NEW  YORK, Dec 4 ― Face masks or no face masks, lipstick is set to make a comeback in 2022, but not in its most usual form. Forget crimson red, raspberry pink and pinky-beige nudes, and make way for the bolder, more punky shade of black. In fact, black lipstick looks set to be one of the strong beauty trends of the year, alongside the equally extravagant face gems, and scalp skincare.

After the no-makeup days of lockdown, then dealing with a more normal but still face-mask-wearing life, next year should bring a touch more eccentricity to the makeup department. While it's hard to know if face masks will still be a must-have accessory of everyday life, it's clear that women ― and men ― are determined to take their beauty routines back in hand, taking them in a more bold and daring direction. So, after being somewhat neglected in recent months, lipstick is now poised to return, albeit in an unexpected colour ― black.

Going bold in 2022

Who would have thought it? We knew that the pop-punk aesthetic was making a comeback on the fashion scene, but nothing suggested that it would also take over the world of makeup. But that just goes to show how much people are raring to liven up their lives with a touch of audacity. Gone are slippers, dull complexions and sweatsuits, giving way to more extravagance, self-expression and freedom. New data shared by the global fashion research platform Stylight* points to a strong craze for black lipstick, as from November.

In fact, the platform reports a jump in clicks of more than 1,000 per cent for Clinique's Almost Lipstick in the Black Honey shade. And it's a trend that's confirmed on social networks, with several tens of millions of views for the hashtag #blacklipstick on TikTok, and more than 500,000 publications on Instagram, including a host of recent posts and videos.

But that won't be the only extravagant beauty trend coming next year. Even more surprisingly, self-adhesive face jewels also seem to have been gaining popularity for several weeks. Subtlety, it seems, goes out of the window in 2022. Stylight reports that search interest for "face gems” tripled in the month of November on Google, and sharply increased on its own international platforms. In particular, ColourPop's face crystals set saw a 100 per cent increase in clicks over the previous month.

Focus on scalp skincare

If you've never heard of scalp skincare before, then don't panic. It's not the latest horror-movie-inspired trend, just a focus on caring for the scalp. Not only have brands increased the number of scalp care products, such as brushes and exfoliating scrubs, in recent months, but beauty fans are going crazy for these items. Search interest for the terms "scalp products” increased by 70 per cent on Google in November, while the favourite product among internet users seems to be the NatureLab Tokyo clarifying scalp scrub, with clicks up 350 per cent on Stylight in October-November compared to the previous two months.

As in 2020 and 2021, organic and vegan skincare products will also be in demand, as well as tinted suncare and blue-light protection products, reflecting a desire to prevent environmental damage and combat the signs of skin aging. ― ETX Studio

*These results are based on an analysis of data from Stylight, and its 120 million annual users in 16 markets, and Google Trends for the periods of October and November 2021, unless otherwise stated.