Colours and textures: Tapping into the 2023 beauty theme of ‘peace’

In the company’s latest BeautyLab trend books for Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter 2023, NellyRodi spotlighted the array of consumer aspirations, behaviours, gestures, rituals and materials set to impact the beauty and personal care market, across all categories.

“This season’s theme is ‘peace’,” it said.

Consumers in 2023, the reports said, were looking for a “more serene dialogue with the world, the body and the soul”, creating plenty of innovation opportunities for industry in the real world and virtually.

The four key themes addressed for the Spring/Summer 2023 season under the umbrella theme of ‘peace’ were: clarity, harmony, illusion and celebration. The four key themes addressed for the Fall/Winter 2023 season were: twist, free mind, planet B and virtuoso.

Writing in its Fall-Winter report, NellyRodi said the peace experienced in summer 2023 would transform into strength and action in the winter period as consumers looked to fulfil “ambitious plans” and tackle “projects brimming with conviction”, shifting colour and design opportunities.

Summer moods – Freshness, clarity and paradise​

One mood board in the BeautyLab Spring-Summer book entitled ‘fresh respiration’ featured pastel blues, greens and creams inspired the ocean, air and great outdoors.

NellyRodi said: “The outdoor domain shifts into the realms of air and water, the symbols of freshness, lightness and respiration.” Cosmetic routines, it said, could be enriched with icy effects or moisturising and reoxygenating care with moist textures and translucent colours.

Another mood board in the BeautyLab book entitled ‘radical shot’ featured an array of bold yet warm statement blues, oranges, greens and yellows.

“Graphic games, signage and display blocks from the world of art and design boost clarity of beauty with a message,” NellyRodi said. Healthy glow makeup could be used to accentuate this direction via “energetic brights” and “densified textures” to highlight particular features like eyes, lips or nails, it said. Brands could also ensure packaging obeyed colour codes and offered ultra-clear messaging.

Another mood board in the BeautyLab book entitled ‘tropical delights’ featured an array of rich purples, oranges and pinks and syrup textures, inspired from tropical fruits and nature.

“Guava, star fruit, quenepa, dragon fruit, mangosteen… Like an earthly paradise, a storehouse of fruit where each one is more delicious than the next, the tropics arouse the desire for juicy textures and intense colours,” NellyRodi said. Beauty brands could tap into this trend with vitamins and nourishing natural ingredients to create “lavish makeup looks” that offered a “flair for extreme seduction”, it said.

Winter moods – Bohemian, gentle and chrome​

One mood board in the BeautyLab Fall-Winter book entitled ‘bourgeois bohemian’ featured a flurry of ultra-decorative patterns and motifs in warm, tapestry-inspired colours and form.

“The 1970s bourgeois-bohemian style with its fabulous extravagance of patterns and ornamentation is now more than ever desirable,” NellyRodi said. Beauty brands could work to create tapestry lookalike products and feature florals and patterns wherever possible in their offerings and colour palettes to tap into this, it said.

Another mood board in the BeautyLab book entitled ‘easy sport’ offered gentle designs with soft edges and pastel colours, with refillables and comfort the focus.

“Yoga, gym or pilates: the trend for sport that’s good for both body and the moral is gentler than ever,” NellyRodi said. Brands ought to invest in rounded graphics, gummy materials and soothing colours, it said, and if products were “functional, transportable and rechargeable”, even better.

Another mood board in the BeautyLab book entitled ‘chrome glamour’ made a nod to mirrored and coloured effects across a range of oranges, reds, blues and bronze chromes, as well as sophisticated metals.

“Borrowed from the world of luxury cars, well-built volumes and chrome gleam radiate an aura of infinite glamour,” said NellyRodi. Beauty brands could tap into this with vibrant eyeshadows, mirror-finish nail varnishes as well as reflective packaging or metal packaging effects, it said.

Colours for 2023 – Neo-primary shades and earthy tones​

Overall, for the Spring-Summer period, “sophisticated neo-primary shades combined with classic navy and a timeless pink treated in elegant colour blocks” would be a strong palette, according to NellyRodi’s Colour Intelligence Spring-Summer 2023 report.

All-in-one colours across packaging and beauty objects would also fare well, particularly in ultra-soft and powdery colour palettes, according to the report.

Taking colour inspired from nature would also be key for beauty and personal care companies looking to tap into the season’s theme of ‘peace’, said NellyRodi. Garden or vegetable inspired colours like greens and pinks would work well, as well as “new volumes, textures and decorative effects tinted in the shades of a soft and tender palette”. Drawing inspiration from “paradisiacal nature” would also be important, working with floral motifs and decoration; using botanical essences; and offering an explosion of intense colours with deep and dark tones.

Overall, for the Fall-Winter period, “warm variant vibrating between bright and dark, earthy tones and glowing hues” would be a strong palette, according to NellyRodi’s Colour Intelligence Fall-Winter 2023 report.

Focusing on a “burnt, spicy range of scorched, luminous, amber browns ablaze with fiery accents” would work well across a range of textures, such as matte, textured or shiny, according to the report.

Luxury fauna-inspired patterns would also fare well, with use of vibrant hues that tapped into the tropical mood, NellyRodi said, as well as “oversized details” and “spectacular accessories” in precious metallic tones with dark and intense hues.