Considering the market projections for dermocosmetics to outpace general skin care, we asked industry experts to weigh in with their views of current drivers and future directions for this Their comments are featured here.
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Considering the market projections for dermocosmetics to outpace general skin care, we asked industry experts to weigh in with their views of current drivers and future directions for this Their comments are featured here.
Precedence Research estimates the dermocosmetics skin care market will expand at a significant 9.71% CAGR between 2023-2032 to reach $132.66 billion.1 The same firm projects the general skin care market will grow at CAGR of just 6.74% from 2024-2034 to reach $321.9 billion2 – clearly outpaced by the derm brands.
As Global Cosmetic Industry reported,3 in the U.S., dermocosmetic skin care has continued to outpace the growth of overall skin care for the past few years. And while dermocosmetic-focused brands have become the standard for safety and efficacy, dermocosmetic-adjacent ones have begun adopting a similar positioning, “tapping into motivating factors like clinical results, claims and, most importantly, scientific consensus.”
In addition, per the report,3 Euromonitor data shows that, since 2019, more U.S. consumers are looking for skin care features like being dermatologist-tested, specific ingredients and clinical formulations. “These consumers are motivated by an underlying demand for safety, transparency and healthy living, which is placing a higher reliance on substantiated medical guidance.”
Furthermore, health and wellness motivations are underpinning this consumer desire, with 46% of U.S. consumers citing moderate or extreme concern over their skin health in 2024, up from 38% in 2023, encouraging consumers to further scrutinize the formulations of the products they use daily.
Industry experts had the following to say about dynamics in the dermocosmetics market.
Dermocosmetics and Helping Skin ‘Help Itself’
According to Jule Lexa Völzke, Ph.D, manager of product design and development for CLR, studies show the most people have compromised skin. “The majority of people have sensitive skin, suffer from acne or have other problems with skin which, importantly, have a big impact on self-esteem,” Lexa Völzke writes.
“In this context, a clear movement can be seen in the skin care market: consumers are health-minded. This is expressed in their interest in so-called dermocosmetics – skin care brands that are positioned to solve a problem for compromised skin types, such as sensitive, very dry and acne-prone,” she explains.
What future directions might this trend take? “For skin care brands that focus on compromised skin, the potential lies in gaining a deeper understanding of [given] skin problems of interest,” Lexa Völzke shares. “For this category, product effectiveness is by far the largest factor in making it successful in the market.”
She adds that considerations such as how skin is compromised and what the biological mechanisms are underlying the problem will be critical to understand. “Here, a large potential also lies in finding personalized solutions to specific problems,” she explains.
Lexa Völzke also notes that an important consideration to move forward in this space is the fact that compromised skin comes in many different guises – however, “[one] important common denominator for most forms is a lack of skin barrier function,” she states, highlighting her company’s ProRenew Complex CLR (INCI: Lactococcus Ferment Lysate), which is said to strongly influence cellular renewal and barrier function in skin.
“Chronic oxidative stress is another common issue with compromised skin,” she continues. “CefiraProtect CLR (INCI: Betaine (and) Isomalt (and) Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate (and) Kefiran) fortifies the skin’s own antioxidant potential.”
Importantly, per Lexa Völzke, helping compromised skin to help itself is the way forward for skin care. “The skin can do everything itself. It sometimes needs a push in the right direction and that is what skin care with these types of ingredients can do very effectively.”
Skin Barrier Function and Return to Anti-aging
Laurie Canel, product marketing manager of active ingredients at Gattefossé, believes the skin barrier and its protective function are the prominent focus in skin care. “In recent years, we have seen a real boom in interest for claims related to the barrier function and, as a consequence, to compromised skin,” Canel writes. “This is directly related to consumers who are more conscious than ever that the external environment (pollution, UV, artificial visible light…) is a threat to their skin.”
Canel adds that consumers wish to regain control of their skin rather than passively face increasing environmental aggressions. “A way to regain this control is to improve the barrier function,” Canel explains. “There has been a real boom for health-centric skin care products and interest in claims related to repairing, healing and regenerating the barrier. [This is] particularly among the youngest generations, who are well-educated on that topic,” Canel observes, adding “there is no sign of a slowdown in these themes. On the contrary, they should continue to grow.”
Moreover, per Canel, the industry tends to expand the marketing of products for compromised skin “by linking this topic to skin longevity and long-term health; which in a way, goes back to the ever-lasting anti-aging topic.” Canel adds that mechanisms for restoring barrier function, skin resilience and combatting inflammation are today's targets of choice for compromised skin care.
