The report delves into the concept of “passive beauty,” highlighting the paradox of engaging in more complex beauty behaviors to achieve simpler daily routines. It examines consumer attitudes and rituals surrounding appearance management, focusing on the balance between product use and lifestyle changes. Notably, younger adults are increasingly investing time and money into their appearance, driving the market trend toward long-term, low-effort beauty solutions. The burgeoning market for “passive beauty” products and treatments reflects consumer demand for efficiency and efficacy, with offerings like overnight beauty offerings, professional beauty treatments and wellness products promising sustainable results with minimal daily intervention. Brands have the opportunity to take a preventative and holistic approach to product positioning, while also messaging time-savings and long-term benefits. Winning with those highly engaged in beauty and appearance routines means proving efficacy propositions without adding stress to daily rituals in terms of time and money.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Trending themes related to “passive beauty” concepts including innovative overnight positioning, wellness fatigue, “slow ageing” and longevity
- Time spent on daily appearance
- Behaviors engaged with to impact appearance spanning from BPC product use to lifestyle changes
- “Passive” at-home product use such as overnight masks, multifunctional products, at-home treatment alternatives and more
- “Passive” professional beauty treatments used such as body sculpting, facial injections and laser hair removal
- Appearance maintenance routines and their perceived impact by sub-category
- Behaviors toward appearance management including long-term/instantaneous results, spend management and stressors
- Perceptions toward beauty routines including social media attitudes, preventative approaches and value of professional treatments and at-home alternatives
For the first time, Mintel explores “passive beauty” concepts: extensive or complex BPC behaviors in order to be simpler in day-to-day rituals.
Carson Kitzmiller, Senior Analyst, Beauty & Personal Care
Market Definitions
As defined by Mintel, “passive beauty” highlights the more extensive behaviors – as it particularly relates to appearance – in order to be low maintenance, or have a simpler daily routine. In other words, minimize the time actively dedicated to appearance, while maintaining its ideal effect. This can include financial and time investments in products and services that give long-term results with easy and quick maintenance. The focus of this Report is to understand adults’ engagement with their appearance as it relates to product use and lifestyle changes (excluding clothing).
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- Definition
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- “Passive beauty” services not impacting at-home market
- Market health: beauty, personal care and professional services
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Trending themes and marketing strategies
- Trending on TikTok: showing off extensive nighttime beauty rituals
- Brands respond with innovative overnight positioning
- An overwhelming amount of information spurs wellness fatigue
- Keep streamlined rituals top-of-mind amongst “underconsumption” trends
- Changing routines: less can be more in facial skincare
- Strategies for comfort, wellness and credibility lead the slow-beauty revolution: Think Slow, Move Fast
- Redefine slow beauty with biohacking
- Expand “longevity” concepts in BPC
- Build trust in scientific-sounding longevity ingredients
- Adults turn to professional treatments that offer long-term support to reduce daily upkeep
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Time spent on daily appearance
- Most are content with routines, but younger adults want to increase time spent
- Graph 1: intention of changing time spent on appearance routine, by gender and age, 2024
- Capitalize on the experimental lifestage of younger consumers
- Surprise and delight with textures and formats
- Embrace versatility in routines
- Graph 2: total time spent per day on appearance (morning and night routine), by gender and age, 2024
- Bring ease and continued benefits within night routines
- Graph 3: average minutes spent per day on appearance routine (mean), by AM and PM routines, by gender and age, 2024
- “The Morning Shed” highlights extensive nighttime routines
- Behaviors to impact appearance
- Product use most common, but younger adults integrate lifestyle changes
- Graph 4: behaviors to impact appearance in the last 12 months (NET), by gender and age, 2024
- Product use most common, but younger adults integrate lifestyle changes
