Longevity: Decoding the future of beauty and wellness
Driven by a growing interest in skin biology, consumers increasingly prioritise health alongside appearance. As our understanding of cellular ageing evolves, skin science, wellness, and innovation converge to shape a new era of better ageing in beauty.
Discover how longevity is becoming the new gold standard for the beauty industry.
The UN estimates that the number of people over 65 will double, from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion by 2050 (1) . As the world’s population is getting older, the modern cosmetics industry is undergoing a paradigm shift, evolving beyond appearances to embrace longevity-driven beauty.
What is longevity-driven beauty?
Longevity skin care goes beyond appearances, supporting skin health, resilience, and overall well-being while proactively delaying the visible signs of ageing.
Consumers seek science-backed skin care that enhances the appearance of the skin whilst also supporting long-term vitality, ageing prevention, and overall well-being. For example according to Mintel, "78% of Thai adults agree that it's necessary to take preventative measures for ageing as early as possible.
The rise of longevity-driven beauty
The longevity trend emerged in the early 2020's, fuelled by advances in regenerative medicine, cellular health and biotechnology research.
Several factors contribute to this transformation:
- Rising consumer awareness: Ageing is increasingly viewed at the cellular level with skin care brands aligning with longevity-based science to delay biological ageing.
- Holistic health integration: Consumers are adopting a holistic approach to beauty, integrating nutraceuticals, biohacking, and neurocosmetic ingredients into their skin care routines.
- Beauty premiumisation: according to The Future Laboratory, the new codes of luxury prioritise longevity, wellness, and hyper-personalisation, driving demand for high-tech, science-backed skin care solutions.
The following sections explore the key innovations shaping longevity beauty and how they align with the hallmarks of ageing, biotechnology advancements, and holistic self-care strategies.
Hallmarks of ageing and their role in longevity skin care
Hallmarks of ageing refer to biological changes associated with ageing. They share three key characteristics:
- They occur naturally as part of the ageing process
- Their increase leads to premature ageing
- Their decrease through interventions can help delay or reverse visible signs of ageing
At a cellular level, there are 12 hallmarks of ageing (2) . These are highly interconnected and divided into 3 groups
(3),(4)
- Primary causes of damage: Genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, disabled macroautophagy
- Antagonists (response to damage): Mitochondrial dysfunction, nutrient sensing dysregulation, cellular senescence
- Integratives (manifestations of ageing): chronic inflammation, altered intercellular communication, stem cell exhaustion, dysbiosis
Fig 1. Hallmarks of ageing
These hallmarks provide a powerful framework for understanding skin ageing at the cellular level. They drive skin ageing by impairing cellular function, increasing oxidative stress and triggering micro-inflammation. This weakens the barrier function and reduces skin elasticity and firmness.
They provide a powerful framework for understanding skin ageing at the cellular level.
[Download our guide to the hallmarks of ageing]
The power of regenerative science-backed ingredients
Mintel reported that 55 % of German women aged 55+ agree that active ingredients are the most important when choosing facial skincare. At Croda Beauty, we are pioneering the future of skin care with innovative solutions that go beyond aesthetics.
Croda Beauty pioneering the future of skin care with cutting edge strategies that specifically target each hallmark of ageing. By integrating targeted active ingredients, we help brands create effective, future-facing products that support long-term skin resilience and vitality.
Key innovations include clinically proven ingredients that maintain optimal cellular function and regenerative capacity.
|
Innovation area |
What it does |
Example of ingredients |
|
Cell biohacking actives |
Optimise cellular processes, improve skin resilience, and slow visible signs of ageing |
Luceane™ – enhances mitochondrial function to counteract pollution-induced hypoxiageing™ Chromocare™ – supports cell autophagy for more radiant, brighter skin Matrixyl Morphomics™ – stimulates the expression of youthful genes, referred to as longevigenes™ to smooth vertical lines that give a sad look Crystalide™ – regulates epidermis renewal epigenetic mechanisms to provide a glass skin appearance Resistem™ – Adaptogenic that induces a hormetic effect (vaccination-like) that soothes the skin and improves its resistance to external aggressions Mel[o]stem™ – senotherapeutic that modulates cellular senescence to reduce the appearance of sun-induced dark and white spots |
|
Neurocosmetics |
Interact with the skin nervous system to support emotional well-being |
Zenakine™ – works in sync with skin circadian rhythm by stimulating the production of melatonin and happy messengers into the skin to enhance sleep quality, mood and skin resilience to physical and emotional stress |
|
AI-driven personalisation |
Enable tailored skin care solutions based on individual needs and real-time skin diagnostics |
Moist 24™ – provides deep, long-lasting hydration to dry to very dry skin including consumers with black skin Amberstem™ – controls hyperpigmentation for consumers with olive complexions (III to V skin phototypes with golden, greenish or yellowish undertones), prone to inflammation |
Table 1. Innovative solutions for longevity beauty
The future of beauty
The longevity trend represents a revolution in the cosmetics industry, driven by:
- Scientific advancements in regenerative skin care
- Consumer demand for long-term skin resilience
- A proactive shift from traditional anti-ageing to preventative beauty
- The rise of hyper-personalised, AI-driven solutions
By embracing a holistic, science-driven approach, the future of beauty merges aesthetics with skin health, ensuring sustained wellness and radiance. This market evolution redefines luxury, making science-backed, wellness-focused skin care the new gold standard in beauty.
References:
(1) UN & world Bank
(2)Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe
(3)Integrating the Hallmarks of Aging Throughout the Tree of Life: A Focus on Mitochondrial Dysfunction