With 6.7% growth in 2024, the natural beauty and personal care space is hot. Thanks to factors such as the rise of Gen Z’s purchasing power, social media and increased consumer scrutiny around the ingredients in personal care products, this is currently the fastest growing category in the natural products industry. Below, our editors share three stand-out trends from the new Conscious Beauty pavilion and other booths at Natural Products Expo West.
Tallow is the talk of the town
It’s official: The TikTok beef tallow trend has gone mainstream. This year, we saw a proliferation of brands promoting tallow products that weren’t just for the frying pan. Proponents say using beef tallow can help moisturize and protect the skin barrie,r due to its occlusive nature. Three brands that caught our editors’ eyes include Moo Elixir, a skincare line focused on integrating beef tallow into different applications for the face, such as toning mist, moisturizer and cleanser; Rumina Naturals, a skincare brand for new moms, which has a tallow cream made to sooth pregnant bellies; and Fatworks, an early pioneer in pasture-raised cooking fats and skincare. But trust us, there were many more.
Beef tallow is no longer just for frying. These are just some of the skin-care brands using the ingredient.
Beef tallow is no longer just for frying. These are just some of the skin-care brands using the ingredient.
We also noticed brands incorporating the nourishing benefits of beef tallow and honey (another popular ingredient throughout the Expo halls) into one jar. The Vanman Company and Stoked Beekeeping Co. both had a honey tallow balm on display, with Stoked Beeking Co. sourcing Manuka Honey from New Zealand, and the Vanman Company offering both a beef or bison tallow option.
Stacking multiple benefits into one product
Beauty and skin care routines are time consuming. Those of us who lack the time or consistently forget to complete a multi-step regimen (oops), were happy to see brands stacking multiple benefits into one product.
On the makeup front, ATTITUDE’s Lash Serum Mascara is made with microalgae to increase lash density and flower oils rich in omega-6 to revitalize them, so if you’re someone who occasionally falls asleep with mascara on, ATTITUDE has you covered. This Lash Serum Mascara also won a NEXTY Award in the Beauty and Skincare category.
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These products prove a beauty routine doesn’t need to be complicated.
These products prove a beauty routine doesn’t need to be complicated.
We were also pleased to see that wearing SPF has never been easier thanks to multifunctional sunscreens. Legacy brand Badger’s Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, which won a NEXTY Editor’s Choice Award, stood out because it felt more like a daily face moisturizer than a zinc oxide sunscreen. While not an Expo West exhibitor, NEXTY finalist Daybird’s 4-in-1 tinted serum SPF 50 also stood out as a magic multitasker with serum, moisturizer, tint and SPF all packed into one convenient tube.
Beauty for all skin colors
For far too long, not all consumers saw their skin tone represented in the beauty and skincare aisle. If they did, it was obvious the product was neither formulated nor tested by a person of color. That is changing thanks to brands like Mudita Earth, founded by mother-daughter duo Pooja and Jessica Chopra. The Chopras noticed a gap in the lack of affordable, clean beauty products for women of color like themselves, so they took matters into their own hands by formulating products for melanin-rich skin tones.
Brands like Mudita Earth and Black Girl Sunscreen are focused on products for melanin-rich skin tones.
Brands like Mudita Earth and Black Girl Sunscreen are focused on products for melanin-rich skin tones.
Black Girl Sunscreen is also on a mission to bring affordable sun protection to women of color. Frustrated by sunscreens that left a white residue on her skin, founder Shontay Lundy created a sunscreen specifically formulated for darker skin tones—giving rise to Black Girl Sunscreen. We hope to see brands like these continue to grow.
Keep it simple, keep it clean
From beauty trends going viral on social media to products making skincare routines cost and time effective for all, innovation in the personal care space is in the midst of a Renaissance. Ultimately, products prioritizing convenience, clean ingredients, inclusivity and affordability reigned supreme at Expo West.
