COSMOFACTORY

Deanna:[00:00:00] This episode is about digital data and consumer sentiment. It's about the unfolding of a trend, and it's about the language and phrasing consumers use when they are looking for longevity benefits from beauty and wellness products.
For today's episode of the CosmoFactory podcast, I'm speaking with Matilde Riba Beauty Insights manager at SPATE, Matilde. Welcome to CosmoFactory.
Mathilde: Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to talk about longevity [00:01:00] today.
Deanna: Yeah, you're welcome. I'm looking forward to our conversation too. For listeners who are not yet familiar with Spate. I'll start just by saying that this is a market research company. You're based in the US and, and this business was established in 2018. Matilda, will you tell us more about the company?
Where does your data come from? How do you analyze and interpret that data?
Mathilde: Yeah, absolutely. Um, all right, so what Spade does is that we look at the presales funnel data, so. I'm thinking the consideration stage. So we're looking at social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. We're also looking at Google search in the buying intent phase. Um, of course we're always looking at adding more sources, so we've been working on adding Reddit data to the dashboard to add a little bit more of qualitative data, um, to our.
Data set. Um, one thing I would say is that the way the data is organized on the dashboard is [00:02:00] trend-based. So what we do for Google search is we look at the search queries for TikTok, the hashtags, Instagram also hashtags. We aggregate everything into trends to give an idea of what's trending, what's declining, what's growing really fast.
Um, and of course we look at related searches. Hashtags just to give an idea of the benefits, the trend, the related trends or the brands that are also driving a specific trend. Um, just to give really more information to our users about what is driving decline, what is driving growth for specific trends or categories.
Deanna: Fantastic. And. The trend we're gonna focus on today is longevity. This is a trend or maybe even a movement that beauty industry insiders have been watching for years, but you're watching from a different angle as the data points that you've, you've mentioned there. Suggest you're looking at something that we would call trend diffusion, uh, [00:03:00] and how consumers on mass are integrating longevity into their beauty behaviors, into their thinking.
What indications are you seeing that beauty consumers are concerned with longevity or shopping for products with longevity benefit.
Mathilde: Yeah, totally. So we know longevity has been such a big topic in the industry. Um, everyone is talking about it. A lot of articles are coming out about what longevity is, what it is evolving into. And so because we're looking at data at a consumer. Level at Spate, we wanted to understand, and we had a lot of clients asking us, are consumers searching about longevity?
Are they using the term yes or no? If not, are they still showing interest in that movement? And so we looked into the term longevity overall. So we looked at wellness, beauty, everything, and we found, we found out that some consumers are using the term longevity mainly in a wellness. [00:04:00] Context. And so they'll look at longevity ingredients like NAD that now of course is very big in beauty also, but really started in wellness.
Um, rol. They're also looking at menopause. They're looking at creatine, things that we really see in wellness, big topics and ingredients in wellness. But we also saw that one of the biggest related topics, upcoming topics, was the skin. And so consumers are starting to talk about skin longevity. But really when we did some research about whether or not consumers were interested in that longevity movement, we looked at a couple of things.
We looked at related topics that people were either talking about on social media or searching about on Google, and so I'm thinking things like. The science behind the skin. So we have skin microbiome. Skin barrier is also really growing. We have things like cellular [00:05:00] senescence, consumers are really trying to understand the science behind the skin and how they can support it.
And then of course, and we can get more into that, but we look at all of the trends that are part of that longevity. Conversation, even if it's at an industry level. So I'm thinking regenerative ingredients, treatments that were really big in meds, spa and are entering the home, things like that, that we're definitely seeing consumers going into and really growing interests in.
For sure.
Deanna: Yeah. No, it's so interesting. I, I saw a recent report you created that even called out Long. As an unspoken consumer priority. And, and certainly what you're describing there that, that maybe not the bulk of consumers are using this term, um, but they're looking for related, uh, ingredients related benefits, So I'm hoping you can say more about the trends that are part of this longevity movement, um, as you have [00:06:00] suggested. Ingredients are moving from wellness into beauty, or maybe products are moving from the med spa into the home. Can you say more in particular about what you're looking at or what you know, what's popular with consumers that suggest longevity is indeed a trend that they're interested in?
Mathilde: so for PRN Serum, for example, it all started with the Solomon sperm injections that we were seeing, uh, very popular, especially in Korea, which is quite interesting. And then the idea of PRN as an ingredient that is originative, um, really made its way to the US.
And so in the very beginning, I remember consumers on TikTok in the US were talking about A-P-D-R-N cream. That was. Korean pharmacy. And so the idea of something very scientific, something that can really regenerate the skin cells and help with not only from an anti-aging perspective, but also repair.
And that's a lot of what K beauty is. Um, and then it moved. [00:07:00] From that idea of something very scientific and medical almost into something a lot more accessible with PDRN Serum. So we know Mediq has been huge on that. Um, and of course there's a lot of discussion around whether or not this is actually helping the skin, but I think consumers showing interest in ingredients that are set to be regenerative is telling us a lot about the direction they wanna go.
