In 2015, the North American aesthetics services market was estimated to be worth $14.4B and some reports expect a 7.7% CAGR between 2016 and 2024. At such an unprecedented rate of growth, understanding the fast-paced trajectory of aesthetic trends is all the more significant to staying relevant in this dynamic market.
As non-invasive procedures continue to surge as a category and the ‘wellness’ movement maintains momentum, it’s no surprise that ‘what’s hot’ in 2017 is focused on looking and feeling better without going under the knife. Here’s a look at three categories we anticipate growing this year:
Functional Nutrition: Supplements
According to Global Wellness Institute estimates, the worldwide wellness industry grew by 10.6% to $3.72 trillion between 2013 and 2015, and it’s not predicted to slow down. In 2016, the Google Trends report on food and nutrition spotted the rise of ‘function foods’ as a search category with spikes in popularity for multi-benefit superfood ingredients such as Turmeric. From the omniscient Equinox gym trend to the juicing craze, it’s little surprise that patients are looking for solutions that feed their body and their skin from the inside out. Here’s what to look out for:
- A broad range of well-branded supplements hitting the market to meet every consumer niche, from the witty Goop Wellness vitamin regimens hailing from Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand to the ‘mass-market’ Hum Nutrition line available at Sephora.
- Supplement consumers have high expectations. They’re looking for vitamins and nutrition that deliver functional results with ease, reaping results that include better skin and a ‘healthy glow’, as well as increased vitality and energy to help them tackle their never-ending to-do list.
- They’re also discerning and will be scrutinizing ingredient lists as they seek out transparent sourcing information, purer actives and extensive ‘free-from’ lists which include common allergens like dairy and wheat, along with other ‘red flag’ ingredients such as artificial additives, parabens, coloring, and flavoring.
The opportunity and considerations of aesthetic trends:
Statistics show that patients are looking to their physicians to make supplement recommendations and there is an opportunity for them to ‘round out’ a patient regimen. Of course, there are many considerations, including choosing a supplement brand with robust claims and clinical support that also matches the needs of your patient population. If a brand is going to be dispensed at the office, there is the added logistical consideration of how to manage repurchase rates and support auto-replenishment.
Cryotherapy
What’s old can be new again, and this is certainly the case with Cryotherapy, a cold blast that is making headlines and has become extremely popular in the medical spa channel. Long used in sports medicine as a treatment for reducing inflammation, pain and tissue damage while speeding recovery, Cryotherapy involves subjecting the body to sub-zero temperatures for up to 3 minutes in a designated ‘cold chamber.’ The result of subjecting the body to such extremes is a ‘fight or flight’ response that is supposed to boost blood supply and oxygen to the organs, improve overall circulation, kick-start the metabolism and release endorphins for an instant lift in mood.
While consensus on the scientific benefits of Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC) is still in flux, many providers, patients and beauty editors alike see the many ‘feel good benefits’ of this aesthetic trend as worth the cold spell including tighter skin, refined pores, and the potential for total body slimming over time.
A Focus On Fat
It doesn’t seem that long ago when everything changed with the launch of CoolSculpting® – the non-invasive fat reduction technology from Zeltique. The opportunity to ‘freeze’ fat cells to re-contour stubborn parts of the body that resisted exercise and diet without the need for surgery was an instant hit. Ever since, there has been the demand to clear new areas for treatment that have long frustrated patients and providers alike, including the underarms and sub-mental fat (“the double chin”).
In a similar vein, we’ve seen a focus on fat surface across the board, whether that’s a rise in minimally invasive fat injections (which saw a 13% growth between 2015 and 2016 according to ASPS) or deoxycholic acid based fat reducing injectables such as Kybella®. What can we expect in 2017? A continuing rise in competing contour technologies, newly approved areas for difficult-to-treat fat pockets, and a consistent patient desire to redefine their personal curves.
Sources:
https://think.storage.googleapis.com/docs/FoodTrends-2016.pdf
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/02/23/how-wellness-trends-may-shape-health-industry-in-2017.html
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/north-america-aesthetic-services-market.html
