Fact or ‘hippie’ fiction? We decided to demystify the idea of ‘mystic beauty’ to find out if it’s really made the cosmic leap from magic to mainstream, and whether astrology, horoscopes and star signs could really influence your shopping choices
When it comes to finding your perfect beauty match, is the answer written in the stars? While once talk of ‘mystic beauty’ would have been considered more trick than truth, the rising popularity of horoscopes , astrology and numerology looks to have the shopping masses starstruck, influencing consumer trends and giving rise to an increase in new brands and products targeted towards this growing demographic.
“Reflecting a rising emphasis on spiritualism among consumers, a new wave of beauty products is tapping into crystals, gemology and the language of magic,” comments Lucie Greene, Director of trend forecasters JWT Innovation . She adds, “Magic, spiritualism and astrology are undergoing a renaissance as consumers shift away from mainstream religions. New brands are repackaging the cues of mysticism and gems, connecting them to wellbeing products for a hip millennial audience.”
No longer a niche area, we delved a little deeper to see whether the future looks favourable for this relatively new category of the beauty and wellness industry.
Is the appeal simply spiritual?
Although the increased interest in spirituality may be a contributing factor to the peak in demand, there might be more than meets the eye to this particular shopping trend. In our experience, categorising a pattern as passing or permanent ultimately rests on whether the products in question actually deliver; an initial hook alone just won't cut it when it comes to changing perceptions about more unconventional beauty offerings both in the short and long-term. Brands are only too aware of this and have stepped up accordingly to meet the expectation to not only attract but keep their new-age customers. “It’s not at all a hippie approach,” says Anna-Marie Solowij, Beauty Editor and co-founder of the London-based beauty chain BeautyMART . “Most previous incarnations of gemstones used in beauty have tended towards the spiritual, but in this instance I think the approach is modern and technical.”
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One such brand that has appealed to both skin and spirit in our experience is Prismologie , whose range of body care products contains mood-enhancing gemstones at its core. “Gemstones have been used since ancient times as amulets and have always been associated with positive and protective powers,” says co-founder Fatima Al-Sabah. “We incorporated gemstones into our products to enhance them and to give the products a boost of positive energy.”
The secret lies in savvy gem selection. “We encourage people to choose their products according to how they want to feel, and that is the best way to interact with our products. If you are feeling low on energy, you may need a boost of energy, so that’s when our Ruby and Cedarwood products are great. If you want to feel like someone is giving you a hug, our Rose Quartz and Rose range is perfect to give you that comforting and cocooning feeling.”
She adds, “Diamonds are known to be very focusing for the mind and clarifying, they are known as the stone of innocence. Our Diamond and Neroli range is a great way to help you clear your mind and bring back your focus to the task at hand. The other gemstones we have incorporated into each colour category also perform their duties and enhance the experience.”
Could you pick beauty products according to your star sign?
Taking it one step further, if we could theoretically buy these types of products to better suit our moods, could we also do so according to our star signs? According to Astrologer and Get The Gloss columnist Jessica Adams , we probably already are without even realising it. “Your bathroom shelf is probably full of products that reflect a mixture of your Sun Sign, Venus Sign, Moon Sign and Rising Sign already. It is these four signs (which you can discover in your personal horoscope, based on your time, place and date of birth) which make up how you look, who you want to be and who you actually are.”* She adds, “Your star sign is actually your Sun Sign, so it describes how you glow, shine and stand out in a crowd. It reveals who you are when the spotlight is turned on you, or the video camera light is on - it is also who you are when the photographer's flash goes off.”
With this in mind, if we already are choosing products according to our star sign’s individual traits on a subconscious level, doing so on a more conscious one doesn’t seem quite so unusual after all. “Aries is about competing, and being faster than everyone else. That's one example. Pisces is about escaping from the real world. When seeking products, particularly fragrance, you are looking for a brand which matches how you shine in the world.”
Is it more than a trend?
With the interest in star signs and astrology now more popular than ever, the power of spirituality on our shopping habits seems to make perfect sense. While 20, even 10 years ago such talk would have been deemed unsubstantiated hocus-pocus, what we're now looking for in our products is evidence of a marked shift in attitudes. Not only are brands rising to the occasion in terms of creating ranges to appeal to astrology fans, but also to cater for the beauty masses too.
More than skin-deep, ultimately if they make you feel good and you believe in the stars’ influence on your traits and future, choosing products to boost your horoscope seems the logical next step. Provided they deliver the goods, we forecast that this is one trend that could be here to stay.
We’ve teamed up with Astrologer Jessica Adams to create a personalised edit of wellbeing and beauty products that suit your star sign in our free 2016 Astrology Guides, available to buy through our new GTG e-guide Marketplace. Click here to download yours straight to your computer, tablet or smartphone .
* If you don't know your chart you can look it up at www.astro.com or www.serennu.com now.
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