At home sensory treatments are here to stay

What did you miss the most during lockdown? The feeling of hugging a loved one, the smell of a friend’s perfume and the memories these experiences bring – these are fundamental parts of being human.

For many of us, being deprived of many sensory experiences during lockdown highlighted how important these experiences are to us.

Starved of the touch, the textures, and the fragrances that come with physical closeness to each other, consumers sought comfort in nurturing rituals such as creating new skincare routines, which served a psychological purpose going beyond just the functional benefits to our skin.

For example, our Planet Spa Aromatherapy Collection taps into the trend of people looking to recreate a spa experience in the comfort of their own home. The mood enhancing candles, pillow mists and skincare products are designed to help de-stress, energise and promote better sleep – something we could all use!

With 50% of women admitting to feeling stressed or anxious at least three times a week during the pandemic, self-care rituals took on new importance, with 64% of women saying beauty products could help them destress*

As we took more time for self-care during lockdown, Avon saw significant sales uplifts in massage products, cleansers and bath additives in 2020. The UK skincare market has continued to grow on average 6% YoY from 2017 and is forecast to continue this growth to reach $24.3 billion by 2024**

With salons re-opening, we’re expecting to see a short-term spike in professional treatments as people relish the experience of going back to the salon and the sensory pleasure that brings.

But with the increase of consumer know-how, the quality of home products and with digital experimenting made easier, infusing luxury into our everyday routine is here to stay.

Gina Ghura, Global Head of Fragrance Category and Future Innovation, says, “After so long without touch and social closeness, we have immersed ourselves in the pleasure of the sensory experiences provided by beautifully fragranced skincare products and textures with the rituals that accompany their application. These habits that we formed during more time at home will continue as we open up and recognise the importance of self-care. Coupled with a continued focus on our health and feeling of wellbeing, this is certainly a trend that is here to stay.”

Find out more about the latest trends in beauty and the impact of the pandemic on beauty trends in our Future of Beauty report .

* 2021 study of 4,009 Women 18+ in UK, Poland, South Africa and The Philippines. Study commissioned by Avon, conducted by Opinium

** https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/uk-professional-skincare-product-market