'Skinification' has come to oral care. Cosmetics Business reveals how it is sinking into innovation

This article was originally published in the August issue of Cosmetics Business Trend Report

Textures like serums, ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and products dedicated for night time routines may be staples in the skin care category but they have now landed in oral care – in a big way.

And while the beauty market has seen the growing influence of skin care on other categories like make-up and hair care, it seems that the ‘skinification’ trend knows no bounds, impacting what was traditionally a commodity category in everything from product development to packaging and the language brands use.

Perhaps this is not such a surprising development. From a consumer perspective, the desire to treat your teeth with the same care as your face is already well established. “We’re living in an age where cosmetics dentistry such as invisible braces like Invisalign, veneers, professional whitening and bonding are all prevalent and spoken about in a truly normalised way,” says Fiona Glen, Head of Projects at The Red Tree. “The rise in popularity of these cosmetics procedures means that consumers are more familiar with investing in their dental hygiene and therefore leads the way for at-home treatments that compliment and prolong this. Consumers want fast, visible results and I expect to see new entrants to all of these markets.”

Just as brands will enhance their innovations in line with the increasing care the consumers wish to bestow on their teeth and gums, so too will they be expected to deliver proof of performance – as they do in skin care. “Given the expectations of the ‘skintellectual’ consumer, I would expect better clinical trial information and communication of functionality and results to be presented,” says Emma Poole, Assistant Brand Manager at The Red Tree. “This will feed consumers in their appetite for proof of results before purchasing, as we have seen executed effectively within the wider beauty market.” Here, Cosmetics Business spotlights five ways that skinification is sinking into oral care.

This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Subscribers sign-in (top right) to read the article. Or Subscribe now to premium content on Cosmetics Business