With when it comes to anti-aging, but also a long-term investment for their skin. Um, and then when, another good example is, for example, microneedling has been so big in the industry, um, at MedSpa of course, but now we're seeing microneedling serums. Coming along. And so seeing consumers really trying to optimize their routine at home using things that maybe they were going to the Mets path for before, is also telling us that they're trying to maximize [00:08:00] the amount of products, ingredients they can have in their routine to help with longevity as opposed to maybe a monthly appointment at a meds path.
Deanna: And you're describing a lot of products that feel preventative and reparative. I guess I'm curious, can you sort of benchmark. The popularity of longevity against something else that we're watching in the industry. Is this like as exciting as what?
Mathilde: Yeah. Um, I'm trying to think about something we could compare it to. Um. I do think so. I do think it's exciting because it is speaking to everyone. And that's the thing with longevity before, and it's not just a replacement of the anti-aging category. Longevity is going to speak to people in their twenties who are trying to invest in their skin long term.
It's also speaking to people in their fifties, sixties who [00:09:00] wanna make sure that starting from now, they really support their skin, whatever stage the skin is at. So I think the excitement here for the industry is also to. Really be able to talk to everyone and of course, adjust. The way you talk to people, depending on the stage they are in their life and the stage their skin is at.
But I think that's really part of the excitement. Um, the other thing about preventative and um, protective care has been also something that we've been seeing, um, consumers with acne dealing with, for example. So I feel like the idea of protection and really. Prevention in skincare has been so big for a lot of people, and now this longevity aspect is really taking this idea and making it a long-term investment for truly anyone.
Whether you're dealing with rosacea, acne, aging, skin, it doesn't really matter because it's [00:10:00] really something that anyone could relate to.
Deanna: Sure. No, that's fantastic. And as you've suggested, there are. Ways then to speak to the consumer about this. And it might vary a little bit demographically, but maybe that is part of the answer to this question, but I, I'm curious how then the industry can apply these learnings. What can brands or agencies do with this type of digital consumer data?
Does it complement conventional market research? Is it an instead of. Sort of platform. What, what? How does the industry use what you know?
Mathilde: Yeah, totally. Um, so yeah, I guess it depends on who is using it. If we're thinking about brands and agencies, it's really. Going to depend on the team using the data. So I know that at SPA we work with teams or in r and d innovation. We also have teams in marketing, [00:11:00] communication, market research, insights.
Really everyone can use the data, but then what they do with the data can be very different. So I feel like for marketing it's. Pretty obvious it's going to be really trying to understand how consumers are talking about longevity in words that they understand well and that are really resonating with them.
So maybe it's age management, maybe it's cellular, uh, sance, for example. So it's really going to depend on. How we can talk to people and what resonates compared to, for example, innovation r and d. I think the platform is great because we don't look at sales data, we look at trends, data, so we get really an idea of what is grabbing attention quickly, and I think longevity is something that we've been seeing.
Of course, it's been a huge conversation for everyone, but seeing what shapes its staking. [00:12:00] Is going to be helpful. And so now for example, we're seeing that it's big in skincare, of course, but on the dashboard we're seeing that it's coming for the hair care category, it's coming for the makeup category, for the body care category.
And so it's going to be a matter of really. Trying to grab these little insights and little trends coming up and understanding that skincare in the beauty category is eventually going to impact everyone because of what we call the skin ification of the industry. Um, so what they do with the data will really depend on the team they're on.
We also have social media teams who are here to act really quick on TikTok trends, and that one is going to be different, but I know. P and Serum was very small once, and the brands that were able to really capture that moment have been very successful. Um, I don't think Peter and Serum is going to die all of a [00:13:00] sudden, but maybe there's an expansion of the ID of something regenerative that anyone can access because it's still a pretty accessible product.
Deanna: Wonderful. No, that's super helpful and I definitely wanna hear from you on how longevity and beauty is related to longevity in the wellness sector. You mentioned both of them earlier. Before we go in that direction, uh, let me mention that the team at Spate is of course watching and analyzing data on a number of trends and at cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna.
This month, spate co-founder Yan Horwitz. We'll be moderating a panel discussion about wellness tourism. So if that's a topic of interest for you, and you will be among the more than 250,000 attendees at the trade fair this year, please visit cosmo prof.com or find a link in the show notes for this episode to register to attend that Cosmo Talks session on wellness tourism.
Matilda lets you and I keep thinking about longevity. It's well known that consumers today see a direct [00:14:00] correlation between health and beauty, and you pointed that out so clearly earlier. I know you're paying attention to longevity in the wellness sector, or at least your colleagues are. I know your focus is particularly on beauty, but help us clarify first, what is wellness?
What are the the products or items that belong in this category?
Mathilde: Yeah. Uh, wellness is such a big term now and encompasses so many things. Um, the way we look at it is really everything that is going to be, um, helpful to be healthier. So we're looking at supplements and ingestibles. Functional food and beverages also that are becoming quite big. Um, but we also look at activities, routines, so I'm thinking things like hot yoga.
