The opening of a new decade always elicits a wealth of articles both looking back and looking forwards. Noticeably, the last decade has seen a marked shift in the world of beauty, both in terms of what we view as an ideal and in turn, how brands are responding to that shifting attitude. Whether that’s embracing gender neutral collections, producing foundations for all skin tones or simply a reduction in the use of the term ‘anti-ageing’.

The focus on beauty over the last few years has moved from artfully contouring a face that mimics one photoshopped in a magazine to embracing the innate beauty of flaws and what have been historically viewed as ‘imperfections’. From freckles to smile lines, moles and facial hair, the beauty boundaries have significantly shifted over the last decade. There has also been a decline in the purchase of make-up, with research from Mintel attributing this shift to the growing trend for naturally radiant skin fuelled by the growth of brightening and illuminating products in the thriving UK women’s facial skincare category. The global skincare market as a whole is set to be worth $135 billion by 2021, according to forecasting by Lucintel.

These changing consumer consumption habits and the rejection of outdated beauty ideals has inspired brands to offer products and marketing messages that do more than sell hope in a jar to a flawless, mythical demographic. Instead the next generation of beauty brands are marketing to a mindset that transcends age, ability or race. Brands, many of which were born and continue to grow online, are conjuring up worlds that consumers want to be part of, offering them a #unfiltered view of the sort of tribe they can be part of.

While these worlds have existed solely in digital form up to this point, many brands are now realising the powerful impact that physical retail spaces can have on their business. These stores give customers a chance to experience the world they’ve only been browsing through their smart phone in real life; to test out the products’ look and feel, get advice from the brand’s ambassadors and, hopefully, become brand advocates in their own right.

Human-first experiences

A world in which a smartphone has fast become many consumers’ significant other has triggered a notable counter trend that shows no signs of slowing down in the decade ahead, namely a desire for a truly human experience and interaction. Experiencing a brand offline is becoming more vital to brands as consumers are more careful with how they purchase beauty products. There’s an increasing focus on quality over quantity, on multi-functioning products as well as upcycling and reusing.

Often referred to as a ‘phygital’ experience, brands are blending the physical and digital worlds to create an experience that suits what the modern-day consumer actually wants. They are merging digital innovations with an entertaining and interesting retail space to create the ultimate offline experience where buying products almost becomes secondary to simply immersing yourself in the brand’s world. What a brand is trying to cultivate is advocacy from their consumers not necessarily just a purchase.

Estée Lauder launched the Estée Edit on Carnaby Street in London as a physical manifestation of their youth brand, one which has previously primarily lived online. The Estée Edit is the socially led sub brand fronted by Kendall Jenner, designed to appeal to a millennial audience. The London store allows shoppers to take photos in the selfie mirrors, experience a makeup session as well as trialling the products. The space showcases the brand’s world, opening it up to a broader audience than perhaps they’d find online.

This focus on human experience is about slowing down, giving consumers the memory of an experience to take away with them as well as the product they perhaps initially went into the store to trial. The emotional angle of engaging with a customer in store pays dividends for a brand as it tends to drive up loyalty and spending in the long run. As Jessica Lee, Founder of women’s fashion brand Modern Citizen, has said, “This new class of brand is built on customer expectation and how they connect to the brand, and that’s what the new purpose of the store is.”

Beauty is a leveller; it matters to everyone, no matter your age, background or affinity for a selfie or ten. While you can join a brand’s beautiful community online, when you step over the threshold of the physical manifestation of that beautiful world, that’s when you can really catch a glimpse of the tribe you want to be part of. Of the products that might change your life or might just marginally reduce the appearance of fine lines.