The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many changes to everyday life, including women’s lifestyles like beauty and skincare. Naturally, new trends would show up in the era of the new normal according to these lifestyle changes. They mostly revolved around the lessening need to go outside and the need to wear masks every time people are outside, such as virtual try-ons, the focus on eye makeup, as well as transfer-proof makeup.

Virtual Try-Ons

Before the pandemic, people used to go to physical stores to buy makeup, and there they would often try the product testers to make sure that the colors of the product fit their skin and palette. Now, they are more careful when outside; this is due to the fact that people are still trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19. To minimize physical contact, in physical stores it will be less likely that one finds single-use product testers. With the advance of digital technology, people do not need to fret anymore, as these days virtual try-ons are available and you can come across them in many online stores now, such as Shopee and Lazada. In Lazada itself, there is a new channel called LazBeauty where they offer you virtual try-ons of various makeup brands, from local ones to premium brands. With virtual try-ons, people can see how the product works on their skin, which works like a camera filter. Virtual try-ons are able to give the near-perfect result the way the real, actual product does. Brands that have utilized virtual try-ons include but are not limited to L’Oreal, NYX, and Maybelline.

Hello, eye makeup; Goodbye, lip products

With masks being an indisputable part of everyone’s everyday routine in this new era, women put less importance on lipsticks and other lip products. Based on the Top Brand Index, it is shown that before the pandemic hit in 2019, Wardah, which is one of the biggest local beauty brands in Indonesia under PT. Paragon Technology and Innovation, reached 9.7% in terms of the brand index in the eyeliner subcategory, and it increases to 12.1% in 2022. Compare this to the lipstick subcategory, Wardah’s brand index declined from 9.2% in 2019 to 8.5% in 2022. This data reflects the fact that women who regularly wear makeup are now paying more attention to their eyes rather than lips. The reason is not only that it isn’t seen, but also that it simply doesn’t stay on due to the rubbing of the mask causing transfer.

Transfer-proof makeup

Despite everybody returning to normal life—or something close to it—the coronavirus pandemic is not over yet, and masks become a necessity if one wishes to go outside. While many women have avoided makeup due to the mandatory mask-wearing, others are still favoring it, making way for a new trend: transfer-proof makeup. It’s different compared to makeup with a regular formula. Many beauty brands have been offering such products the past couple of years during the pandemic, answering the growing demand from people who don’t want to give in to the mask. Originally developed to stop lipstick from transferring during a meal or when sipping a drink, these products now seem like the ideal solution for the current mask-wearing times. Lightweight formulas and setting products like powder and setting spray are also considered as prime solutions to overcome the inconvenience of wearing masks.

A researcher for PT. Paragon Technology and Innovation, one of the biggest beauty companies in Indonesia, reported that the current makeup trend is transfer-proof and mask-proof makeup, considering the world’s situation from the last two to three years. He noted that people would still look for transfer-proof makeup in the next year or so as the pandemic has yet to fully recede. 

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