By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - "Austerity chic" will make way for mood-enhancing make-up in 2010 alongside "naturally sourced" cosmetics and those enhanced by biochemistry and nano-technology advances, a report said on Wednesday 9 December.

Photo : Corbis

The trend for cutting back on the use of cosmetics ruled the beauty industry in 2009. But innovation and consumer resilience have shaped a new landscape for products in the coming year, according to consumer marketing and consulting firm Mintel in its "Global Beauty Trends for 2010."

The report identifies four trends for beauty products which it labels "Mood Beauty," "Nu Natural," "Pro-Tech't" and "Turbo Beauty 4G."

"While 2009 brought its challenges for the industry, beauty brands and suppliers have continued to seek creative new ways to merge science, nature and sustainability for better results and more eco-friendly formulas and packaging," Mintel's Director of Beauty Innovation Nica Lewis said in a statement.

The report said 2010 will see more consolidation in the beauty industry and the evolution of old trends as well as new ones as consumer confidence returns.

Recent product evolution has seen actual ingredients that will enable consumers to enhance their mood through make-up and skincare in 2010, going beyond aromatherapy and use of scent.

The Mood Beauty trend creates a new beauty space that intersects with psychology and wellbeing; imbuing beauty products with psychological benefits and ingredients that act on neurotransmitters, the report said.

Nu Natural is a new vision of natural beauty products evolving from a current trend toward organic ingredients, revisiting authenticity, provenance and local production.

Mintel Beauty Innovation said it expects to see claims like "free from" and "sustainable" appear in products that simultaneously contain synthetic ingredients.

Manufacturers will further explore simpler formulas such as infusions and fluids, formulating with a new generation of phytochemicals, anthocyanins and fermented actives.

In 2010 the Pro-Tech't trend will extend an existing emphasis on protection, one of the basic functions of skincare, hair care and color cosmetics. Beauty products were offering ever more powerful shields against - not just UV - but physiological changes and man-made factors, too.

Marketing language will borrow from computer technology language (e.g. "fire walls") to engage consumers. In addition Mintel Beauty Innovation expects to see a growth in immune-boosting and enhancing skin defenses claims in products.

The next generation of high tech beauty products are part of the Turbo Beauty 4G trend capitalizing on advances in biochemistry and incorporating the use of next-generation nanotechnology in beauty products.

This trend features more quasi-medical results and "mix-it-yourself" solutions: at-home kits, cures and gadgets that offer alternatives to cosmetic surgery and non-invasive procedures.

(Editing by Steve Addison)