Each new year usually brings with it a long list of exciting new skin care trends, and 2021 is no exception. From at-home skin care devices to cosmetic eye treatments, here are the skin care trends to look forward to this year.

Hand Care

The Coronavirus pandemic has led to a huge surge in hand-washing, with most people washing their hands countless times each and every day.

While this may be an effective way to prevent the virus from spreading, all of that hand washing can play havoc on the skin. This makes it hardly surprising that hand care has now become one of the main focuses of the skin care industry.

What exactly does hand care involve?

It basically counters all of the drying effects that the frequent hand washing can have. Hand sanitizers are also formulated with very harsh, drying ingredients that can disrupt the skin’s natural protective barrier. If left unchecked, this can quickly lead to thin and wrinkled skin on the hands.

Fortunately, more and more people are now becoming aware of this, leading to hand care routines being created.

In addition to ensuring that you moisturize your hands each time you wash them, you should also give them a little TLC every week. Hand scrubs, hand masks, and deep moisturizers will all become more widely available in 2021.

Maskne Products

Love them or hate them, face masks (the fabric, viral-protecting kind) are going to be a regular part of daily life for a while still.

While they may help to stop viruses from spreading, they aren’t doing any favors to the skin. Maskne has become a common phrase in the industry now, referring to acne that has been caused by wearing a face mask.

How do face masks cause acne?

The warm and humid environment created on your skin underneath a face mask is the perfect breeding ground for acne-causing bacteria. A mask also traps sebum and moisture in your pores, which again triggers breakouts.

With so many people now dealing with maskne, you can expect to see plenty of maskne products becoming available throughout 2021.

Do you need them?

Not necessarily. Since maskne is basically the same as acne, any effective acne treatments will work, so don’t let yourself be fooled by clever marketing.

At-Home Skin Care Devices

With Covid-19 keeping people at home, many dermatologist appointments have been canceled. Rather than allow their skin to suffer, people have been turning to at-home skin care devices instead.

Many of these offer a professional-quality treatment through a device that’s easy to handle and use yourself at home, while being completely safe too.

Some of the most popular skin care devices for 2021 will be:

• Jade rollers
• LED treatments
• Toning devices
• Facial massagers
• Dermarollers
• Ultrasonic pore extractors
• Electronic cleansing brushes

Cosmetic Eye Treatments

Many of 2021’s beauty trends have been hugely shaped by Covid-19, and this one is no exception.

With face masks being worn when out and about, attention is drawn to the eye area, rather than the rest of the face.

In addition to eye makeup sales seeing a huge surge, more and more people are now seeking cosmetic eye treatments too.

The idea of a cosmetic eye treatment may seem appealing. After all, who doesn’t love an instant fix?

However, there are many eye skin care products out there that can work wonders too. Make sure that you have given these a try before opting for a more invasive alternative.

Blue Light Protection

It’s been known for a while that blue light isn’t great for the skin, but people still spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones each day.

What exactly does blue light do to your skin?

• It causes skin cells to shrink and die, which accelerates the aging process. This means fine lines, wrinkles, and loose skin
• It leads to pigmentation
• It throws off the skin’s natural sleep/wake cycle, which means that the skin isn’t able to properly repair itself each night
• It harms the eyes, causing people to squint, which enhances wrinkles

So, how is 2021 going to solve this problem?

Well, for starters, you’ll see many more skin care products out there that are marketed towards being able to reduce the effects of blue light.

In essence, these products simply contain more antioxidants, as these are great for helping to reverse cellular damage.

You’ll also notice blue light shields being promoted more heavily, with some brands opting to produce their own version. Don’t worry, this isn’t something that you need to be spending extra money on – many phones have a built-in blue light filter that you can easily activate, and there are also free blue light filter apps that you can download.

Sea Botanicals

Botanicals have been popular in skin care for a while now, but there is one group of botanicals in particular that everyone wants this year.

Sea botanicals, meaning plants derived from the ocean, are packed with skin-lovin’ treasures. They leave the skin feeling hydrated, brighter, smoother, softer, and more – what’s not to love?

Even better, most sea botanicals are sustainable, which appeals to the growing eco-conscious nature in people too.

Wondering which sea botanicals you should be looking out for?

Some of the best to try are:

• Seaweed and algae (which you will find in the Introstem Hydro Transforming Mask)
• Marine collagen
• Sea plasma

Scalp Care

Did you know that your scalp plays a huge role in how healthy your hair is?

