Beauty trends are developing at an unprecedented speed these days. The “Dewy Blush” look has spread across TikTok, triggering a global demand for creamy blush textures within a matter of days. What started as a spontaneous beauty tip, has evolved into a phenomenon that is motivating millions of consumers to seek products that give them a natural glow. This dynamic represents a fundamental change for the beauty industry: companies must react quickly or risk being left behind.
This new reality poses fundamental challenges for established market research methods. Trends used to evolve slowly over months, but now, a single social media post can multiply demand for specific products or looks within hours. Conventional market research alone is not enough to capture the dynamics of digital communities. That is why cosnova relies on new technologies that analyze consumer behavior with unprecedented depth and speed.
Analytics capture emotional and cultural trends
Advanced consumer intelligence systems are transforming the way companies understand consumer behavior. Platforms like Trendscope by Black Swan Data, analyze millions of online conversations in real time. These systems go beyond keyword analysis, picking up on emotional nuances and cultural contexts in online discussions. This allows to identify trends in their early stages, before they reach the mainstream.However, strategic trend analysis requires a systematic combination of different data sources. Consumer intelligence platforms provide quantitative trend data and development patterns, while qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews and focus groups, provide the necessary understanding of consumer motivations. This systematic combination of digital and analog research methods enabled identification of the Dewy trend early on as not only an aesthetic phenomenon, but also as an expression of shifting beauty ideals toward authenticity and natural radiance. To leverage these insights efficiently throughout the company, cosnova provides all departments with direct access to consumer intelligence via self-service tools. Teams from Innovation, Product Development, and Marketing can access the latest trend data independently and make strategic decisions faster.
From viral to viable: A product filter
Identified trends are systematically evaluated using strategic evaluation criteria. Social, technological, and market-related developments are continuously monitored and analyzed in the context of consumer needs, brand fit, and segment relevance. Not every viral trend is suitable for product development. Decision criteria include cultural compatibility, scalability, and long-term relevance. Trends that prove to be too niche or short-lived are therefore deliberately not pursued further.
Specific examples demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. For example, in response to the Dewy Blush trend, cosnova developed the “Underwater Secrets Dewy pH Reacting Blush” for its Catrice brand. This product has a pH-reactive formula that offers the desired creamy texture for a natural, fresh look, as well as personalized color effects. Cross-functional teams have significantly increased the speed of development. These teams combine trend expertise, formulation development, quality assurance, and sustainability aspects. This enables the realization of limited editions within a few months – from primers with visible care capsules to jelly-textured lip stains such as the “Superman Jelly Lip Stain” by essence, which interprets the ongoing lip tint trend in a playful, viral format.
Gen Z makes Clean Beauty the new norm
However, the process of successfully translating trends into marketable products underscores the complexity of modern consumer intelligence. The identified trends reflect fundamental social changes that extend well beyond aesthetic preferences. Clean Beauty, for example, has evolved from a marketing term into a genuine consumer expectation. Ingredients are critically scrutinized, and transparency is a prerequisite. For companies like cosnova, this means making continuous formula improvements in affordable segments without compromising performance.Generation Z and Generation Alpha increasingly define beauty as a holistic expression of identity and social values. As digital natives, these target groups expect seamless digital experiences, such as AR try-ons and AI-powered guidance. The boundaries between skincare, lifestyle, and self-care are also becoming blurred, requiring new approaches to product development.Technologically, artificial intelligence will continue to transform the entire consumer intelligence process, from automated sentiment analysis of social media to the structured evaluation of qualitative research data. AI-supported knowledge management tools already provide cosnova teams with faster access to relevant insights, significantly shortening decision-making cycles.At the same time, international expansion presents unique challenges. For instance, consumer needs and product preferences can vary significantly between cultural regions. Therefore, successful consumer intelligence strategies must combine globally comparable data sets with culture-specific insights, all while consistently complying with local data protection standards.
Algorithms guide, but people make products succeed
Cosnova’s success in quickly identifying and bringing the Dewy Blush trend to market with the “Underwater Secrets Dewy pH Reacting Blush” in a remarkably short amount of time is a prime example of the future of the beauty industry. The key insight is that neither pure technology nor traditional market research alone is sufficient. Instead, the key lies in the intelligent symbiosis of AI-supported consumer intelligence and human expertise.By combining consumer intelligence platforms, such as Trendscope by Black Swan Data, with qualitative research methods and the cultural intuition of experienced trend experts, cosnova can identify what consumers want, why they want it, and most importantly, whether this need is sustainable. After all, the success of a product is determined by its users, not algorithms. AI-supported consumer intelligence can help identify and structure complex consumer needs. However, human expertise and intuition are still essential to strategically interpret these insights and creatively implement them as marketable innovations.
Maria Nguyen
Senior Trends & Consumer Insights Manager, cosnova, Sulzbach, Germany,
www.cosnova.com
Dagny Eckhardt
Expert Trends & Consumer Insights. cosnova, Sulzbach, Germany,
www.cosnova.com