Well Up: The Weekly Update 6/14

Skintellectualism Is Driving the Next Wave of Beauty Experiences 

Beauty consumers are highly educated, and holding their products to higher standards — but has this fed a growing interest in professional, scientific research? 

It’s certainly led some brands to align themselves with a revised, medical aesthetic, and in May 2024 pushed Philosophy to open its own Skin Care Academy in New York. Housed in the Empire State Building, the ‘Academy’ is filled with “lab-inspired desks” and offers an immersive educational experience where visitors can touch and sample Philosophy’s products. 

Meanwhile, FIT unveiled its own Beauty Research Facility in June 2024. The new research center is “dedicated to global business strategy and consumer trends,” and will fit into the school’s established Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management  program. Notably, FIT remains “the only college in the United States with a state-of-the-art fragrance and cosmetics laboratory.”

Consumer interest in scientific skincare is pushing beauty brands further into the realm of science — and may be scripting a new playbook for the future of beauty. 

Scientific Skincare Meets Intersectional Consumerism  

Growing demand for scientific skincare is bumping up against another tenet of consumer expectations: inclusivity.

In 2023, there were more than 49,000 people employed in the Cosmetic & Beauty Products Manufacturing Industry. Nearly all of them are required to wear daily PPE, yet most equipment is sized, and designed, for men.

To amend this, AmorSui launched inclusive personal protective equipment (PPE) in May 2024. AmorSui’s mission is to create inclusive protective wear that is designed for all genders, shapes and sizes.

The release indicates that scientific credentials don’t supersede other, more foundational expectations of brands — namely, inclusive action.

Peak Athletic Performance Requires Optimal Health — And That Now Encompasses Skincare

There’s more than one way to win gold at the Olympics. Last week, Olay signed on as the official facial cleanser for the U.S. Olympics Team. The brand centered its efforts around its new Cleansing Melts, and has partnered with five American athletes to prolong its messaging. The partnership arrives a month after P&G announced additional ambassadors and marketing around Gillette Venus, the official razor of Team USA, but is perhaps the closest we’ve seen to an official beauty partner for this year’s Olympics. The partnership reflects the continued realignment of skincare as part of overall health—and a necessary consideration for high-performance athletes. 

Other noteworthy headlines: 

- Vogue unveiled its inaugural Global Spa Guide

- The Dexcom G7 now allows users to monitor real-time blood sugar data from an Apple Watch

- Conserving Beauty has developed a range of dissolvable single-use beauty products, to keep sheet masks, wipes and more out of landfills