Here’s what happened in beauty this week

Last week’s Inauguration took so much out of me and that really was the beauty news, you know?

This week, we’re back in action. Here’s what’s happening in beauty.

We’re (not) all in this together

… At least not until Black actresses, models and more people of color start having better experiences in the hair and makeup trailer.

In honor of the beloved Disney Channel movie’s 15th anniversary (aka holy shit, I’m old), “High School Musical” star Monique Coleman did an interview with Insider. She said in the story her character, the very cute and preppy Taylor McKessie, wore a lot of headbands because the crew didn’t know how to work with Black hair. Without enough time to fix it, they “suggested that they ‘incorporate headbands into her character’ and ‘just make that a part of who she is.’”

“We’ve grown a lot in this industry and we’ve grown a lot in representation and we’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the needs of an African American actress,” Coleman said. “But the truth is, is that they had done my hair, and they had done it very poorly in the front.”

This movie was filmed in 2005 and came out in 2006, but that’s not an excuse, especially considering the amount of times I’ve heard on podcasts or on social media about hairstylists not knowing how to style Black women’s hair or not having the correct shades in their kits for Black actresses or other people of color.

It’s just a bummer and we really need to do better.

Magic mushrooms and the big bang

Trendalytics released its predictions of the biggest beauty trends of 2021.

Some are amped-up versions of how we cared for ourselves during the beginning of the pandemic, like “At-home derm” (aka “How do I microneedle my skin at home?”) Findings also predicted an uptick in acid-based products, citing searches for “poly hydroxy acids,” “salicylic acid” and “mandelic acid,” which can be used for an at-home facial peel. 

There’s also indication of consumers looking for alternate ways to achieve their beauty goals including by way of mushrooms. Think Amanda Chantal Bacon’s Moon Juice, which uses ashwagandha and other adaptogens that are supposed to help with beauty from the inside out. There’s also an interest in both sustainability in products and clean beauty. 

As for hair, searches for “curtain bangs” and “long bangs” are both up. This comes as no surprise if you’ve watched HBO Max’s bingeable thriller “The Flight Attendant.” Kaley Cucoco’s messy-yet-chic Brigette Bardot curtain bangs would make anyone want bangs. 

Speaking of trends…

We’re not getting away from the fallout of the coronavirus anytime soon. We have less money and we’re spending more time at home and our personal care choices show that.

In a call with journalists, Proctor & Gamble’s chief financial officer Jon Moeller said “over the past year, P&G has experienced heightened demand for family and home care products and less demand for luxury skin care line SK-II, deodorant and grooming,” according to WWD.com. Sales for mass products aka drugstore products, like Olay Skincare, helped to boost sales last year.  

He also predicted a lasting shift to e-commerce, an area where P&G grew sales by almost 50% in the first half of the fiscal year, and continued to see an increased demand for “reputable brands.”

However, while makeup sales were down last year, some sectors of the beauty market grew, according to data from IRI. Unisex hair coloring came in at no. 1 with a 70.7% growth. Nail products grew in double-digits including artificial nails ( up 40.2%), nail treatment (up 18.6%) and nail polish (up 14.5%.) 

In good news … fragrance sales are up.

As for the U.S., the prestige fragrance business was up 2% for the third quarter of 2020, according to NPD.

Fagrance sales increased by 3% in the U.S. in December. Sales were driven largely by high value products such as eau de parfum as opposed to eau de toilettes.

“The apparent taste for a little bit of luxury was matched by desire for comfort, as home fragrances sold well,” said WWD.com.

Where goes the economy goes the beauty industry. As they say in the biz, watch this space.

Method Men launches skin care

Grooming brand Method Men, available at our love, Target, will debut new skin care products this month including a face wash, shave cream and post shave balm, beard oil and lotion with SPF, all below $10 each. If I’ve learned anything from men in my life it’s that they’re in desperate need of personal care products that aren’t 3-in1s, but they refuse to spend more than $10 on it. 

Method Men, an arm of home products line Method, which already carries body wash, deodorant and hair care, also has sleek and chic fragrances like juniper and sage. Literally anything that gets men to participate in self-care is good to me.

Target beauty is only getting better

With the addition of MIX:BAR, a custom fragrance experience exclusive to the retailer that launched on Monday, Jan. 25, Target’s beauty offerings keep upping the stakes. Also this week, cult-favorite hair care brand from New Zealand, Monday Haircare, entered the U.S. market  launching in all Target stores, as well as target.com and subsequently at Ulta Beauty. The line includes four shampoos and their respective conditioners (Smooth, Moisture, Gentle and Volume) that range in price from $6.99 to $15.99. Products are cruelty-free, formulated without parabens and sodium lauryl sulfates, if those are things that are important to you, and the packaging is made of recycled plastic.

Similar to The Ordinary, brand founder Jamiee Lupton wanted to offer “a luxury item at mass price,” she said, according to WWD.com.

Also this week, actress and model Kate Upton launched a wellness, cosmetics and skin care brand Found Active, developed in collaboration with HatchBeauty Brands. In addition to dietary supplement powders and gummy supplements, skin care items include a face and body spray, exfoliating face pads and four face serums, while the cosmetics category features a liquid eyeliner that’s formulated with clay. The entire line, which costs between $11 and $23, is available at foundactive.com.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas created her own beauty line, haircare brand Anomaly, available exclusively at Target on Monday, Feb. 1. Every item, which includes shampoos, conditioners, a hair mask and dry shampoo, costs $5.99. The bran also is gender-neutral and super sustainable and eco-conscious.

A win for badgers (and animal lovers) everywhere 

L’Oréal has agreed to stop using animal hair, particularly badger hair, in its brushes, after an appeal from PETA. At this point, up to 100 brands, including Sephora, Nocibé, Nars, Morphe, Bleu Libellule and Procter & Gamble, have ceased making badger-hair brushes following talks with PETA U.S., PETA said.