Skin care and color cosmetics are blurring more than ever before as the wellness movement booms and self-care routines expand. The changes of 2020, including COVID-19 and heightened focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, have shone a spotlight on the need for inclusivity in beauty products — including those with SPF — and reaffirm that health and wellness products need to work for everyone. And with tightened pocketbooks, beauty products need to work better than ever before. Consumer trend data from Mintel and other industry sources shows:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted wellness rituals and brought other environmental stressors to light, including blue light and pollution. Pollution concerns are expected to intensify among younger consumers, "made more acute by worsening global environmental conditions due to climate change.”
• 41% of US consumers consider UV exposure to be a top factor impacting the appearance of the skin and "a renewed focus on sun protection will resonate with consumers on their path to total body health."
• The Black Lives Matter movement has accelerated demand for inclusive sun care: 46% of younger Millennials (b. 1987-94) want to see beauty brands showcasing diversity more on social media, and weekly global mentions of sun care and BIPOC on social media increased by 237% globally and by 362% nationally from March 1-June 23, 2020.
• 38% of surveyed women said they expect the industry to provide a more holistic approach to beauty with a strong connection between health and beauty.
• Skincare/color cosmetic hybrids have evolved in recent years to the point where the makeup is less important than the skincare benefits the product offers.
• Mintel's The Future of Facial Skincare: 2020 calls out the opportunities for innovative and multi-functional coverage: "European consumers seek new, viable, tech-driven multi-solutions with 54% of German women interested in dual sun and pollution protection products.”

A thoughtfully crafted skin health product with comprehensive prevention claims will appeal to minimalist, beauty-focused, and healthconscious consumers alike. Derms and bloggers
all stand behind environmental protection, with more consumers than ever jumping to include sun care in their skin care routines. Consider these methods for how brands can adapt to
meet the market:

• Hit your skin health claims.
  Position sun care as pivotal to skin health," says Mintel. Consumers are embracing year-round SPF, so providing the ideal balance of efficacy and aesthetic is key to win over
  consumers. "Given the elevated level of importance being placed on skin health, category players that pivot their strategies to incorporate and promote more skin health benefits will see success."
• Show alignment with your consumer's digital lifestyle.
  "47% of consumers don’t expect their digital reliance to decrease after COVID-19, an indication of the staying power of new digital behaviors established during the pandemic," says Mintel. Brands have the opportunity to show understanding by aligning a consumer's lifestyle with a product's claims set. "Incorporating blue light protection into sunscreen will give consumers another reason to wear sunscreen on a regular basis, especially since people are not going to reduce their exposure to screens anytime soon."

Beauty Drops Total Protection serum/cc cream is an ultra-lightweight daily skin protector designed to provide your brand with a clear, specific, best-in-class suite of must-have wellness and prevention benefits. Available in six shades to match a range of skin tones, Beauty Drops goes far beyond the traditional CC cream "with SPF" to be a versatile product that offers broad-spectrum, mineral-based sun protection and a daily health boost via an anti-oxidant enhancement. Its short- and long-term beauty benefits make it a must-have in any cosmetic bag.

Active Stress Defense™ technology-enabled claims:

• Patented, featherweight texture is ideal for morning, midday, or evening use
• Non-nano, mineral-based, broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen protects the skin from 98%+ of UV radiation
• Reduces pollution-induced free radicals
• Blocks more than 35% of blue light (HEVL)
• Boosts anti-oxidant activity by as much as 200%

Additional marketing claims available:

• 80-minute water resistance
• Tinted to balance skin tone
• Non-comedogenic
• Non-nano, Chemical-sunscreen-free, Paraben-free, Fragrance-free, and Cruelty-free