- Graph 5: behaviors to impact appearance in the last 12 months (NET), by gender and age, 2024
- BPC products commonplace for appearance
- Graph 6: using skincare, haircare or beauty products to impact appearance, by gender and age, 2024
- Garner loyalty among younger generations through lifestyle messaging
- Graph 7: lifestyle changes used to impact appearance (NET), by age, 2024
- Combine beauty and lifestyle support into multifunctional products
- Promote accessibility in beauty ingestibles and new-age beauty treatments
- Graph 8: select behaviors to impact appearance, by financial situation, 2024
- Weightloss and appearance: brands use ingestibles as treatment alternative
- “Passive” at-home products used
- Promote time-saving and passive benefits
- Graph 9: select BPC products used at home, females, by generation, 2024
- Go beyond “2-in-1” expectations in multifunctional innovation
- Expand on the benefits of at-home alternative usage
- Graph 10: select BPC products used at home, females, by generation, 2024
- Collections can cater to diverse needs on permanence
- Opportunity: “downtime beauty” positioning
- Graph 11: select BPC products used to impact appearance, by select race or ethnicity, 2024
- Keep hair support convenient and easy
- Graph 12: select BPC products used at home, by females by generation, 2024
- Create strong repeatable purchase cycles through digital education content
- Graph 13: select BPC products used, by social media – daily visitation, 2024
- “Passive” professional beauty treatments used
- Support users through a seamless integration of product and service
- Graph 14: select beauty treatments received in the last 12 months, by age, 2024
- At-home self-care routines and professional treatments go hand in hand
- Professional facials spotlighting affordability, convenience and accessibility in the US
- Professional treatments: champion minimalist hero treatments for maximum impact
- Majority of service goers keep it consistent
- Graph 15: frequency of typical professional beauty service, 2024
- Prioritize dosage and concentration info for professional vs at-home treatments
- Maintenance routines and perceived impact
- Connect consistent usage with long-term benefits in BPC
- Graph 16: use and time investments across appearance behaviors, 2024
- Educate adults on lifestyle impacts to skin and hair
- Graph 17: use and time investments across appearance behaviors, 2024
- Manage user expectations through realistic long-term results
- Graph 18: use and time investments across appearance behaviors, 2024
- “Prescribe” proper usage instructions to ensure efficacy expectations are met
- Graph 19: “I only use/do this when I have an appearance/beauty concern,” by gender and age, 2024
- Solution-led bodycare can entice consistent usage
- Take a holistic approach to appearance management for those looking for improvement
- Graph 20: “I consistently invest time in this to maintain my appearance,” by age, 2024
- Behaviors toward appearance management
- Prove efficacy through simplicity
- Reinforce value through long-term benefits of consistent usage
- Graph 21: type of results as a priority, by age, 2024
- Contrive minimalistic themes that promote stress relief
- Graph 22: stress thinking about maintenance to keep-up with BPC routine, by generation, 2024
- Speak to stress through skincare support, brain-skin connection and scientifically proven claims
- Minimalistic desires shouldn’t negate efficacy
- Graph 23: attitudes toward spend and appearance, by financial situation, 2024
- Attitudes and perceptions toward beauty routines
- For most, achieving ideal appearance goals requires time, effort and money
- Graph 24: select attitudes toward beauty and appearance, by age, 2024
- Emphasize, educate and enhance lifestyle marketing
- Graph 25: select attitudes toward beauty and appearance, by age, 2024
- Skepticism and pressure runs high
- Graph 26: select attitudes toward beauty and appearance, by age, 2024
- Communicate time as a luxury
- Graph 27: select appearance attitudes, by household income, 2024
- Value-driven: at-home alternatives have significant opportunities
- Graph 28: attitudes and behaviors toward professional treatments and at-home alternatives, females by generation, 2024
- Accentuate value of at-home alternatives
- Beauty treatments can be positioned as a long-term investment
- Graph 29: professional beauty treatment perceptions among non-treatment users, by gender and generation, 2024
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Appendix
- Consumer research questions
- Maintenence routines and perceived impact bases
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
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