Multifunctional solutions have surpassed being a trend and solidified their place in the makeup category. Consumers are experiencing inflation and on-the-go lifestyles, causing them to gravitate to makeup products that simultaneously serve many purposes.
Innova Market Insights data indicates that multifunctional makeup launches have surged 34% between April 2022 and March 2024. The market researcher says that brands increasingly incorporate skin-nourishing ingredients, long-lasting formulas and multi-use benefits to cater to consumers’ fast-paced lifestyles.
Personal Care Insights speaks to Lignopure about how rising costs are causing consumers to seek products that provide multiple benefits in one purchase. As a result, multifunctional makeup allows them to achieve various goals and simplify their routines.
“The makeup scene is constantly evolving, but in the last few years, multifunctional makeup has passed from a trend to an established product category,” Gabriela Meza Armenta, head of sales and marketing manager at Lignopure tells us.
“This preference for products that offer many benefits is driven by several important factors like convenience and efficiency, value for money and the rise of skinification.”
Skinification surge
“Skinification” has been circling in the cosmetics industry over the years as the line between makeup and skin care continues to blur. It refers to the uptick of skin care ingredients in makeup and hair care to add beauty benefits across products. Multifunctional makeup caters to this by providing color, coverage and skin benefits.
In a case study, Vantage, a specialty chemicals company, says, “Many consumers have swapped wearing a full face of makeup every day to using minimal makeup with a focus on improving individual skin care routines.”
It attributes part of the shift to the “skinification” of hybrid makeup formats.
One makeup product can be used to serve multiple purposes across the face.
“As individuals increasingly seek new ways to simplify their daily routines without compromising style, brands have responded by designing products that cater to these needs. From busy professionals to on-the-go students, multifunctional makeup has become essential for those who value both time and money saved,” says the personal care chemicals company.
Standouts and predictions
Meza names some formats she predicts will gain traction in the sector next year, such as eyeshadows with SPF, which she calls a “weirdly” neglected area in the multifunctional segment.
Naming current solutions Meza says: “Based on current trends and industry insights, some products that I have seen more prominent in social media, magazines but also brand launchings are multi-use sticks, lip and cheek tints and skin care-makeup hybrids.”
Lignopure’s head of sales says that personalized makeup solutions will continue to grow in the category. “I think this goes hand in hand with innovation because technological advances will make personalization easier and cheaper. From better virtual try-on technology to color customizable makeup.”
Meza also names sustainability as a trend for multifunctional makeup. “Besides plant-based ingredients, upcycled and fully traceable ingredients will shine more and more in the future, which will be reflected in cosmetic trends.”
According to Innova Market Insights, the top positionings of multifunctional makeup launches include Ethical – Animal/Fish/Birds, No Animal Ingredients and Vegan, signaling a conscious shift toward more responsible beauty choices..jpg)
Some beauty brands are eyeing the multifunctional trend as it grows.
Gaining traction
Vantage called multifunctional makeup a “game changer.” It asserts that consumers no longer want makeup that serves one purpose, instead, they want convenience, efficiency and more possibilities in one product.
The company calls the trend a natural progression in the beauty industry, citing the pandemic as one cause for the shift.
Spate recently highlighted a 7.7% drop in online interest in makeup across Google and TikTok. The platform attributed the fall in engagement to lesser interest in eyeshadows and eyeliners.
However, the machine intelligence platform explained that companies can address declining interest in eye makeup by developing multifunctional lip and skin products. Its fall trends report cited high demand for multi-use products and diverse textures.
Spate suggested that brands capitalize on these trends by implementing diverse textures, multifunctional products and extended wear to meet consumer preferences.
At the recent Beautycon event, attendees crowned Clean Girl as IPSY’s 2024 Beauty Trend of the Year. This trend emphasizes a fresh-faced, natural look with a polished finish, featuring multipurpose products like cream blushes for a unified appearance.
Natural innovations
Lignopure is introducing LignoBase, an upcycled lignin-based multifunctional ingredient, for color cosmetics. The natural solution has antioxidant capabilities, SPF boosting and mattifying effects.
Lignin naturally adopts the color of its plant source, resulting in brown hues. The company says this simplifies the fo
Lignin can create various brown hues in makeup.rmulation of a wide range of colors, from skin tones to browns, but also helps the formulation of shades like orange and red. Lignin offers a sustainable and natural alternative to synthetic colorants.
Lignopure says unlike other lignin-based ingredients, LignoBase is produced using patented technology that creates “perfectly” sized and shaped particles (not nanoparticles) in a dry powder form.
“This makes LignoBase the purest and highest concentrated lignin-based ingredient available in the cosmetic market. Its powder form is especially useful for a wide range of cosmetic final products, including liquids, compact powders, loose powders, sticks and creams,” explains Meza.
