Six beauty trends that will explode in 2022

New Year’s Resolutions can feel overwhelming. Instead, we’ve decided to begin the year with better habits when it comes to the rituals of our wellness and beauty regimes: doable and therapeutic.

With a newly busy calendar comes added stress, which can also cause added skincare concerns. As we seek to undo all of the late nights that dominated December with swanky new skincare innovations, might we also remind you that it’s important to hit refresh on your cosmetics bag for the new year?

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t panic. We’ve got your back with the best-informed guesses at the beauty ingredients, trends and brands set to blow up in 2022.

Cryotherapy has long been a favoured professional treatment for the rich and famous such as Alicia Keys and Cristiano Ronaldo. And for 2022, the trend comes down in price and into our bathrooms at home. Forget what you thought you knew about cold weather and skincare. Turning the freeze up on your skincare routine actually makes a lot of sense – have you ever applied frozen peas to a sprain? If you’re looking to reduce puffiness and inflammation, a new wave of at-home cryo-tools might be just what you’re looking for. Founded in Japan in the ​‘80s, cryotherapy was soon adopted into physiotherapy recovery for injured athletes before entering skincare procedures in the mid-’90s in the West.

Mega-make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury calls on cool temperatures as an easy DIY skincare hack: ​“When my clients’ skin appears tired, puffy, sensitised or dull, ice is one of my backstage secrets to revive and transform so that it appears brighter, firmer, smoother and glowing,” she said in a press release. No surprises then that she’s created her own Cryo-Recovery Face Mask and Cryo-Recovery Eye Mask to tighten pores, depuff eyes, lift the skin and promote a youthful-looking glow. I’m a fan of the new-gen cryo-tools that should be massaged into skin at home. The immediate feeling is refreshment and the immediate look is definitely less puffy and more sculpted. The FRAÎCHEUR Ice Globes are my favourites, just pop them in your freezer overnight.

As we face a post-Brexit life and all the duty tax that comes with it, we’re predicting a shift to buying local for beauty which is both good for small businesses and our environment at large. The British Beauty Council has reported on the huge increase in shipping costs on British brands who are supplying their products to the EU. ​“The costs of administration and reduction inefficiencies for delivery firms has meant a doubling of the cost of shipping to the EU” explains The British Beauty Council in its report, How is Brexit affecting the British beauty industry? ​“For example, the delivery cost of a product that is sold through an e‑commerce platform might be £29.00 per item, in many cases the item sold will have a similar average order value, therefore doubling the price. This is not a viable price option for consumers, or for businesses to continue to grow to export to Europe. Making EU exports untenable” the report adds, not to mention the environmental impact of increasing the number of supply chains and modes of transport used to ship British products abroad.

Margate-based natural skincare and wild fragrance innovator Hæckels is one of my favourite brands to familiarise yourself with for 2022. The brand harnesses the power of the sea and, under a license, they also harvest local seaweed from a beach that’s a few metres away from their store. Incorporating botanical and mineral-rich ingredients such as aloe vera, jojoba and black pepper into their skincare, Hæckels has now opened an entirely vegan and natural store on east London’s Broadway Market. There’s also a treatment room where you can experience their sea-powered facials firsthand.

Pai Skincare, another UK brand with sustainability at its core, has formulated cruelty-free and vegan skincare for the most sensitive skin types; invest in its Lightwork Rosehip Facial Oil and thank yourself later. Founded by psychotherapist Charlotte Ferguson, one of my favourite London-based brands is Disciple Skincare. I am never without its vegan and cruelty-free face oils. Its Dreamy Skin night oil is excellent, clarifying and nourishing, ideal for people beginning to dabble in retinol.

In 2021, Ariana Grande launched r.e.m. beauty, her own ​’60s sci-fi inspired makeup line, and she was soon followed by Harry Styles, who launched Pleasing, and Halsey, Billie Eilish, J Lo and Jennifer Aniston who also announced their own cosmetic companies.

