Skincare, the 2022 cut

There are exactly five days that stand between us and a brand new year, so of course, I’m turning my mind to what I hope will be true for skincare next year. These pandemic years have seen us more interested in our skin than we’ve ever been before, something I welcome greatly. Though some of us have gone from simply curious to full on bathroom experimentation, sometimes with shocking (and avoidable tbh) results. If learning the hard way was a period of time, I’d say we’re in the thick of it.

In 2022, skin care will still take the spotlight over make up, so what’s going to be hot?

Put some respect on it

There’s only so much DIY your skin can take and I think more people are ready to hand over its care to experts. If I had a pound for every time new clients said “ I’ve tried so many things, but I’m just going round in circles, nothing seems to working so I finally decided to come and see someone who knows what they’re doing’, I’d be chilling on a beach. In 2022, consumers will realise that like with all ailments, seek the opinion of an expert before experimenting on themselves. Put down the micro-blade and pore suction device. I don’t see anyone out there doing heart surgery on themselves for a pain in their chest. Just saying!

Skin care will be more of a lifestyle

My most successful skincare clients are those who treat their skincare as a normal part of their lifestyle, alongside getting hair, nails, teeth and anything else they get done on a consistent and regular basis. I see more people adopting this attitude and staying on top of their treatments and products so they can have healthy skin all year round.

Believe me when I tell you that the people who’s skin we crush on the most are those who work on and invest in their skin. Good genes or no good genes.

Less is more

More people will realise that skincare doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t need to include multiple steps and plenty of products. In fact, your entire skincare cabinet can consist of 4 - 6 key products with hardworking cocktailed ingredients that take you across day to night, adding further treatment products as and when required.

Life impacts skin

As I explained in my book BLACK SKIN, The Definitive Skincare Guide, skin is a flappy mouth snitch that tells the world what’s going on in your life - are you sleeping enough? Forgetting you have food at home? Do you have an expanding tab at Starbucks? Puffing like a chimney? Your skin shows it all, so in 2022, I’m looking forward to seeing more consumers appreciate this holistic symbiotic relationship between their life and skin.

Ingredient curiosity is here to stay

I definitely don’t see our desire to know more about ingredients waning. Not at all, but remember that curiosity also killed the cat and just because you know about something doesn’t mean it’s right for you or that you should be using it. Interestingly, even with the rise of new ingredients like transexamic acid, Vitamin K and Polyglutamic acid, trend reports show that the oldies - retinoids, Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid remain the ingredients we are most curious about.

More bespoke skincare journeys

As the volume gets louder on the amount of skincare information at our fingertips, serious skincare consumers are looking for more individual and bespoke skincare programmes with a dedicated professional that they can form a long term relationship with. There is an appreciation that skincare is NOT once size fits all.

I think consumers are also going to be increasingly interested in their skin therapists professional network - which dermatologists, laser specialists, dentists, aesthetic doctors are in their circle? - so side note for any therapists reading this - who do you know?

Skin barrier is important

Just like an umbrella with holes is useless, a broken skin barrier also serves no purpose and you will never gain true skin health. In 2022, the focus will be on building, nourishing and maintaining this all important skin barrier. This means laying aggressive skincare products to one side, focusing on restorative treatments and ingredients like Niacinamide and burying poor skincare attitudes.

Miss us with Black skin myths

No, Black skin does not need aggressive treatments. Yes, Black skin can use skincare ingredients like retinoids and glycolic acids. Yes, Black skin needs sunscreen too. No, don’t let anyone tell you injectables are not for you. Yes, you can use laser - for pigmentation and for hair removal. It’s perfectly safe with the right practitioners. We are leaving these restrictive and reductive myths in 2021.

More into Injectables

There’s a lot less mystery about injectables, so there will more women, especially Black women taking the plunge with a tweakment here or there to boost their skin health, tighten the skin or add more definition to their features. And there is nothing to be ashamed off! For too long we have been shamed into thinking injectables are only for certain types of people and not something Black women do. Happy to say that in 2022, those days are O-V-E-R!

At-home tech

Because we like machines and we like to feel that we are doing the most, at-home skincare devices will remain interesting. I’m not the biggest fan of at home tech, but if you are looking to invest in one, then you can’t go wrong with an LED Light Mask to stimulate the battery pack in your skin cells which in turn strengthens your skin barrier rejuvenates the skin and boosts your glow.

Focus OFF the face

Yes our face is what we present to the world, but I spent a lot of time this year talking to clients about their backs, necks, décolletage and hands. Back at the end of 2020, I predicted that body skincare would become more important and I was right. At West Room, client interest in body treatments, especially for the back doubled.