Despite the cries of a retail apocalypse, the health and beauty sector has thrived in recent years. Small, innovative companies have driven growth as they provide a fresh approach to beauty and wellness--and put pressure on the old mainstays to keep up. There’s a clear demand for a new approach to beauty, and beauty and wellness retailers are providing.

Here are the biggest trends in health and beauty, and how retailers are leveraging them to drive sales:

Think Fun
The old approach to beauty retail was about following trends and fitting into norms. The new beauty retail, however, is all about experimentation and play. Bright colors, themed looks, and fun shapes are all part of the vanguard of new beauty, and its present in products and advertising. Think of Lipstick Queen’s “Frog Prince” color-changing lipstick that appears green in the tube, or Kaja Beauty’s bento box-inspired eyeshadow pallets and heart-shaped blush stamp. Beauty is all about play, and your retail should be, too. In-store makeup tutorials to demonstrate hard-to-achieve looks, YouTube-enabled cameras to capture an in-store makeover, and beauty surprise boxes are all being offered at retailers trying to capture the joy of beauty retail.

Think Green
Eco-friendly beauty has seen a boom in recent years, with brands placing an emphasis on natural ingredients and green packaging. Brands like Lush, Tarte, and The Body Shop pride themselves in their Earth and skin-friendly ingredients, and consumers are biting: sales of natural, paraben-free products grew 12% in the last year, while total cosmetics sales stayed about steady. It’s clear that eco-friendly is the future, and stores can emphasize that they’re on board with limited and recyclable packaging, earthy special events (see Lush Cosmetics’ park meet-ups and ingredients lessons), and green business practices in production and transportation.

Think Diverse
New beauty is all about being yourself, and that’s been reflected in a whole host of new products that serve a wide variety of skin tones and genders. Fenty Beauty’s claim to fame is their Pro Filt’r foundation which comes in 50 shades--one of which is guaranteed to match your skin tone. Meanwhile, brands like Hims are serving previously unaddressed beauty and wellness needs for men, with products that prevent hair loss, tattoo concealers, and other beauty needs. Many brands are embracing gender diversity by using male models for traditionally woman-oriented makeup products like eyeshadow and mascara. Your retailer can jump on board by hiring a diverse staff that can welcome and advise a wide variety of clients, and by featuring events that cater to underserved clients. The market is growing, and retailers should welcome that growth actively to draw in a wider client base.

The Takeaway:
As the beauty world grows and changes, retailers can adjust their business practices to stay current and attractive to consumers. An ever-wider consumer base that takes a playful approach to beauty will shop at stores that represent them and their beliefs. Retailers should take note: featuring products and promotions that align with their consumers’ desires and needs and beliefs is the way forward.