Micro Trends

The Global Wellness Institute has released its latest report on micro trends, with a number of key trends relevant to aesthetics.

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) recently released a report compiling the micro trends it had identified for 2025 and beyond. Among them was “aesthetic health”, the art and science of understanding how the signs and symptoms of beauty impact our lives. 

The report said: “Better teeth, clear skin, beautiful hair, and a healthy body have always represented one’s ability to maintain strong family lines and ensure longevity, a constant pursuit in the quest of mankind. Embracing the influence of beauty on our brains and how that ties into our overall health will take us to new heights in understanding aesthetic health.”

Here are the aesthetic health trends the report identified: 

1. Neuro-aesthetics 
The rise in neuro-cosmetics and the mind/skin connection will bring forward compounds that interact with the skin’s receptors to affect emotional states and link psychological health and skin care positively. This will support the expanding wellness industry by furthering emotional wellbeing and stress reduction, encouraging more businesses to draw on all five senses and produce services and products that are a pleasure to buy and consume.

2. The evolution of sunscreen 
Mineral-based sunscreens are on the rise, with the clean beauty movement contributing to increased awareness. Improved formulations are making mineral sunscreens more cosmetically acceptable. This year, we will also see innovations and more products specifically targeting photoaging. Among the new products coming to market this year are advancing formulations to enhance vitamin D receptors in the skin alongside new ingredients for DNA repair and epidermal stem cell protection, paving the way for a new generation of sun protection and much more. 

3. A new focus on psycho-dermatology
The question of how our psychological and physiological states interact to affect our skin’s condition, our body’s general health, and our general wellbeing continues to gain momentum. The next chapter in the pursuit of wellness for aesthetic health will be the mind/body beauty connection, where mental wellbeing and physical health are increasingly intertwined. The acceleration of the mind/body connection will encourage more brands, spa operators, and wellness professionals to enhance the wellness journey with neuro-cosmetics that incorporate stress-relieving techniques, healing practices, and revised routines to accelerate this understanding. People will be willing to pay more for products that have mood-boosting qualities. Looking good makes people feel more confident and maintaining good mental wellbeing is key to overall health. 

Integrative medicine practitioners will be aware of the role that stress plays in disease, and we will continue to see the intersection of medicine and wellbeing converge for stress management as well as a preventative tool for skin conditions like acne, rosacea, and premature ageing. 

4. Less invasive treatments and products
We will see the continued inclusion of the microbiome, and a new wave of regenerative biotherapeutics featuring bioactive proteins, growth factors, and nucleic acids will take centre stage for skin and hair rejuvenation. Hi-tech performing cosmetics brands will focus more on innovative delivery systems rather than on new ingredients for optimum efficacy and outcomes. They will introduce new ways to innovate with legacy ingredients and equipment. 

5. A holistic, integrative approach to singular issues
As the concept of wellness evolves into a whole-person approach to health, 2025 will likely witness an increasing trend where specific issues are addressed through multiple modalities. Instead of relying solely on specific skincare treatments for physical concerns, holistic approaches that incorporate aspects such as diet, sleep, and mental health will become a standard part of the wellness examination.

Aesthetics will involve an approach that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit, linking the concept of improving appearance to enhancing overall wellbeing. 

Similarly, physical products that extend benefits to mental states will gain heightened attention. For instance, food and beverages with ingredients beneficial for digestion that also enhance mood, or cosmetics that improve physical appearance but also boost self-confidence and nurture self-care, will continue to spotlight the expansion from traditional to new aesthetics that encompass elevated mental states.