Selling finished products has been the only source of revenue for the fashion and cosmetics industry for the last century. We just entered The World After corona, where semi-finished products and DIY will come back. The consumer of The World After is ready for change.
DIY Fashion // Future trend of The World After
DIY Fashion; changing, hacking, and retouching fashion is a new future trend that has been accelerated by the effects of corona. Corona lockdowns have created a key combination of factors that caused us to get creative with our clothing. We had more time, but limited shopping opportunities. A diminished social agenda meant social fashion trends were not dictated upon us, while at the same time less fashion shows and new collection launches meant the consumer was left in the dark. This combined with an already increasingly environmentally conscious consumer means fashion is now something that is reused, hacked, and personalised. A new appreciated fashion style, not connected to dictated trends.
DIY Cosmetics // Future trend of The World After
This fashion trend will flow over into the cosmetics industry where Do It Yourself cosmetics will ensure a more sustainable and customizable end product for the consumer. This is a stark change in concept from finished products to semi-finished products. High-end cosmetic products will suddenly be partly made by the consumer themselves in their own home with locally sourced finishing products, like water, salt, essential oils, or personalized scents. This complete turnaround for the cosmetic industry will have benefits for both parties: Lowered shipping costs and shipping volume, no exploitation of cheap overseas labour, a creative product, which is more sustainable than a conventional finished product.
The industry can supply a base product, with a bottle or jar, and a recipe to suggest a finishing method. Everything else can be filled in by the consumer, adhering to their personal wishes and locally available materials.
The consumer will start doing it by themselves whether you help them or not.
Anxiety to flip your entire business model upside down is normal, but taking on a new trend can mean you become the market icon. Instead of playing safe, help the consumer to give them the right base and product. The consumer will start doing it by themselves whether you help them or not, which means young companies will jump in as well. Use your expertise as a cosmetics producer to start research and development into this new market. Find how your label’s identity fits into the new market and think of DIY products you can offer.
History
Strictly selling finished products has been the fashion and cosmetics industry’s only source of revenue for the last decades. These industries will now change in concept, from finished products to semi-finished products. When looking back at history, it’s the logical move to make.
Cosmetics
For thousands of years it has been a normal practice in cosmetics to manufacture products yourself. As far back as Ancient Egypt, eyeliners were made from ground up charcoal or minerals and lotions were made from beeswax and resin. Even less than a hundred years ago, makeup was not mass-marketed. Makeup artists in Hollywood made their own makeup, taking inspiration from ancient times, such as making mascara in a similar fashion to the Egyptian products.
Fashion
We’ve already seen the concept of selling semi-finished products applied in recent history with Vogue’s famous patterns ‘Sew The Look’ where high end designers such as YSL and Christian Dior made their own patterns for the consumer to sew at home or at a local tailor.
Food
When we look at the food industry, recipes are the standard. It’s widely accepted that top chefs create recipes gladly showing you their secrets. They aren’t afraid of losing money or people ‘copying’ their work instead of visiting their restaurant. They take great pride in showing consumers how to make fresh, beautiful products from locally bought ingredients. Bringing out recipe books helps them to build their status and become well-liked among the ranks from amateurs to pros, just think of Jamie Oliver or Ottolenghi.
Sustainability
When buying cosmetics or fashion, in any section of the market, a product will be made from materials and ingredients from all over the world. A piece of clothing may get its fabric from Turkey made from wool in Peru, and assembled in Bangladesh, shipped back to the west. In cosmetics, ingredients come from all over the globe as well. It’s a hideous chain of production and pollution that everyone has come to accept as normal.
Taking this history and sustainability into account we can conclude now is the time for DIY Cosmetics.
PRODUCT CONCEPTS
by The Lady in Blu
MY OWN SERUM
The perfect base for DIY Cosmetics. A natural and biodegradable flowing gel that acts as the perfect serum to personalize at home and finish with the end user’s favourite ingredients.
MY OWN SERUM is the base, with the right feeling, the correct viscosity and appearance, implementations that the consumer can not make themselves. It’s the perfect base for them to personalize.
BASF Product Info
MY OWN SERUM is created with the natural and biodegradable Hydagen. It’s the base that matches the consumer’s needs exactly, as the consumer wants environmentally conscious products. Add natural conservants to match. Download BASF technical sheet for DIY Cosmetics / MY OWN Products below MY OWN SCRUB
MY OWN SCRUB
MY OWN SCRUB is the perfect base for a homemade scrub. A natural and biodegradable flowing gel with the right feeling, the correct viscosity and appearance, implementations that the consumer can not make themselves. The consumer can add their own non-plastic abrasives such as local salt, clay, coffee, or sugar.
BASF Product Info: MY OWN SCRUB is created with the natural and biodegradable Hydagen. It’s the base that matches the consumer’s needs exactly, as the consumer wants environmentally conscious products. Add natural conservants to match.
Download BASF technical sheet for DIY Cosmetics / MY OWN Products here
Video credits: @deep.lyfallen
Video credits: @sorellecarelliabbigliamento, @iamtassanalaapey
