May 13, 2020

Specific skincare category keywords represented 42% of all monthly average search volumes in 2019, according to analysis from Digital Luxury Group (DLG) of the online performance of 28 premium beauty brands focused on skin care products.

For formulators, this increased hunt for products based on specific keywords is great news: consumers are seeking out the most efficacious ingredients possible, as proven by scientific research and time-tested performances.

According to the new data from DLG, 42% of online searches in 2019 were for specific skincare categories, including:

• Concerns – treatments for acne, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, etc.
• Product type – the hunt for certain items like serums, sleeping masks, facial peels, etc.
• Ingredients – the desire for specific ingredients, like glycolic acid or peptides
• Skin type – formulations for specific skin types like dry, mature, sensitive, etc.

Additionally, “rising skincare health awareness such as sun exposure consequences, trending product types (such as antioxidant serum), and increasing interest in more natural ingredients alternatives to synthetic ones (such as bakuchiol), are a few of the search trends identified from the category search analysis,” according to the report.

This increasingly savvy hunt for effective skincare products, based on ingredients, is a direct link to the rise of the most educated generation of consumers ever, the skintellectuals.

Appealing to highly educated consumers

A skintellectual is a consumer who is well educated on the ingredients and science of skincare, in addition to being highly knowledgeable about their own skin and needs. In order to appeal to skintellectuals, who drive trends via online reviews and social media, formulators need to ensure several key components for a successful skincare product.

To start, modern consumers want efficacy from their skincare products above all else. This means shoppers will pay more for highly effective ingredients, like glycolic acid, if the formulations can deliver the desired results. 

This consumer craving for the most effective ingredients possible can be tapped into by creating formulations with the purest, most effective ingredients possible, and then highlighting these scientifically backed ingredients on labeling. 

“These consumers want ingredient-led, results-driven products….With customers more clued-up than ever, clarity, openness and educational messaging around ingredients and formulations has never been more important, or effective,” explains GCI Magazine.

The incorporation and spotlight on time-tested, scientifically proven ingredients in skincare products can help to convey a sense of performance, innovation, and trust to modern consumers.

Multipurpose ingredients for future success

Additionally, formulators can continue to captivate skintellectuals by focusing on multipurpose ingredients that deliver a bevy of results within a single formulation. The usage of high quality, workhorse ingredients, like glycolic acid, will be increasingly enticing to today’s discerning shopper.

Best known for its exfoliative properties, glycolic acid is also a superior ingredient for brightening complexions, treating breakouts, soothing redness, and hyperpigmentation, and even reducing the appearance of scars, fine lines, and wrinkles. In short? Glycolic acid is “one of those miracle ingredients for a brighter, more radiant complexion,” explains Elle. 

Glycolic acid is so effective at treating a multitude of skincare issues, thanks to the molecule’s small size and weight. As the smallest member of the Alpha Hydroxy Acid family, glycolic acid is best able to penetrate the skin cell and dissolve the glue holding older, damaged skin cells together. This ability to quickly permeate the skin barrier, and drive new skin cells to the surface, makes glycolic excellent at exfoliating and creating healthier, younger looking skin. Even better? Glycolic acid is considered to be safe for many different skin types to use.

Keywords guide new formulations

Online consumers are on the hunt for specific ingredients that can target claims and provide relief for their specific skin type and problems. Formulators can celebrate the consumer’s turn to scientifically backed ingredients by offering formulations focused on time-tested ingredients like glycolic acid, an AHA synonymous with results and efficacy.