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Femtech and Its Impact on the Future of Beauty Products
Femtech is the hot new buzzword that everyone is using. It refers to technology that is focused specifically on women’s needs and has taken off in the past couple of years. The femtech industry is anticipated to grow a whopping 13% between 2021 and 2026.
With women making up half the market, it makes sense that female-centric products would become popular. They meet a previously unfulfilled need and are now making life easier for women. While a lot of femtech is focused on healthcare, the future of the beauty industry is something that also figures into it and the industry is changing fast.
Current Femtech Trends
Around 50% of femtech is focused on reproductive health and pregnancy and nursing. A range of fertility and contraceptive apps have become popular due to this, putting the control back into the women’s hands.
You’ll find that most femtech health products are either apps and telehealth options or devices such as wearable breast pumps and ovulation sensors. There are plenty of options available now, whereas these choices were severely limited before femtech became big.
Femtech in the Beauty Industry
You may not automatically think of beauty products when you hear the word technology, but in today’s world, it fits. Femtech isn’t just about physical and mental health anymore. Now it also helps you look beautiful.
At the moment, there are a number of apps that can help transform a woman’s beauty and promote skin and facial health. Here are a few of the innovations that are available.
This free app uses a selfie photo to analyze and scan your skin, then it gives you a score that rates your skin health. More than 2,000 facial attributes are checked and these include everything from wrinkles and fine lines to smoothness and spots on the skin.
You can also input things like hydration, tone, and radiance. From there, the app provides a personalized skincare regimen that you should follow, which includes stress reduction, more sleep, and exercise. Olay also has its own skin scanning app, called Skin Advisor, which does essentially the same thing.
More than an app, UV Sense is actually a sun sensor that you can wear. It’s designed to prevent skin cancer, as well as sunburn. The wearable is tiny and can be placed just about anywhere on the body, though it’s recommended you place it on a fingernail, where it sits for up to a fortnight. The mini sensor activates when UVA and UVB rays hit it. The device then transmits information to the user’s phone and lets them know when they need to consider sunscreen or should call it a day.
A similar monitor is available through L’Oreal, called My UV Patch, which was the inspiration for UV Sense.
This is one of many apps that lets you test out a hair color before you dye. If you’ve ever wondered if you could pull off red hair, then this is an app that you can use. There are multiple options and you can take the app to the hairdresser with you to get the look you want.
If you’ve ever wondered what your seasonal color palette is, this app will tell you. It gives you a palette of colors for your outfits and makeup, suggesting what would look best on you. The app takes a photograph of the user and then matches the beauty suggestions and color palettes with your hair color, skin tone, and eye color to give you the best results.
My Best Colors is another app that checks your skin tone and then recommends shades of makeup that will compliment you.
For anyone who has put off that manicure, this can be a fun way to see what’s available. You can easily check which colors look best on your hand and then either purchase the nail color or visit your favorite salon to have your nails done.
With all these apps, it’s easy to forget that there is actual tech available, as well, and not just wearables. For example, if you have around $1,000 to spare, you can purchase a professional digital nail art printer. These printers allow you to custom print images directly onto your fingernail, making manicures an art form that anyone can do at home.
Airbrush kits and foundation applicators are another way to improve your makeup. With the help of an app, you can easily learn to put on the makeup that works for your face, while doing it far more efficiently. Automatic applicators make it simple to apply your foundation perfectly.
In addition to all of these femtech options, you have Opte, the precision skincare treatment system that corrects dark spots and hyperpigmentation on your body. It’s safe for use on the face and helps women feel more secure in how they look.
Finally, things like laser skincare are no longer out of reach or only for the rich. For just a couple hundred dollars, you can have your own laser hair removal system at home. This makes beauty that much simpler and within reach.
The Future of Beauty
Femtech is on the rise and you can expect to see it far more often in the beauty industry. As more people invest in these areas and provide public support, something that is severely lacking at the moment, the better it will become. Until now, the vast majority of femtech was powered by urgent needs in the healthcare realm. With beauty, it branches out and creates a more conducive environment for technology in beauty.
Until recently, femtech has been considered a niche market. That will only open up in the future. Many people feel that the pink tax, or the higher price for products that are designed for women, is hindering the growth at the moment. However, that should all go away in the next few years, as the industry continues to grow.
Women are realizing that they have the option to choose apps and beauty products that are specifically designed for their needs. The overlap between tech and women’s beauty needs is increasing and that can only bode well for the future of the beauty industry.
Femtech can only continue to grow, in the health industry, but also in beauty. Now is the perfect time to invest in this burgeoning market.