Welcome to Next in Beauty, a Vogue Business series highlighting category predictions, formula innovations and new product development for 2025 and beyond, in editorial partnership with global trends intelligence and consumer insights specialist Stylus.
Sun care is a hot topic on TikTok — for better or for worse. To date, there are 1.6 million posts tagged with #sunscreen, and many people are now embracing SPF as a mainstay in their daily routines (as opposed to during the summer or on holidays only). But a darker side is emerging: some TikTokers have begun promoting ‘sun contouring’ — the practice of applying sunscreen only to parts of the face and then tanning, in order to achieve “natural contouring” — and deliberately ‘sun burning’ in the hopes of clearing acne, both of which leave people exposed to sun damage, experts warn.
It’s evidence that sun care has shifted from being a little-thought-about must-have for beach bags to taking centre stage, albeit dividing consumers over its role as an everyday beauty essential. And with this change comes an opportunity for product innovation and fresh marketing strategies.
In 2024, the sun care market generated $11.52 billion worldwide and is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 4.14 per cent between 2024 and 2028, according to Statista. The uptick in consumer demand can be attributed to “social media spreading awareness, inclusive white-cast-free formulas that are widening the demographic reach to people of colour, and user-friendly formats (such as oils, gels, sticks and mists) that turn the chore of applying sunscreen into an enjoyable experience”, says Lisa Payne, head of beauty trends at Stylus.
Suncare is also attracting young fans. “Young ‘skintellectuals’ are turning to TikTok for sunscreen content and sun protection products. Last year, sun protection was the most-mentioned skincare product in online consumer conversations about cosmetics, up 11 per cent from 2022, focused on SPFs suitable for specific skincare needs,” Payne says. Many expect their SPFs to offer benefits beyond skin protection, such as antioxidant and/or hydrating properties.
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Beauty giants are placing big commercial bets on suncare. Japanese personal care giant Kao, which owns brands including Bioré and Bondi Sands, is among those doubling down on suncare. “In 2024, in response to the strong demand, we are accelerating the rollout of our UV-care products outside of Japan. We have already made a good start in China,” Kao managing director Yoshihiro Hasebe told Cosmetics Design Asia in February. Puig-owned suncare brand Isdin reports double-digit sales growth so far this year.
L’Oréal Group continues to invest in its research and suncare innovation. “The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for two to three million new cases of skin cancer annually, and only 40 per cent of people [globally] consistently use sun protection. Therefore, there is a real need to develop innovative suncare products that resonate with every consumer,” says Stéphane Douezan, international director of the conglomerate’s suncare development laboratory. “We have a long-standing 90-year commitment to address this need with research and development.”
Two of its recent innovations include Netlock, which encapsulates filters in fine droplets of gel-ified oils that sit on the skin’s surface and result in a visible, ultra-thin resistance to water, sand and sweat, according to the company. The second, Mexoryl 400, is the “first sun filter that efficiently protects against ultra-long UVA rays”, says Douezan. Those technologies have been introduced to La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios range as well as the Garnier Ambre Solaire line, each sold at Boots, Amazon and Sephora worldwide.
Some brands, such as Medik8, are looking at how to use suncare products to treat sun damage, while also protecting the skin from further exposure. Its Advanced Day Ultimate Protect SPF 50 (£59) contains photolyase (a type of DNA repair enzyme) derived from plankton extract, which the brand claims can help to repair DNA defects and support the skin’s natural recovery from sun exposure. “One of the most concerning effects of UV rays is photodamage and its ability to impair skin function. Although our skin naturally contains DNA repair enzymes which work to limit the damage, they deplete as we age — leaving skin exposed,” says Daniel Isaacs, Medik8’s chief product officer and founding partner.
Handier packaging and lightweight formulas
Reapplying SPF every two to three hours is the recommended way to protect skin from sun damage, but many are put off by heavy liquid or cream formulas.
Beauty brands are exploring new, lighter formulas. A few examples this year include Kopari’s Sun Shield On-The-Glow Sheer Stick SPF 40 (£27) and Naked Sundays’s CabanaClear Water Gel Serum SPF 50+ (£25); TikTok-favourite Glow Recipe also introduced its Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Balm Sunscreen Stick SPF 45 (£27). Fenty Beauty, meanwhile, added 10 tinted mineral sunscreens (£32) to its current SPF offering.
