2021 may be starting to come to a close, but that doesn’t mean that we should forget about all of the great skincare trends that got popular during the year.

Although there are some that we would rather forget about, there are some that we will definitely be bringing into 2022.

Here are some of the most popular skincare trends that we loved throughout 2021.

Personalized skincare

With customers wanting to improve their beauty routines, one of the hottest trends of the year was the emergence of personalized skincare.

Championed by brands like Function of Beauty and Curology, this trend consisted of making unique formulas for each customer based on a short questionnaire that identifies their skin type.

Sustainable skincare

Sustainable packaging and ingredients were all the rage in 2021, with many brands switching to bars instead of bottles, and pushing towards a more environmentally friendly ingredients list to meet the growing eco-conscious nature of beauty consumers.

“Skinimalism”

In 2020, we saw the rise of trends like the 10-step Korean skincare routine, but in 2021 customers were taking a much more relaxed approach to their routines, which coined the term ‘skinimalism’.

People were looking for ways to strip their routines back to the basics and focus on a select few ‘power ingredients’ rather than a whole army of different products and formulations.

Celebrity skincare launches

Another trend that we saw a lot of this year is a whole host of celebs tossing their gloves into the skincare arena, some successfully, and some...not so much.

Notable players included Pharrell with his Human Race range, and Rihanna expanding on her existing beauty empire to include a curated collection of Fenty Skin products.

Alternative ingredients becoming popular

The final trend that we saw becoming popular in 2021 was the rise of ‘alternative ingredients’ being used in place of more traditional ingredients.

A great example of this is the popularity of polyglutamic acid, a hydrator that works very similarly to ingredients like hyaluronic acid—but is actually able to retain far more water and moisture, making it a hero ingredient for people with dry skin.

What skincare trends have you loved this year and which do you hope to bring into 2022 with you? Let us know in the comments!