Forecasting trends has always been associated with fashion, but WGSN Beauty has recently been created in response to beauty industry’s request to have a platform that addresses the unique needs of the sector. With Salon India, Jenni Middleton, Beauty Director at WGSN, shares her account of how it is equally or even more important to forecast beauty trends
What made you foray into beauty and WGSN?
My background is that of a journalist. Before joining WGSN, I used to work for a beauty magazine in the UK. About three years ago, I fell in love with the beauty industry. So, when WGSN was thinking about launching a beauty vertical, I was really interested to be involved in it because the science, the new product development, the opportunities all around, felt like it was the perfect job.
What is your role and responsibility at WGSN?
I oversee all of the content that goes onto the site and I make the decisions about what kind of content will be most valuable to new product development. I was also the person who was in-charge of doing research for the launch. At WGSN we have a massive pedigree in fashion and have been predicting fashion trends for over two decades.
What is the difference between fashion and beauty as industries?
When I started, just over a year ago, I realised quickly that the beauty industry needed something different from the fashion industry. We do not post seasonal topics in this sector, we have a different mandate. If you are working on skin care or hair care you need to think about consumers and have to build in time for consumer testing, clinical trials, testing if the products are stable, and so on. For all of this, you need to know the trends much in advance, and we need to have a much longer lead time. The performance, not just the look and feel of a beauty product, is super important. Also, how a beauty product actually delivers result is really different from the fashion industry.
What do you have to say about the design and packaging of beauty products?
This story is from the July 2019 edition of Salon International.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2019 edition of Salon International.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
COVID-19 TIMES: Online Education is a Boon
Since March 2020, India has been impacted by the deadly Coronavirus. The beauty industry was hit hardest because of the nature of work and resultantly, several salons and spas had to face closure. The segment which saw smooth sailing was online education, as now the academies used various platforms as an opportunity to address more students and include more courses
Daphne Bridgerton: The Blushing Beauty
Amanda Bell, Global Director of Education and Make-up Artistry at Pixi re-creates Daphne Bridgerton’s look in the period drama Bridgerton using products from Pixi
Top Nail Paint Colours
Recommended by Nail Artists
Skin Bio Remodelling: Recommended by Experts
Dermatologist, Trichologist Dr Vidushi Jain, Medical Head Dermalinks, shares her perspective on the aesthetic procedure
Riya Chandra
An Unending Quest for Learning
Trending Spring Hairstyles
At a time when the pandemic was roaring and lockdown had been affected, haircuts and hair colour services had taken a backseat. A year later, there are vaccines to combat the virus and people are flocking to salons to avail their services. Here are some of the hair looks that will be popular in 2021
Lokesh Verma
Tattooing is an Art
Grooming
Grooming
Digital Complexion by Kryolan: Make-up Revolutionised
The Digital Complexion range made with innovative ingredients has harnessed the latest technology to empower the make-up artist as well as the client
Alfonso Martinez
His Father’s Son. With hairdressing in his blood, Alfonso Martinez had a tough and demanding mentor in the form of his father. Through persistence and passion he was able to overcome most of the challenges and today has helped raise the bar of Spanish hairdressing. Today, Martinez is Director of Hairkrone Salons in Madrid and the Finalist for Spanish Hairdresser of the Year 2020/2021 at the Fígaro Awards
