Many industries were hit hard by the pandemic, and while the British beauty industry seemed to be on shaky ground for a while, it managed to stay relatively stable thanks to the innovation and creativity found in the capital. In fact, many London-based beauty brands, particularly those that have embraced the use of technology, have recently experienced soaring sales, proving that a combination of skincare and science is what’s needed to rise to the top.
Beauty Goes Digital
While the pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns definitely helped to push a greater number of beauty brands into the digital sphere, this was a shift that was already taking place, making it hardly surprising that beauty e-commerce sales in the UK have been steadily increasing.
Online shopping is here to stay, but with just about every brand offering this option now, London’s skincare companies have had to get innovative with their online strategies. A regular e-commerce store simply won’t cut it anymore. Instead, brands have had to digitally diversify – think TikTok videos, Instagram stories, Facebook live streaming – all of these platforms provide a way to sell, and British beauty brands have been making the most of this.
High-Tech Botanicals
Many would assume that filling a skincare formula with natural extracts is about as low-tech as it gets, and this may have been the case a few years ago. However, now, British brands are using technology to extract the most potent active compounds from locally-sourced ingredients. And, when it comes to locally-sourced ingredients, London brands only need to venture a small distance into the countryside to access the plethora of skin-boosting plants that grow around the UK.
From cold-pressed rosehip oil, hydroponically-grown calendula, powerful extracts from wild nettles and cleavers – many of these ingredients can even be found in London itself, allowing brands to keep things hyper-local.
Advanced Skin Delivery Systems
It doesn’t matter how good a skincare formulation is unless it’s able to easily sink into your skin and reach your skin cells. Many products struggle to do this, so some British beauty brands have made it their mission to increase delivery and therefore improve results.
Take Perricone MD as an example. This London-based beauty brand utilizes a liquid crystal emulsion in many of its products. To some, this may seem like nothing more than a high-end marketing ploy, but this special liquid crystal blend not only enhances absorption, but it also leaves the skin feeling ultra-moisturised. Don’t believe us? Have a read through some of the Perricone MD Reviews out there to learn more about it.
Mirror Mirror, on the Wall
It’s not just the small and independent London-based beauty brands that have been making a name for themselves lately – larger retailers have been jumping onto the skincare bandwagon too. Harrods is a good example. A London icon, this retailer has invested significant amounts into their beauty offerings, with one of their latest innovations being their “magic” mirrors.
Pay a visit to the Harrods beauty hall and you’ll be able to use those mirrors to “try on” beauty products without having to actually test them out. In an era where consumers are trying to limit what they physically touch, these mirrors could be a game-changer that many other brands start to adopt.
Smart Skincare Devices
Skincare devices are nothing new – they’ve been around for several years now. However, like with anything tech-based, constant improvements mean that the skincare devices of today are more advanced than ever before.
Granted, some of the most popular skincare devices out there come from the USA, but London-based beauty brands are now producing their own versions, and many of these far outperform their American counterparts. One example would be PMB Beauty, a British brand that has taken smart skincare to the next level. In addition to their electronic cleansing brushes, which, let’s face it, so many brands now produce, PMB has taken things further with a lip plumping system that makes use of pulsating vacuum technology, a customisable at-home microdermabrasion device, and so much more.
Summary
Technology has had a massive influence on every industry out there. It may have taken a while for those many advancements to seep into the beauty-sphere, but that infiltration has now happened, and technology is clearly here to stay. While some brands may shy away from it and try to keep things as low-tech as possible, the London-based beauty brands that have incorporated science and technology into their skincare offerings are the ones that you’ll likely be hearing more about in the future.
