Industry News: Global Market Overview: The Top 10 Personal Care Trends for 2024

The personal care trends for 2024 include precision efficacy, anti-aging, restoration and repair, sustainability, personalization, enhanced transparency, redefining daily rituals, customization, cultural roots, and vocal localization. These trends reflect the diverse needs of consumers who are seeking scientific innovation, environmental sustainability, personalized solutions, and a connection to cultural heritage.

Trend 1: Precision Efficacy

The first major trend in personal care is “precision efficacy.”This reflects consumers' desire for products that offer targeted effectiveness—whether through the precise formulation of active ingredients or the convenience and functionality of packaging, without any unnecessary hassle.

Trend 2: The Fountain of Youth

Personal care trends naturally focus on vitality. Anti-aging products are shifting toward promoting rejuvenation and renewal, emphasizing the concept of a “fountain of youth.”  This trend is partly driven by consumer interest, with 33% of people considering anti-aging or healthy aging to be the most important functional benefit of skincare. Products in this category increasingly highlight renewal and vitality, with consumers willing to invest more in scientifically backed skincare products.

Trend 3: Restoration and Repair

Globally, the third trend in personal care is “restoration and repair,” with consumers seeking scientifically proven active ingredients to restore, rebuild, and repair the skin and scalp barriers from within. Skin barrier claims have surged in personal care products, growing at a 15% CAGR over the past five years. This surge can be traced back to the larger microbiome trend in skincare, with skin microbiome claims focusing on delivering a balanced microbiome in 2023 and 2024. However, microbiome-focused ingredients such as probiotics also have barrier-restoring properties, which brands are now highlighting more frequently. 

Hair care products are also following this trend, with a focus on scalp barrier repair. For example, shampoos contain ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and salicylic acid, touting their repairing properties. These ingredients are traditional skin care ingredients but have migrated to hair care through the “skinification” trend – skin care activity is shifting to other categories, such as hair care.

Trend 4: The Pursuit of Sustainability

The “pursuit of sustainability” trend highlights brands doubling down on sustainability efforts, investing in R&D to reduce their carbon footprints and develop eco-friendly products.  This trend is backed by consumers, with 48% stating that it's important for products to disclose their carbon footprints and steps taken to offset them.

Reducing microplastics in formulations is a major concern for health- and sustainability-conscious consumers, with over a quarter now preferring products without microplastics. As a result, 36% of new personal care products are now formulated without microplastics. Ocean-safe formulas and the use of recyclable materials are also growing in popularity, meeting the demand for more sustainable personal care solutions.

Trend 5: Celebrating Individuality

The fifth major trend is “celebrating individuality,” where brands are designing product launches to cater to diverse racial and gender identities. Consumers want to be seen and have their needs met.  Many brands are now tailoring new products specifically to underrepresented groups. Gender-neutral personal care products are expanding inclusivity by moving away from traditional gender norms, while personal care products for men are also rising, reflecting changing social dynamics and awareness around male grooming.

Trend 6: Raising Voices

In the top trend of  “raising voices”, modern consumers are moving from the role of end-users to agents driving product innovation by making their voices heard. Consumers want brands to be more transparent, with over half expressing concerns that brands may be hiding their products' pollution levels. They feel terms like “natural,” “green,” and “eco” can be misleading.

Greenwashing is a major concern, especially among younger generations, who are seeking information beyond brand marketing. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and millennial consumers research personal care products on websites and blogs before making a purchase.

Trend 7: Redefining Daily Rituals

The seventh trend, “redefining daily rituals,” emphasizes how personal care has evolved into a means of self-care and wellness, helping users cultivate a healthy mindset. Some products with aromatherapy ingredients, like essential oils, are being used to relieve stress, while consumers are personalizing their routines to fit their individual needs. Tools like jade rollers and light therapy devices are being used to promote overall well-being, and this practice is becoming more popular in daily life. However, some consumers are also reducing their routines to avoid excessive use of products.

Trend 8: The Customized Canvas

“Customized Canvas” ranked #8 in the personal care trend, with brands continuing to innovate and launch more personalized products to meet the needs of their audience. Essentially, brands are hyper-personalizing their products to capture the interest of consumers. Artificial intelligence is leading this new personal care trend, with many brands creating AI skin assessment apps and tools to provide consumers with personalized skin and hair care recommendations. 

Gamification is also growing in the global personal care market as brands create virtual stores for their products, especially targeting Gen Z consumers. Skin barrier claims have also increased significantly as part of the microbiome megatrend in personal care.

Trend 9: Connecting to Cultural Roots

Ayurvedic ingredients are becoming more popular in India and the West. For example, products using amla claim to relieve hair breakage and hair loss, aloe vera promotes scalp health and deep conditioning, and turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. Traditional Chinese medicine is also becoming more common, especially in Asia. Ingredients such as ginseng, reishi, and green tea are used for their anti-aging benefits. Other common traditional Chinese medicines include centella asiatica, lotus seeds, and wolfberries. 

Finally, some African herbs and ingredients that are common in personal care products, such as shea butter, argan oil, cocoa butter, and marula oil, are being re-embraced by consumers who identify with the African traditions and cultural connotations associated with these ingredients.

Trend 10: Vocally Local

The “vocally local” trend reflects the increasing popularity of local brands that resonate with the interests and cultural tastes of their native populations. As supply chains were disrupted during the pandemic and inflation caused prices to rise, consumers started seeking local alternatives to their favorite global brands.

Conclusion

Consumer preferences for personal care vary by region, influencing how local brands tailor their products. For example, in the U.S., consumers are more interested in hyper-personalized, scientifically precise products, while in Mexico, local essential oils are more readily accepted in personal care. European consumers are more conscious of product ethics, and in China, high-end skincare is highly sought after.

PCE Guangzhou International Personal Care Expo will be held from April 15-17, 2025, at the Nan Fung International Convention Center in Guangzhou. It will gather premium resources from the personal care industry, connecting with the PCE Shanghai International Personal Care Expo from December 17-19, 2025, at Shanghai New International Expo Center, precisely covering new forces in the personal care field such as brands, supply chains, and eco-resources. The event will showcase cutting-edge technology and new products, offering a one-stop high-quality procurement service.

Additionally, to help personal care companies expand into global markets, the expo will collaborate with overseas exhibitions in Moscow, Russia, and Dubai, UAE, to achieve a dual domestic and international market circulation, creating a new ecosystem for personal care.