The reg, the regulation of the nervous system is a very interesting one that we're seeing recently. So I. Um, we also have trends like the vibration plate that has been so big on TikTok and is really growing on search as well. So when [00:15:00] we think about wellness, it's really the idea of everything that will make you healthier.
Um, and interestingly we've been seeing in wellness, especially really the idea of an optimization when it comes to the routine with people adding more and more and more steps. And so that's also why I think the wellness. Definition is expending because consumers are adding more things, whether it is, uh, an activity like a hot Pilates, a hot yoga or something, they can just, um, do daily.
Like I know tapping is really trending for everything that is nervous system related. So we do encompass a bunch of things, including products, but also activities, routines.
Deanna: And can you say something about how wellness then is animating. The longevity movement, how is it helping build momentum here?
Mathilde: Yeah. So, um, I would start with saying, I mentioned it earlier, [00:16:00] but longevity so far as a term is really used in the wellness conversation so far. It's also really used on social media, so we're seeing a lot of discussion on Instagram, on TikTok also. Um, that being said, it's not yet a huge. Term for consumers to use, even in wellness.
And so similar to what we did with beauty, we tried to look at related topics that consumers are already talking about. And so we looked at things like biohacking, for example, with the idea of really optimizing. Your routine, making sure that you have all of the nutrients you need, that you have, that you're good, you're all set up with your fiber, protein, hydration.
Uh, but we also looked at things like longevity, lifestyle and longevity supplements. So these two trends are growing already and consumers are trying to understand how they can support their body, but also mental, spiritual health [00:17:00] using all of these things. Um, we also looked at things like hormonal regulation.
That is playing a big part in the longevity conversation. Wellness, because hormones are. Impacting everything in your health and now consumers know it, understand that better and are really trying to be more proactive. So we're definitely, of course some people are using the term longevity already, but we're seeing a bunch of topics that are fueling that shift.
Um, and I think that's also. Interesting to, for brands, agencies, anyone to understand because these topics are definitely fueling the longevity shift that we're seeing across beauty and wellness.
Deanna: Mm-hmm. And let's think about beauty a little bit more in particular. You've already mentioned supplements belong in the wellness sector, and of course we see many, many brands, uh, in the beauty space now, uh, selling supplements to their customer. What else, or, or what do you see going on in wellness that, that maybe of [00:18:00] particular interest to beauty brands and suppliers?
Mathilde: Yeah. Um, I love the topic of beauty and wellness overlap. I think it's fascinating. Um, yeah, as you were saying, we're ready. Seeing, for example, wellness ingredients in beauty. It's been happening for a while now, but what I love to really look at is the other way around. And so for example, in beauty, we know that wearables have been such a big topic, so I'm thinking.
Overnight collagen mask that you peel off in the morning under eye patches, pinball patches even. And so the idea of something wearable that will really bring something to your skin is now growing in wellness quite a lot. And so we're seeing patches doing really well. I'm seeing, I'm thinking NAD patch.
I'm thinking dopamine patches like really. Anything that is wearable is now growing in wellness, and I think it's interesting to see how the beauty [00:19:00] industry made it almost normal for people to just stick things
Deanna: Right. They're borrowing a product format.
Mathilde: And so now it's moving on to wellness, uh, which I think is so interesting.
And they also borrowed the idea of with under eye patches, for example, it used to be used in your home, no one could see you. Now with social media, everyone can tell that you're wearing eye patches, you know, and so brands are really. Playing around this and having cute logos, cute designs with the wellness patches that we're seeing recently, and I'm thinking of the brand kind patches, for example.
They are very colorful and consumers on social media at least are wearing them in places where you can see them. So the, even the idea of it being a branding starting to be maybe not a status thing for wellness yet, but might become it, um, is also really used in the wellness now, which I find [00:20:00] so fascinating.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. Any other, any other notes on, on wellness and, and beauty and longevity before we finish up here?
Mathilde: Um, yeah. Another thing that I thought was super interesting and almost a little funny when I found it was I was talking about Mediq and how they were able to really leverage the PDR and serum trend, and so I was looking at what was happening for the brand and they just released little strips, so supplements that are really similar.
They're marketed the same way. They market their PN serum PN mask, and so it's a pn slash collagen strip. Consumers are eating on social media showing how they use the mask, but also just trips and I think it's super interesting to see how beauty brands are now ha really able to get things from wellness.
[00:21:00] Connecting the dots through maybe a viral product, which was the case for Peter Ander by mEq. So super interesting to see how they communicate and how they're able to innovate together.
Deanna: Wonderful. That's all so helpful to know, Matilda, everything you've shared today. Has given us a new view on longevity. Thank you for being my guest on the CosmoFactory podcast.
Mathilde: Thank you so much for having me. I hope this was helpful and insightful. Always lovely to talk with you.
[00:22:00]