Now, as Hollywood continues to fight over the best selling beauty brand crown, stalwarts like Kylie Jenner have continued to set the bar with Kylie Cosmetics being valued at roughly a net worth of one billion dollars in 2021.

Scarlett Johansson is rumoured to be launching a cosmetics line this year, but skincare junkies are most excited for the imminent arrival of Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand, Rhode, which is the model’s middle name. Bieber confirmed the launch back in November 2021 but didn’t reveal anything further so for now we’re left guessing what the brand will offer.

However, the trademark Bieber took out seems to suggest that Rhode could and might be inclusive of skincare, haircare, bath products and fragrance. Will Rhode stay true to Bieber’s off-duty model style, which is focused on skincare and natural palettes? Who knows. But, an Instagram handle with a closed account with 30.5k followers has already sprung up, so the wheels could already be in motion. Can’t wait for the launch? Watch this Q&A on Bieber’s YouTube channel where she chats all things Rhode.

According to Cult Beauty founder Alexia Inge, we’re predicting a focus on skin health for 2022. ​“The term ​‘health is wealth’ is taking on a new meaning as Millennials and Gen Xers invest in future-proofing their bodies, and even more so now post-pandemic,” Inge says, adding that the hero products to watch out for include those that strengthen immunity, enhances brain function and increases energy levels. ​“Vitamin D3, Vitamin C and Zinc shield your DNA. While NMN and Vitamin D enhance your brain function and B12, B5 and L‑tyrosine, Lion’s Mane and Chaga increase your energy levels.”

As for brands? Inge has her eyes on Charlotte Tilbury and Huda Beauty’s neutral and pretty palettes that speak to a softer style of makeup, as well as bronzing powders like Huda Beauty’s GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder. In 2022, makeup will be matched with wellness and supplement brands, such as Hum Nutrition and LifeBio. Watch out for products that blur categories if you want to be ahead of the cosmeti-care curve. We’re investing in Saie’s Dew Blush and Danessa Myricks’ Dew Wet Balm.

A return to basics sees a revival of the humble bar! CENTRED, another British brand I’m investing in for the New Year, has created a genius Solid Shampoo Bar inspired by founder Laura Tudor’s hair loss after suffering from stress. In October 2021, Glossier launched its Body Hero Exfoliating Bar which gives a gentle scrub using biodegradable bamboo powder with sunflower seed oil and aloe leaf juice to pack in moisture.

SBTRKT, a 100 per cent plastic and palm oil-free brand, officially launched the world’s first retinol soap bar in 2021. Pharrell Williams’ Humanrace Reenergizing Whiteclay Body Bar is packed with shea butter and snow mushroom extract, promising a gentle and hydrating wash. In short, bars are back but the…bar (sorry) has been raised. Simple, low on the packaging and perfect for exfoliating, shampooing, cleansing and moisturising.

Juicy lip glosses at the ready: the Noughties are officially back… and has been since god-knows-when. It’ll come as no surprise to anyone who’s been watching last season’s catwalks (see: Blumarine and Jean Paul Gaultier). This time around, things feel a little fresher (hair mascara can stay in the ​‘00s). Grainy images of Lily James on set as Pamela Anderson should provide a rich source of inspiration, as should all the big beauty TikTokers. In fact, a new make-up challenge called ​“2000 vs Now” is a trending hashtag on TikTok.

TikToker @lenkalul shows us how it’s done in her viral TikTok where she revisits the blue eyeshadow and pencil eyebrows from our youth. Likewise with TikToker @rosabarzz. Make-up brands have listened and answered the rising trend by revisiting their cult Noughties classics, like MAC’s iconic paint pots and Lancome’s Juicy Tubes. Start following model Iris Law on Instagram for a know-how on nailing 2000’s fairy glam, and check out these hot new brands, ​Makeup by Mario; Hindash, Danessa Myricks, Kaleidos Makeup, Tower 28, for the best Noughties-inspired hues and products.