It may seem obvious when you think about it, but many people often don’t connect the two. However, an unhealthy scalp can cause:

• Dandruff
• Dermatitis
• Rough-textured hair
• Increase in hair breakages
• Lack of shine in hair
• Premature hair loss

More and more people are starting to understand the importance of scalp care, meaning that this is something that you’re going to hear about much more in 2021.

Expect to see plenty of scalp care products making their way onto shelves. Everything from scalp scrubs to scalp masks to scalp oils will soon become common, and rightly so.

After all, your scalp is made from skin, and your skin deserves proper care.

Sustainable Skin Care

Sustainability has been a big buzzword for a while now, but it took some time to really take hold in the skin care industry.

Fortunately for the environment, this seems to finally be happening, with more and more consumers placing importance on sustainable skin care.

What exactly is sustainable skin care?

It can refer to a variety of things, such as:

• Reusable/refillable jars and containers
• Non-toxic, eco-friendly ingredients
• Minimal ingredient lists
• Packaging that can be recycled

Many would say that sustainable skin care isn’t a trend – instead, it’s the way forward for the industry as a whole.

Plant-Based Skin Care

Plant-based skin care isn’t technically a part of sustainable skin care.

Why?

Well, just because an ingredient comes from a plant doesn’t mean that it’s sustainable. Look at palm oil, for example!

However, consumers are now becoming increasingly aware of what they are putting onto their skin. They don’t want to see long and complicated ingredient names when they glance at a label – they want to see ingredients they know and understand.

The move towards natural and organic has been taking place across all industries, skin care included.

Whether based on floral extracts, herbal tinctures, or root and petal powders, expect to see plant-based skin care becoming huge in 2021.

Innovative Exfoliation Products

Exfoliation isn’t anything new – people have been doing it for centuries.

It’s a must for healthy-looking skin, since it removes dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.

So, what’s new in exfoliation?

Innovation has been rife – you’ll now find an even greater variety of exfoliating products out there. From slick gels to peel-off masks to disposable pads to super-concentrated, fast-acting solutions, your options really are endless when it comes to deciding how to exfoliate.

The array of products out there is definitely tempting, but always remember that less is better than more when it comes to exfoliation.

Push your skin too far and it will end up raw, irritated, and sensitive, meaning that you’ll need to cut out exfoliation altogether until you’ve got things back under control.

Advanced Sunscreens

Just like with exfoliating products, the industry has been turning its attention to sunscreen lately, pushing boundaries when it comes to giving consumers more choice.

If you were bored of the same sunscreens dominating store shelves, expect to see more variety. From tinted lotions to pads and wipes, sunscreen will soon become much easier and more convenient.

Even better?

You don’t need to wait until the summer to give them a try. UV rays still penetrate through the atmosphere, as well as through thick clouds, in the winter, making year-round sunscreen a must if you want to keep your skin looking young and healthy.

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

While not technically a skin care trend, an increasing number of people have been turning towards healthier lifestyle choices. In the end, this affects your skin – after all, your skin is your body’s largest organ.

Wondering what lifestyle changes you could make to benefit your skin?

Some of the most significant would be:

• To stop smoking
• Cutting back on alcohol
• Cutting back on the amount of sugar and salt you consume
• Exercising more
• Spending more time outdoors
• Learning how to de-stress
• Learning how to meditate
• Improving quality of sleep

Each one of those changes can have a huge effect on your skin.

Don’t believe us?

There’s only one way to really find out!

No-Touch Professional Treatments

While professional skin care treatments are now being carried out once again in some parts of the world, it’s understandable if you feel uneasy about getting too close to a stranger during a pandemic.

Facialists understand that, which is why they are now coming up with a tantalizing menu of no-touch treatments.

Cleansing your skin yourself on arrival, before enjoying a skin-brightening LED treatment followed by a microcurrent facial toning session – yes, it all may seem a little strange at first, but it will feel like ultimate bliss if your skin has been missing all of those facials.

While Covid-19 has had a huge influence on the skin care trends for 2021, many of the top trends also have nothing to do with the pandemic – they are simply a result of the advancements that the skin care industry has been making in recent years. While you don’t need to ditch your go-to products and favorite routine to jump on a new bandwagon, it’s always worth paying attention to skin care trends – you may end up discovering something that could be a total game-changer for your skin.