What Does the Future of Skincare Hold?

THE FUTURE OF SKINCARE

By Dr Kiran Kaur Sethi
Dermatologist, Wellness Expert, and Director, Isya Aesthetics

“Skincare is no longer about putting packs made from papaya on your face, or using haldi as a scrub. As time has evolved, so has skincare—and rapidly at that. The natural methods aren’t as effective, so beauty had to evolve. First, it was the use of vital ingredients like retinol, peptides, alpha hydroxy acids, and Vitamin C that have proven to show results on one’s skin. Then, technologies like nano and liposomal delivery improved how those ingredients were transferred into the skin. However, unfortunately, despite these fabulous innovations, we’re still not able to get deep into the skin where important actives are needed to achieve perfect skin. This is where technology and evolution steps in. In 2019, and the next five years particularly, we’re going to see a huge shift in how we care for our skin. Not only will we continue to see changes in skincare formulations with lighter, airier formulas and smaller particles to improve the depth of penetration into our epidermis and dermis, we’ll also see an explosion in high-tech beauty tools. 

Chrissy Teigen is a fan of the ‘Beauty IV Drip’

 

The first generation of high-tech, at-home beauty tools came with microdermabrasion brushes. Clearly, gentle homemade scrubs weren’t doing the job, so technology evolved to really help get that dead skin off. Using an oscillating movement, microdermabrasion brushes kicked off this new wave. Next, came at-home laser hair removal tools. Unfortunately, as laser hair removal requires high levels of energy, these failed, because a home device can never give you the kind of results you are looking for. But, this kick-started a revolution in the field of beauty. 

Some of the most exciting tech involves light emitting diodes, aka LED. It functions on low levels of energy, emitted in specific coloured wavelengths to stimulate certain targets. Certain colours deliver different results-—for example, red increases collagen, while blue kills acne. Using these technologies at home can boost skin and hair gently, without any side effects. In addition to LED tools, I’m a big fan of at-home radio frequency tightening devices. When done correctly (with a good quality hand-held machine), these devices can really help improve skin contouring. 

Jessica Alba uses at-home light therapy.

All these changes in the past few years have set a precedent for the future of the beauty industry—new-age skincare is all about skincare-meets-tech. We will see patches or applicators, where products will be delivered deeper into the skin, once they’re applied. We’ll also see products given in combination with microneedling plaques, so that when you apply them, those micro needles produce channels where products can elute deep into the skin. We will also see an explosion of micro-needling designed to renew skin and boost baby collagen along with a host of serums to help expedite this process. Plus, with IV infusion being a favourite celebrity beauty trend in 2018, expect to see a host of IV infusions designed to balance your body from within, making a shift towards naturopathic and Ayurvedic supplements to augment our beauty goals. 

The future of skincare is all about tech advancements created keeping holistic wellness in mind.”