For 2023 skincare and beauty trends, our focus is firmly fixed on a work smarter, not harder mood. Real skin is in, whether that’s from using targeted, effective skincare that delivers visible results and boosts our glow, to makeup that keeps things natural and clean. Thanks to TikTok, there’s been a big shift towards embracing our natural skin texture, and a decisive movement away from unrealistic airbrushed or filtered complexions. This is where skincare makeup hybrids come into play. Taking our love for multitasking to a new level, the vibe across skincare and makeup is less is more—with one product serving multiple benefits, meaning better results, better value, and less waste and impact on the environment.
Skincare trends are now driven around supporting our skin’s health, from sun and environmental protection as a fundamental, to moisture barrier repair and anti-inflammation approaches. Clean skincare with selected, safe, and efficacious clinical ingredients with proven results is in more demand than ever—a space we’re product to lead the charge on, to support, maintain, and boost skin’s natural processes.
In beauty, the trends follow a similar route to skincare, again with hybrids ruling the roost, and the idea of enhancing and boosting our natural features with gentle color washes, lighter textures, and a dewier, fresher finish.
Skincare Trends 2023
“I love the skincare trends that are emerging for 2023. It’s exciting to continue the conversation about the importance of wearing sunscreen every single day, whether you’re leaving the house or not. And, we’re showcasing real, unfiltered skin. Pores and breakouts are normal, so let’s work on normalizing them. There are also some exciting key ingredients that are taking center-stage this year too—retinol and retinol alternatives like bakuchiol or phyto-retinol as we focus on skin barrier repair,” shares Steph Scalet, Glo’s Global Aesthetics Lead. “Skin cycling was strong for 2022, and is going nowhere this year, as we look to cycling our products in a meaningful and targeted way for our unique skin’s needs. With this comes our focus on multitasking products too.”
Skin Health
No longer just about skincare, skin health is the core of everything with our ever increasing awareness of how our lifestyles are impacting our overall health and wellbeing. “From minimizing aging factors from environmental aggressors such as the sun, pollution, and blue light with skin-defending vitamin C-powered antioxidant products, to supporting skin’s barrier function by calming inflammation and stress both at a skin level or with supplements and lifestyle modifications, and avoiding overly aggressive skincare approaches, it’s clear that this is the year we treat skin more holistically, understanding that skincare is just one piece of the selfcare puzzle,” says Steph.
Sun Protection As Fundamental
“Prevention is better than the cure, and nowhere demonstrates this more in skincare than SPF for anti-aging,” advises Steph. “The sun’s UV rays cause free radical damage and oxidative stress, accelerating the growth of fine lines and wrinkles, along with pigmentation issues too. Adding sun protection to your daily ritual no matter the season or whether you’ll be outside or not is as important as brushing your teeth in the morning.”
And, fortunately it feels less of a chore for 2023 and more of a pleasure with deliciously tactile, creamy formulations like our C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint infused with SPF 30, plus a glowing flexible tint too. Oil-free, hydrating, and oh-so protective against the sun and other environmental aggressors like pollution and blue light, adding this vitamin C-powered multitasking tinted moisturizer to your daily skincare will be a game-changer. Pre-game your skin with a vitamin C serum to really boost your SPF and environmental protection further.
Real Skin Is In
While many of us fight against our skin’s texture, tone, or breakouts, the move towards normalizing natural, unfiltered skin is really picking up pace. A reaction to the overly filtered and face-tuned images on Instagram and magazines, thanks to TikTok and its “celebrating real” vibe, we are embracing our skin’s natural quirks. Pores, blemishes, dry skin, redness, these are all real concerns for most of us at some point in our lives. Rather than try to simply conceal and camouflage—which can often lead to making them worse, or apply filters on our photos, for 2023 it’s all about being real with how our skin looks and feels. “Looking to targeted skincare that supports, treats, and boosts your skin’s natural glow is key,” adds Steph.
Skin Cycling
Part of the focus on skin health is a move towards this idea of skin cycling. “Rather than following the same ritual everyday and overloading your skin with actives, it’s all about cycling your products in the evening to deliver different ingredients on different days, with rest days for your most active products,” explains Steph. “A four day cycle is a good approach, where you use active ingredients such as retinol or AHAs for two evenings a week, then follow with two evenings of more replenishing and reparative products.” The goal with this approach is to protect and prevent damage to the skin’s moisture barrier from active ingredients. And, with just the right amount of actives it can help your skin naturally work to its optimal level.