Payne also recommends efficient packaging solutions to encourage regular usage. “Brands need to make the application of SPF less awkward or time-consuming,” she says. She gives the example of Elroel’s handbag-friendly Pang Pang Sun UV Shield (£18), which comes as a compact, Kocostar’s Sunscreen Capsule Mask (£34.50), which combines sunscreen serum and UV ray absorbing oil in individual capsules, and Sun Patch ($18 to $28), whose stickers give enhanced protection to targeted areas such as those that have been damaged in the past and are prone to burning.
Sunscreen mists also have untapped potential, says Payne. The market was valued at $860,000 in 2023 and is forecasted to reach $5.34 billion by 2030, thanks to its lightweight, non-greasy feel and ease of application. For example, Payne attributes the success of Bioré’s UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Mist to its high-coverage formulation and easy function. Other players include Australia’s Ultra Violette Preen Screen (£32) and US-based Not Your Mother’s Sunscreen Mist (£10), whose ultra-light mist protects the hair and scalp without leaving a sticky residue.
Edible sunscreen
Skin health and longevity have proven to be one of skincare’s biggest trends in 2024, prompting the rise in popularity of treatments like NAD+, and the explosion in edible beauty. Payne predicts the inside-out approach will filter through to suncare, too. Some 89 per cent of active consumers in the US, Australia and New Zealand like the idea of a supplement that could protect their skin from sun damage, she says, citing a 2022 study by research and development company Lycored.
Some supplement brands are already exploring this, particularly the potential benefits of taking extract of polypodium leucotomos, an ingredient native to Central and South America. Early research from establishments such as the National Cancer Institute and the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology indicate that polypodium’s antioxidant properties could prevent UV-induced damage — though experts point out that its use in suncare is nascent and more research needs to be done on its efficacy.
American skincare gummy brand Embody uses polypodium extract in its Sun Gummy ($32), which it claims can reduce the risk of sunburn and reduce pigmentation after sun exposure as “part of a healthy suncare regimen”, which should also include the application of topical sunscreen. Similarly, Inner Glow uses the ingredient in its Sol Defense Gummies ($29.99) while sun protection brand Heliocare offers supplements (£34.99) that include antioxidants, which it claims can provide additional defence against the damaging effects of both UV rays and visible light.
Brands should approach with caution. Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Catherine Chang, founder of skincare brand NakedBeauty MD, warns brands that edible sunscreen is a nascent category and carries the risk of misleading customers, who may believe suncare supplements can replace topical SPF. “These supplements are not yet regulated by the FDA, and neither are the claims. Data admitted by the National Library of Medicine shows ingredients like polypodium to be effective due to their anti-photocarcinogenic properties (the result of intermixing UV radiation, DNA damage and cell mutations) but it’s not enough to completely replace SPF,” she says.
A time for education
As suncare — and opinions on how to use it, or not — booms on TikTok, brands have the opportunity to engage new audiences and correct misinformation in the process. A shift is already happening: the Vogue Business Beauty Index highlights a 19 per cent drop in the media impact value of ‘skinfluencers’ — lay people that offer skincare advice — in 2024, compared with last year, while ‘dermfluencers’, with bona fide dermatology credentials, are on the rise. (Media impact value or MIV is used by Launchmetrics to measure the economic value of social media and other forms of marketing.)
Brands could lean into collaborations with said dermfluencers to build trust and loyalty with consumers. Korean skincare brand Beauty of Joseon’s tie-up with American cosmetic chemist Ramón Pagán is an example of this, generating $510,000 in MIV, per Launchmetrics. “By leveraging trusted external voices of authority, brands can successfully reinforce educational messages that founders or internal scientific spokespeople are often already communicating,” says Madeleine Boyd, SVP of global beauty at PR firm Karla Otto.
The priority must be to move the discourse away from terms like sun contouring, says Dr Chang. “These users have no education or authority in skincare or medical care — it’s so dangerous. There needs to be a shift back to trusting experts.”
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