Ask A Dermatologist: Skincare Trends 2024

Decorations taken down, confetti cleared and the last few lingering Bounties that no one wants to eat are left in the tin – 2024 is finally here. But instead of dwelling on the dark mornings and evenings, we’re focusing on the year ahead, and what’s in store for skincare. 

We sat down with Dr Jason Thomson, Head of Medical at Skin + Me, and resident dermatologist, Dr Beibei Du-Harpur to get their predictions for this year’s next big thing in skincare. 

Artificial intelligence

With the skyrocketing rise of AI in everyday life in the last decade (Chat GPT to name just one), Dr Jason reckons skincare will be next. “Skincare brands have been adopting AI for a few years,” he explains, “but now in various ways from skin analysis algorithms to personalising skincare routines and even individual products.”

“2024 will see much more widespread adoption of AI, mainly by online skincare brands. We’ll see more of the big skincare brands leaning into AI and personalisation in 2024 and we’ll see more chat-style skincare quizzes that will dive deep into each individual’s specific problems and their skincare needs.”

“AI will be regularly used for analysing skin and providing product recommendations which will prove very useful and will help customers get the right product for their skin.”

“However, if you have a dermatological condition, I’d be cautious about trusting AI and cosmetic-grade skincare in 2024 and stick with an expert human.” 

Luckily, the team at Skin + Me are 100% human. Real people reviewing your skin, using their medical expertise to plan your treatment – no bots here!  

Multi-functional ingredients

Our friends at And Begin are a little ahead of the curve on this one, but in 2024, Dr Jason predicts that “skincare brands and products that will contain multi-functional ingredients targeting the underlying biology of skin-ageing.”

“Skincare consumers have become much more aware of active ingredients over the past few years and have a better understanding of the science behind how they work.”

DR JASON THOMSON

Skincare aficionados out there will already know how multi-talented your favourite actives are. Tretinoin can treat acne, pigmentation and target the signs of skin-ageing; vitamin C can protect your skin from pollutants, even skin tone and fade fine lines, and azelaic acid can keep breakouts at bay, exfoliate the skin and help calm the flare ups of rosacea.

“Senolytic actives (ingredients that claim to purge your skin of senescent, zombie cells), microbiome boosting actives, peptides that can improve your epigenome and actives that can protect your mitochondrial are some of the newest innovations I’ve seen.”

“This is an exciting new area of skincare that I think we’ll definitely see more of in 2024.”

Barrier repair skincare

We’re big on barrier protection here on The Dose, and Dr Beibei thinks this will be even more in the coming year. “People are more aware than ever that skin is primarily a barrier organ, and that supporting this function is essential for skin health.”

“More people than ever are now using ‘active ingredients’ such as retinoids, which also requires a greater degree of care regarding supporting this barrier.”

If you’re cleansing and moisturising daily, then you’re already using some of the key ingredients that support a healthy skin barrier already, but if you’re not sure – emollients like shea butter, and humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin are a good place to start (Soothe + Smooth has all this, and more!)

For more information on looking after your skin barrier, check out our skin barrier protection guide here. 

Teen skincare

TikTok is the go-to for skincare advice, and for a platform popular with teens and young adults, it’s no surprise to see skincare brands actively try and target young people. 

“Teen skincare I suspect has really emerged as a market because of awareness of skincare due to TikTok.” Dr Beibei explains. 

“Your teen years can be a very self-conscious time, with acne affecting nearly all teenagers to some extent, so it is unsurprising that there is demand.”

“Historically, teen skincare has tended to be quite drying, so it will be interesting to see how newer brands evolve to address teen skincare needs.”

DR BEIBEI DU-HARPUR

However, if your 13 year old asks for a retinoid for their birthday, you might want to hold off on that particular gift. “I do think there is a need for beauty brands to be particularly responsible in how they market their products to this impressionable group.”

Peptide technologies 

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as building blocks of proteins, which carry information about proteins – and carrier peptides – they help with protein production. 

The proteins include collagen, elastin, and keratin, which are essential for maintaining the skin’s structure, elasticity, and firmness.

We’re thinking peptides in general will be big news in 2024, and Dr Beibei agrees. “There is increasing clinical data showing that peptide technologies have the potential to address skincare concerns such as fine lines and skin quality, supporting the data provided by suppliers of peptide ingredients,” she explains.  

Want to learn more about peptides and keep your finger on the pulse? Check out our deep dive on these skincare superstars here.