For this we love Hydra-Bright Pro 5 Liquid Exfoliant or Beta-Clarity Pro 5 Liquid Exfoliant, and GlyPro Retinol Drops for your active evenings, followed by Bio-Renew EGF Drops and Bio-Renew EGF Cream for your low-key evenings.
Skinimalism, Multitasking, and Skincare Makeup Hybrids
With our time-pressed schedules, demand for better value, and a move towards less waste and impact on the environment, we want multitasking products now more than ever. Whether skincare with multiple benefits or skincare makeup hybrids, this is where the idea of skinimalism comes majorly into play.
“Some call it a skincare or beauty capsule wardrobe, others call it skinimalism, whatever your flavor, it’s all about creating a simplified skincare and beauty ritual that features key essentials, such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, SPF, plus natural mineral pigment colors, without compromising on results,” adds Steph. In keeping with the real skin movement, less is more when it comes to skinimalism. It’s all about letting your natural texture shine, boosting your skin’s natural processes, elevating your glow, and avoiding an overly “done” look.
Science-Led Skincare
Cleanical (clean + clinical) skincare is still going strong for 2023. Why? Well, it hits that sweet spot, prioritizing safety, science, efficacy, and results without harm to you, animals, or the planet. Using sustainable formulations, cleanical products feature the latest in bio-technology or clean chemistry to create lab grown actives as alternatives to naturally occurring ingredients that may be endangered or rare, avoiding exhausting natural resources. Cleanicals also use safe chemical actives and natural ingredients where suitable, with tried-and-tested results. Glo is proud to be a cleanical brand, vegan and cruelty free, formulating all our products without parabens, phthalates, harsh sulfates, talc, mineral oil, and artificial fragrance. We also pride ourselves on our clinical results for our key skincare products, giving you peace of mind that everything you put on your skin has science-backed safety and results.
Retinol + Retinol Alternatives
Retinol has long been superhero ingredient in the skincare world, and many consider it an essential to their skincare rituals for its dazzling multitude of benefits. Helping to accelerate skin cell turnover, reduce inflammation, diminish hyperpigmentation, and stimulate collagen production, retinol promotes smoother, firmer, brighter skin, and is a key anti-aging ingredient. “But it’s not for everyone. If you have dry or sensitive skin, retinol can irritate skin and needs to be built up in tolerance over time. If you’re pregnant, it’s recommended to avoid use of retinol altogether. And, this is where retinol alternatives come in. Phyto-retinols or bakuchiol are plant-derived alternatives to retinol with similar skin-boosting benefits,” shares Steph.
As phyto-retinols and bakuchiol are not considered active ingredients, they’re not photo-sensitive like retinol, so are safe for use during the day (still use SPF), plus they’re suitable for all skin types.
Other skincare ingredients that are trending for 2023 include skin barrier-boosters niacinamide, glutathione, ceramides, mushrooms, and algae.
Beauty Trends 2023
“For 2023, I’m excited about showcasing more of our skin’s natural texture with skincare makeup hybrids that care for skin while adding that color pop. With sheerer, second-skin foundations or tinted moisturizers here to stay, enhancing our natural features with washes of color makes the whole look feel more modern and fresh,” says Janeena Rumsey, Glo’s Global Artistry Lead.
Skincare Makeup Hybrids
Much like with our skincare rituals, we no longer want 12-step skincare and 14-step makeup, preferring our products to work smarter and join forces, saving us money, time, and create a less “done” look. “Pigment load and long-lasting coverage isn't the only thing we want from our makeup,” explains Janeena. “This is where skin-forward makeup hybrids come in. Not a new concept but getting next generation makeovers, we want our makeup to be skincare loaded and good for us.”
Case in point being our C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint. We combined skincare, sunscreen with mineral makeup to create the ultimate replacement for your foundation or BB cream. And, our Essential Eye Base is the perfect primer and color-corrector for lids, infused with soothing antioxidants and a little boost of caffeine to help relieve any puffiness.
