Top Skin Care Trends in 2022

Skin care has been buzzworthy for a while now—but the top skin care trends of 2022 reflect some interesting new ideas. While people have virtually always relied on various products to improve the way their skin looks and feels, the beauty industry has undergone a massive boom over the past couple decades. The skin care side of the industry leads the charge with a plethora of moisturizers, serums, masks, and so much more.

It's no surprise that skin care is so popular since it comes with so many benefits. Consistent skin care can improve one’s health and appearance. With the right active ingredients, it may slow signs of aging. For many people, this leads to a big boost in confidence. Even at a basic level, it’s just fun to take care of yourself and enjoy products that feel amazing as you apply them—and leave you feeling good all day. 

Those are the reasons why we love skin care—but what about the trends that are surfacing this year? There are quite a few, and we’ll examine some of the biggest 2022 skin care trends below. 

1. Minimalist Routines Are Big

For a long time, skin care trends inspired by Korean beauty focused on multi-step, complex routines involving not just cleansers and moisturizers, but toners, serums, gels, essences, and anything else that could work together. It wasn’t at all unusual to see beauty influencers touting routines with 12 steps or more.

Now? Those complex routines are still out there, and a lot of people still love them. That said, lots of other people are scrapping that complexity and embracing “skinimalism” by reaching for multipurpose products that can deliver similar benefits in fewer steps. 

2. People Are Paying More Attention to Packaging 

The beauty industry has absolutely boomed in recent years. With this rise, the amount of waste produced has also been rising, namely in the form of packaging. This clashes with popular consumer sentiment, which seeks to reduce waste and environmental impact as much as possible. 

That’s why eco-friendly packaging is becoming super popular among skin care enthusiasts. It’s not all about recyclable packaging, either. The thing about recycling is that consumers are becoming more aware that many of the papers and plastics used for their skin care products are recyclable—but that doesn’t mean they will be recycled. Only 8.7% of plastics produced get recycled into something else.

Because of that, skin care enthusiasts are turning toward other types of packaging. Aluminum is a popular choice because its value means it has a higher recycle rate. Refillable packaging that consumers can reuse over and over has become another popular choice.

 3. Whole Body Care Is a Rising Trend 

Skin care isn’t all about the face anymore. In 2022, we’ve seen an explosion of skin care products targeted at other areas of the body—and that includes elegant body moisturizers with active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, AHAs, BHAs, and retinoids.

Part of this trend comes from the need to create glowing skin everywhere—not just on your face. Another part of it arises from the need to correct issues such as acne or ingrown hairs while creating a firmer, healthier look. Because of that, people are talking about acne on the back and elsewhere a lot more. New skin care products from acne-busting body lotions to exfoliating body washes are becoming more popular.

 4. Beauty Bars Are Making a Comeback

By beauty bars, we don’t mean salons, but rather an elevated version of the traditional bar of soap that most of us abandoned years ago in favor of body washes.

What’s behind this comeback?

Part of it is rising consumer demand for reduced packaging and environmentally friendly packaging. Nearly all body washes come in plastic bottles—but bar soap is easily wrapped in biodegradable paper, which is becoming a major selling point. 

With that, modern bar soaps are becoming more luxurious. Gone are the utilitarian-looking lumps of soap from yesteryear. Today’s bars come in every shape, size, color, and scent imaginable. Plus, many of them have some fantastic add-ins. You’ll find soaps infused with essential oils, activated charcoal, various kinds of clay, botanical extracts, and more.

 5. Tech Is Trending 

Certain treatments—such as dark spot reduction or skin resurfacing—are challenging to do at home with over-the-counter products. More and more clinics are popping up with technological answers to these common concerns. That includes treatments such as microneedling, radio frequency treatments, lasers against pigmentation and veins, and more. 

One example is IPL photofacial treatments, which use Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology to fade sun spots, visible veins, and discoloration. It’s commonly used on the face and décolletage —but in keeping with the body care trend, many look to fade spots and discoloration using this technology on their hands, too.

These are among the top skin care trends in 2022, but there are a variety of others emerging, too. In the future, technology will feature even more prominently—and Venus Treatments leads the way with several high-tech solutions to suit your skincare needs. Read more about those solutions here!