Skin care is trending, and that’s good news for tanning business.

Today’s tanning and skin care product offerings from industry suppliers are far more complex, multidimensional, diversified, and often more expensive. More is better for salons who can make more by giving discerning clients everything they could possibly want from a tanning product, as well as most any specialty products they need for their skin care routine.

While tanning is the name of the game, and today’s enhanced formulas certainly do that better than ever, skin care is the key to unlocking unprecedented product revenue. The increase in premium, high-end tanning and skin care products in our industry follows a broader trend in the beauty industry. Skin care is “in,” and it doesn’t come cheap. Skin care has always been important to women in particular, but perspectives have definitely changed in recent years.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global skin care market was valued at $100.13 billion USD in 2021 and is expected to increase to $145.82 billion in 2028. For several years now, the skincare industry has been growing faster than the makeup industry. There are a number of factors behind the increase, but the obvious one is the impact of social media. What started on YouTube, then Instagram has exploded on TikTok. In 2020, #skincare was the sixth most popular content category on TikTok, Statista reports.

Social media influencers are gaining millions of followers on social media with the primary niche of just showing off their skin care and beauty routines. Countless memes about skin care routines are most often lighthearted, but they reflect the reality that it’s an important facet of so many young women’s lives that it’s highly relatable and engaging.

Thus, also according to Statista, “The skin care industry has witnessed a shift from demand from older consumers to a growing younger consumer base. People are beginning to use skin care at an increasingly young age in a bid to delay the signs of aging, while the number of older consumers is beginning to fall.”

Whether you’re on TikTok or not, the point that matters is people are spending more on skin care products than ever before, and tanning industry products are providing many of the same ingredients and benefits, typically at a significantly lower cost.

“We always try to focus on being one step ahead of what’s trending in skin care, what’s big at Sephora and Ulta, what skin care ingredients the big beauty companies are using. So we always focus on that and try to be a little ahead on everything. You’re going to see cutting-edge ingredients that are found in other products,” says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Saavedra.

“People care more about their skin now than they ever have before. You go on TikTok and see 17-year old girls using under-eye cream. They’re talking about preventing wrinkles. People are spending that kind of money on skin care as it is, and if they’re coming tanning, they want the same level of performance they’re getting from the products they’re using.

While, the skin care movement is the primary trend driving product innovation and retail sales potential, recognizing and embracing additional tanning industry-specific trends will also help you maximize success.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.