But the color that cares energy doesn't just stop at complexion products. We put hydrators, shea butter, and nourishing antioxidants in our lip colors like Cream Glaze Lip Crayon or Suede Matte Lip Crayon. And, if you don’t feel like your makeup has enough skincare in it, you can always add a few drops of your favorite serum to truly personalize your boost. We love adding HA-Revive Hyaluronic Drops for extra hydration, or C-Shield Anti-Pollution Drops for a vitamin C brightening hit.
Skinimalism Meets Makeup
By now we know that multitasking makeup is key for 2023, and this is also to do with the move towards skinimalism both in skincare and simplifying and streamlining our makeup too. “For the ‘Girl on the Go’ vibe it’s all about bronzer and blush that can be used to enhance eyes, cheeks, lips, and body,” adds Janeena.
“Cleaner skin is in. And that means more natural coverage infused with skincare benefits. We want to see real skin, we’re lessening the foundation coverage and letting skin breathe. ” she explains. “Tinted moisturizers with sunscreen will be a main focus to add an extra layer of protection as you cover for everyday skin-forward complexion looks. And, foundation formulas are moving away from heavy, matte-like textures, instead taking on a feather-light approach that melts into skin as opposed to sitting on the surface.”
This creates an overall radiant, fresh faced appearance or “Raw Beauty” as some are calling it.
Relaxed Makeup Techniques
“Less about that chisel and sculpt we’ve seen previously, and more about letting natural contours and bone structure naturally shine through with a little highlighting help,” says Janeena. “Color blends will be more seamless with a wash of color approach. And, if bold color is used, it’s blended to look like the texture of skin with a slight sheen.”
This clean skin look allows for more impactful effects on the eyes with bold shadows, graphic liner, and exaggerated lash lengthening.
Hyper Glowing Highlights
“From iridescent face balms and creams to finely-milled high-watt powders with slight pearlescence and shimmer, highlighters are taking on a more “mirror-like” effect that energizes a look with simplicity and shine,” says Janeena.
This new wave of glowier, dewier, and more nourishing formulations all starts with skincare—hello Hydra-Bright AHA Glow Peel, but it needs that little extra love from your favorite makeup formulations. Add Barrier Balm to your bronzer or blush to make skin pop, add Essential Eye Base to even out lids, and sweep the Glow Up Highlighter Stick across high points of your face to really own that glow, or try our new ultra-glow Skin Glow Stick Highlighter for a silky, glazed glow, while our Skin Glow Powder Highlighter gives instant illumination.
Creamy Concealers
“We want more from our complexion products and concealers are a key part of our less is more game. Dense or dry concealers are taking a back seat while creamy concealer formulas like our color-correcting and brightening Luminous Brightening Concealer take front and center,” explains Janeena. “For that Clean Skin look, we’ll be wearing a tinted moisturizer with concealer to correct and perfect, for a natural-looking glow that’s flexible and customizable.”
Smokey and Smudged Eyes
“For a fresh take on the smokey eye, for 2023, it’s all about a look that's more lived in, more edgy, and more undone,” says Janeena. “It’s not about perfection or a specific color blend, but rather a grungey smokey eye that’s unique to you. Blend, smudge, smoke out, and play with eyeshadows and liners to find your perfect lived in look. And, if you feel experimental, try adding different colors into the mix rather than the usual charcoal or smoked shades.”
“Moving the timeless cat eye look on for a fresh year, for 2023 we’re seeing the exaggerated cat eye playing out. Create a cat eye wing shape but make it longer and sharper for an upgraded graphic feline liner look. This look is being called “dark femininity” or “romantic goth”, so embrace your inner rock chick and give it a try.”
Pairing Up Lip Liners + Lip Balms
“Always looking for ways to customize and curate our products, this year, we’re leveling up the “your lip but better look”, by pairing our favorite lip liners and crayons with a clear lip balm (or Barrier Balm) to build out a balmy, lacquered lip look that’s way more modern and juicy than simply adding a layer of lip gloss,” says Janeena. “Or for more bold statement lips, use a deeper liner color and then fill with a lighter hue to create extra definition and drama.”
Blush Crush
“We saw an overload of blushed-out looks in 2022 and it continues into 2023. Whether cream or powder blushes, in color washes or more statement pops, blush is all about adding a little life back into your skin to accentuate all your best bits,” shares Janeena.