Would you wear makeup to the gym?

Evelyn Okinyi Owala, a personal fitness trainer and proprietor of Eveal Health and Fitness, works out at TKO Gym. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Active Beauty is one of those layered trends. It rides on athleisure wear. The consequence, of athleisure cosmetics or athbeauty as Mintel refers to it.
  • Why is this even a thing, you ask? Euromonitor International Beauty Survey 2016 declares the skincare segment as still the most popular with women demanding natural, organic, ethical, environmentally friendly ingredients.
  • And Mintel’s 2017 Global Beauty and Personal Care Trend went deeper with a list of dominant trends expected to make an impact in beauty internationally.
  • Consumers are focusing on health and beauty, and athleisure has inspired the beauty industry.

Why don’t I look like those home video workout women who glisten, have tight ponytails and I could almost swear they wear makeup that stays intact all through a butt-kicker HIIT session? If a workout falls at the end of my day there is a ritual. I go in 15 minutes early. I take off all and any trace of makeup. I spritz moisturiser on said scrubbed face. I bind my hair. Then pounce. Every time I have seen my face post workout I look like I have saved myself from a half death. Except today after reading about Active Beauty I tried something different. I selected what is considered as the world’s craziest, most intense workout, Insanity. Leaving my makeup on as an experiment. By the time I was done my cat eyeliner was less bold with drippy foundation and an overwhelming desire to wash my face.

Active Beauty is one of those layered trends. It rides on athleisure wear. The consequence, of athleisure cosmetics or athbeauty as Mintel refers to it. Why is this even a thing, you ask? Euromonitor International Beauty Survey 2016 declares the skincare segment as still the most popular with women demanding natural, organic, ethical, environmentally friendly ingredients. And Mintel’s 2017 Global Beauty and Personal Care Trend went deeper with a list of dominant trends expected to make an impact in beauty internationally. Consumers are focusing on health and beauty, and athleisure has inspired the beauty industry.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

The 18 to 29 is the one age group that has taken to athleisure. They take fitness very seriously. Workout arenas like gyms, yoga studios and wellness centres are meeting places. One never knows who they will meet. With health and fitness spaces investing in decor and architecture, workout spaces are designed to be visually striking, attractive and photogenic. Which, naturally, has launched countless selfies with self-portraits shared all over social media. Workout places are turning into social joints with hangouts, dating locations, cocktails with the girls to meeting places. This you-never-know-who-you-will-meet attitude makes people pay attention to not only how they look by putting in more effort in their workouts. It has resulted in Active Beauty, workouts with a full face of makeup including falsies where women want to look hot even when sweating. Time and money is not just spent on trendy, fancy workout clothes and shoes. This also solves the great big mystery: why do you not look like an Instagram fitness “model” when you are working out?

Women want makeup that stays put at work, during and after exercise and straight to social engagements. Active Beauty cosmetics are heat and water activated, eliminates redness that tends to happen when you huff and puff in the gym and illuminates for a post workout glow. Active Beauty includes mascara, eyeliner, cleansers, cooling cheek tint, cooling primers, bronzers and illuminators. Sweat Cosmetics was founded in 2015 by five pro female athletes. Their products are mineral makeup with SPF. They closed 2016 with revenue topping upwards of 560 per cent. Bobbi Brown launched anti-sweat cosmetics. Silicon-free with generous injections of zinc oxide, both brands swear their products can withstand the most vigorous of workouts. There are other brands getting into the anti-sweat game.

Active Beauty is partly attributed to the pressure women feel to look good at all times. Without it, how hard would a woman work out, really, if she were afraid of ruining her makeup? At the same time workout selfies are increasing at a ridiculous speed. A few years back no one worried over their beast mode face. Perhaps it is simple time to get all made up for the gym, cycling, CrossFit, running and yoga and resistance is futile. Mintel does observe these as trends expected to pick up across the globe offering new opportunities for brands and companies. Besides, if athleisure wear is working so hard to make most people who do not work out appear fit, why can’t makeup work harder for go-getting women?

 

MINTEL’S 2017 BEAUTY PREDICTIONS

  Beauty trends are expected to benefit from fitness activities with cosmetics that respond to heat and water

  Sporty women want that effortless, woke-up-like-this beauty that feels and is low-maintenance

  Practical packaging for gym products and cosmetics are expected to be made from rubber for convenience, minimising spillage, evaporation and damage

  Extreme sport athletes have products that specifically cater to them with special focus on snowboarders, skateboarders and white water rafters

  Growth of outdoor sports has, and is further expected to inspire the expansion of UV protection in hair and skin products, the latter including face and body care as well

  Beauty brands are expected to partner with DNA analysts to help consumers figure out what fitness regimes work for them. Said information will then be used to personalise every imaginable aspect of their beauty programme.