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6 Trends That Will Change How We Eat and Look in 2020

6 Trends That Will Change How We Eat and Look in 2020

This Year’s Buzzword: Climate-Conscious

A sense of climate urgency continues to build in 2020 and will impact the market decisions of consumers in a major way this year — how they eat, travel, and what they use on their bodies. As consumers make choices to reflect their individual climate commitments, this year will not only be about going organic, but going biodynamic, not only about avoiding factory farmed meat but becoming a locavore (eating only locally sourced products).

Even beauty products are now charged to prove they are both good for the face and the face of the planet, just look at One Ocean Beauty’s commitment to protecting the world’s oceans and Ecotool’s vegan make-up brushes made with recyclable materials and packaging. We are seeing an evolution towards reduced consumption overall (minimalist beauty routines are just the beginning) and brands like Lush leading the zero packaging movement or big name Proctor & Gamble’s line of waterless products to help clients who want to use less water. Brands that want to succeed this year will need to show customers how they are reducing their carbon footprint and joining in the fight for a healthier planet.

2020 is a State of Mind

Millennials and Gen Zers following them into the consumer market are generations that have come of age bombarded by the incessant information and stimuli brought to us by the digital era. They report higher levels of anxiety and stress and are not only concerned about mental health, but are talking about it – openly and without shame. This year will bring a flurry of drinks with CDB oil – the substance in marijuana that reduces anxiety and calms the body – as well as other adaptogens (non-toxic plants that help reduce stress) as a way to speak to some of that stress. Brands that can create more than just products, but experiences, spaces to unplug (like the “Mindful Mani”) or even that can throw their support behind mental health causes are sure to get these buyers’ attention.

This Year’s Gut Reaction

Everyone from influencers to dietitians are talking about our microbiome these days. You know that collection of bacteria, fungus and other microbes that live in each of our stomachs, making each of our digestive systems unique? Well 2020 might just be the year of the biome, with food products for the inner biome and beauty products for the exterior one. This year brings on a surge of fermented (like this vegan kombucha) and probiotic products for healthy guts and improved immunity. While the beauty industry is also jumping on the biome bus. That same one-of-a-kind bacterial soup sits on the surface of your skin too and brands like Esse Probiotic Skincare, ROELMI HPC in Italy, Tula and Gallinée are all marketing products to work with the body’s naturally occurring biome for improved and beautiful skin.

Detox & Damage Control

As we continue to witness a global re-urbanization – people flocking to cities for the economic, transportation and cultural advantages they provide – we also find that most of us on the planet are now living places where the air quality exceeds the limits set by the World Health Organization as safe. This had led to an uptick in anti-pollution beauty products this year to protect skin from the harmful affects of continued exposure to all those toxins as well as to undo some of the damage that pollution has already wrought. Anti-pollution diets are also on the rise – food items and meal plans crafted to protect the body against the ill effects of pollution in our everyday lives.

Full Transparency

Whether beauty brands or breakfast cereals, this year labels matter more than ever. Consumers are demanding transparency from brands – from what they doing for the environment to what kind of additives are included in their recipes. They not only want their favorite brands to be ethical, but they want proof of it with clear and understandable information. We’ve already seen the discussion ramping up over what defines clean beauty, and the new EU regulations about “free from” claims in cosmetics. A report from the Food Marketing Institute in 2018 showed that costumers not only expected more in-depth information about the products they were purchasing but were also willing to switch brands and pay more for greater transparency in what they buy. That could mean a lot for a brand trying to break into a crowded marketplace.

A Return to Nature

Consumers are slowly rejecting years of the scientific tinkering that was once the cutting edge of the food industry – artificial sweeteners, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), foods processed for a never-ending shelf life – in a return to natural and plant-based solutions free of man made additives, chemicals and hormones. People are swapping out their Splenda for monk fruit, their zit cream for tea tree oil, and their commercial cold medicine for elderberry syrup and echinacea. Natural alternatives to chemically produced products already on the market will most definitely see a rise in popularity this year.