These skincare trends will completely change your routine.

From switching up your serum to vowing to use more sustainable products to incorporating the latest ingredient, here are the top skincare trends that will carry your skincare routine into 2022 and beyond.

Rewilding the Skin

Rewilding is all about preserving wilderness areas while avoiding land degradation and disrupting natural processes. When it comes to your skin, rewilding entails safeguarding its unique microbiome and maintaining its natural balance.

In 2021, global Google searches for probiotic moisturisers increased by 140 percent, and a slew of new products promising to protect and strengthen the skin barrier were launched, including Gallinée, pioneers in microbiome skincare, Cultured, which treats your skin like the ecosystem it is, and Esse, which offers bio-clinical probiotic-based products.

This year, we can expect even more rewilding innovation (think pH balanced formulas, friendly bacteria-boosting ingredients, and products that create a barrier to reign supreme) as well as new brands to emerge.

Magic Mushrooms 

According to trend forecasters WGSN, searches for mushrooms related to beauty and fitness on Google have increased by 49 percent year on year between 2019 and 2020, and UK retailers have increased their mushroom offerings by 50 percent.

Mushrooms aren't a new ingredient in health and wellness – they've been used for centuries for their healing properties in traditional Chinese medicine – but they're also potent antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory when applied topically, making them a great choice for irritated or inflamed skin.

Furthermore, as we take a more holistic approach to our skin, relying on gentler formulas rather than harsh actives, mushrooms are the ideal hybrid ingredient to cater to both the wellness and visible sides of our routines.

Kindness to the Skin

After years of triple cleansing, stripping actives, and exfoliating acid cocktails, 2022 will usher in a new, more intuitive array of skincare trends. "Intuitive Beauty is the process of using products in loose rotation, based on what your skin actually needs, rather than a strict, repetitive regime," says dermatologist Lucy Macdougald, founder of Australian brand Biologi. "It's about trusting your instincts about what your skin requires, rather than just applying products as part of your daily routine."

"The skincare industry is expanding at a breakneck pace, but there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there," says Shivraj Bassi, industry insider and founder of award-winning nutrition brand Innermost. "As a result, many in the industry are noticing a trend toward consumers seeking to simplify skincare routines and avoid the use of heavy products that may be counterproductive." Instead, there will be a greater emphasis on developing skincare that incorporates nutrition, as well as topical products that address and prevent problems before they arise."

There will also be a trend toward emotional beauty, also known as "emo-beauty." We're increasingly valuing how a product makes us feel as well as how it makes us look, according to Alexia Inge, co-founder of Cult Beauty. "Effective brands that market themselves based on mood will be the hot tickets for 2022 and beyond," she predicts. "Whether it's an anti-anxiety CBD-infused body oil, a defragging reiki-infused face mist, an energy-boosting transdermal vitamin patch, or a spirit-enhancing aromatherapeutic mask, consumers want to incorporate emotional support into the products they buy."

A Concentration on Water

More brands will focus on water in 2022, with BYOW (bring your own water) products such as solid or powdered skincare (including retinol bars from solid skincare brand SBTRCT), packaging that dissolves on contact with water (including PLUS's range of body wash sachets that disappear entirely in the shower), and skincare designed to work with cold rather than hot water for a more environmentally friendly approach.

Skincare for the Entire Body

Skincare should not end at the neck, and 2022 will be the year that we become accustomed to the idea of extending our routines from head to toe. Active ingredients such as glycolic acid, retinol, and hyaluronic acid, which are typically found in our facial products, will be incorporated more frequently into products designed for the body, both in and out of the shower.

"More people appear to be taking the extra time in their routines to take care of their bodies," says Hope Smith, founder and CEO of MUTHA, a new beauty brand. "Our customers are astute; they aren't just concerned with wrinkles and pigmentation on their faces.

They want the same active ingredients that have been reserved for smaller areas of the face for their bodies.”