro-channelling technology. It creates tiny channels in the skin so that active ingredients can be delivered deeper into the dermis layers for better results. Harnessing the technology is Radara. Their Eye Patches, £240, contain tiny plastic structures that create channels in the skin to deliver pure hyaluronic acid serum. While the patches concentrate solely on crow’s feet for the moment, the implications for wider beauty treatments that focus on stretch marks and the décolleté are in the pipeline.
Microsheet Technology
Exclusive to beauty giant Unilever, microsheet technology is answer to all your knotty hair woes. Found in their Smooth & Definition Mask, £6.49, it allows the formula to hold onto a lot more water while special conditioning agents then force the water to surround each strand. Acting as buffers, they stop the strands from fusing together and tangling during the rinsing process. A miracle mask, it protects hair when it’s most vulnerable allows you hairbrush to happily sail through strands when wet.
Inflammaging
Now that we have pollution fighting skincare covered, 2017 is set to the tackle 'inflammaging'. For those not au fait, its low-level inflammation in the body and has a huge effect on the ageing process. It occurs at different levels and rates for different people, but it is thought to be the underlying reason behind collagen and elastin breakdown. Expect to see an abundance of formulas that concentrate on repair and protection.
Hydro-Plumping
"2017 will see a more prominent focus on products that boost hydration" reveals Ada Ooi, international facialist and founder of 001 Skincare."Dryness is becoming a universal concern so a new generation of products will innovate with popular ingredients appearing in different forms, shapes & size. For example hyaluronic acid in three sizes, each having its own job in penetrating skin form the surface to deep within for longer-lasting hydration."