2022 passed in a blur, and the beauty industry was no exception. There were many big beauty moments that happened in the year — from award shows, to hit TV shows, to new brands launching.
So what are some of the trends that emerged from pop culture and beauty influencers? Below we share an analysis of six beauty trends that rose quickly in 2022, and may stay into 2023.
All data below compares Jan 2021 - Dec 2021 vs Jan 2022 - Dec 2022, in order to get a full year-over-year comparison.
Lip stains gained popularity
Since Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty launched its Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in Summer 2022, lip stain products from many other brands have been among the beauty trends gaining traction across social media. Some of the most mentioned products among this emerging beauty trend came from Fenty, e.l.f., Wonderskin, and r.e.m. beauty.
Content mentioning lip stains across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +43% mentions
- +130% engagements
- +211% video views
Beauty influencers go soft-goth
Netflix’s latest hit show Wednesday’s titular character has been behind the inspo for beauty influencers to recreate or put their own spin on Wednesday Addams’ look. “Wednesday Addams Makeup” has been trending on TikTok and received over 99M video views so far. Even prior to the show’s release, there were signs that goth-inspired makeup looks were among rising beauty trends. For example, dark and gloomy makeup looks were on the runway in October.
Content mentioning soft-goth, goth makeup, and Wednesday Addams makeup across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +28% mentions
- +305% engagements
- +1,150% video views
Hair beauty trends: Rosemary oil
Many beauty influencers swear by the essential oil for improving hair hydration and enabling their hair to grow longer and thicker.
Content mentioning rosemary oil across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +96% mentions
- +62% engagements
- +104% video views
Skincare routines put ice rollers on the map
Mentions of ice rollers were up in 2022, with even larger increases in engagements and video views. Ice rollers are often highlighted in beauty influencers’ morning and evening skincare routines along with GRWM videos. The huge surge in those video styles likely favors that we’ll see ice rollers continue to be one of the beauty trends that are trending upwards heading into 2023.
Content mentioning ice rollers across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +41% mentions
- +238% engagements
- +228% video views
Skin cycling sweeps skincare beauty trends
Another skincare beauty trend was “skin cycling” which was coined by popular TikTok dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe. Skin cycling refers to a regimen designed to balance exfoliation and recovery to help protect the skin barrier. The standard protocol consists of a four-night cycling schedule: exfoliation night, retinoid night, recovery night, recovery night, and repeat in order to give skin a chance to rest after it’s exfoliated. Beauty influencers took this trend by storm.
Content mentioning skin cycling across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +6,286% mentions
- +16,075% engagements
Vampire skin
The vampire skin beauty trend is characterized by glitter and shimmer across the entire face. Cat Quinn, MAC Cosmetics executive director of global trends, recently told Who What Wear in 2023 she expects a rise in ‘backlighting’ – applying shimmer and glow all over the face and then going in and mattifying specific spots, which is the reverse of how we traditionally think about highlighter.
Content mentioning vampire skin across all platforms, comparing 2022 vs 2021:
- +500% mentions
- +10,914% engagements
Learn more about the beauty trends and strategies that we saw being used by some of the top beauty brands and beauty influencers in our 2023 Beauty State of Influence report.