To activate these desired mechanisms in skin, Canel highlights Gattefossé’s Gatuline Renew (INCI: Butylene Glycol (and) Water (Aqua) (and) Cryptomeria Japonica Bud Extract) ingredient from Japanese cedar buds. Per Canel the ingredient is “rich in energetic phytochemicals (such as isopimaric acid) that stimulate epidermal renewal. It ensures the recovery of a functional skin barrier function and proper water homeostasis.”
Also, the company’s Gatuline Skin-Repair AF (INCI: Propanediol (and) Water (Aqua) (and) Onopordum Acanthium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract) is said to specifically improve the synthesis of specialized pro-resolving mediators and thus prevent chronic inflammation. “Coupled with properties that restore the cutaneous barrier, this bioactive [better equips] compromised skin to deal with inflammation.”
Sensitive Skin as the New ‘Norm,’ Brain-skin Connection and the Microbiome
Kacey Brides, marketing manager for Givaudan Active Beauty, sees two main trends in compromised skin care: sensitive skin as the “new normal” and consumers understanding the link between stress and skin conditions. She adds that consumers are also more aware of the importance of balancing the skin microbiome.
“These concerns have led to a focus on trends like ‘skip-care’ or ‘skin fasting,’ where you alternate between using advanced skin care actives, then giving your skin gentle solutions and ‘rest days,’” Brides explains. “A gentle approach to skin care actives as well as incorporating healing and emotional qualities into products to restore balance will be key.”
Brides notes that the term psychodermatology is being adopted by consumers and will continue to expand. In addition, niche microbiome solutions to target specific concerns for skin conditions as well as aging will be necessary.
“Studying the brain-skin connection and the microbiome as part of the product development process will lead to advancements and solutions for these concerns,” Brides writes. “At Givaudan Active Beauty, we have a clinical lab dedicated to microbiomics and using i-MAPS technology. This technology has been developed on the basis of more than 20 years of microbiomic research, using billions of genetic data collected to build a predictive model for skin diagnosis.
“This allows us to detect the microbiome signals of certain skin concerns and to develop active ingredients to address these concerns.” For example, the company’s most recent launch, Silk-iCare (INCI: Water (Aqua) (and) Silk (and) 1,2-Hexanediol (and) Caprylyl Glycol), is a bio-mimetic vegan silk that works as a protective veil for the skin. “One of its many incredible benefits is to protect the skin against irritation and promote epidermis recovery,” Brides explains.
Neurocosmetics Redefined and Wearable E-skin
Finally, according to Gopinathan K. Menon, Ph.D., honorary member of the Center for Dermal Research at Rutgers University, “neurocosmetics and wearable e-skin appear to be on the forefront/horizon…,’” Menon writes. “The drivers [for these] are hyped up science and the Botox bandwagon – which are attractive marketing tools.”
Per Menon, the claims on neurocosmetics could potentially lead regulatory agencies to a clear definition of the term. “The idea of a topically applied ingredient acting quickly and specifically on the nerves of skin, similar to Botox that is injected (which takes time to be effective), will be realized as pseudoscience by more consumers.”
However, Menon sees a path forward. “One can correct the misinformation by considering that keratinocytes of [the] epidermis share much activity with the neurons, produce [the] same chemical messengers, sense external stressors and communicate these to the nervous system. Thus, neuro-cosmetics need to be re-defined and communicated in a rational way.”
In terms of wearable e-skin, the jury is still out. “[C]urrently we do not even know [e-skin’s] impact on normal skin functions like barrier functions, and their regulatory status as devices add another layer of challenges,” Menon explains.4 “Several current actives may be ‘re-invented’ for additional functions, as many efficacious skin care products already impact the neurons of the skin (as in sensates or itch-relieving products for sensitive skin).”
References
1. Precedence Research. (2023 Feb). Dermocosmetics skin care products market size, share and trends 2024 to 2034. Available at https://www.precedenceresearch.com/dermocosmetics-skin-care-products-market
2. Precedence Research. (2024 Jul). Skincare market size, share and trends 2024 to 2034. Available at https://www.precedenceresearch.com/skincare-market
3. Stelmaszczyk, O. (2024, Aug 5). Skin care brands are racing to join the dermocosmetics movement. Global Cosmetic Industry. Available at https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/skin-care/article/22916851/euromonitor-skin-care-brands-are-racing-to-join-the-dermocosmetics-movement
4. Menon, G.K., Wakefield, J.S., Elias, P.M. and Denda, M. (2023 Nov). Will electronic skins be the next miraculous skin care devices? J Invest Dermatol. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37737807/
