Daily humdrum chores and routines are being upgraded as elevated essentials become a means of incorporating small luxury into everyday life.
Beauty’s impact is elevating mundane duties like brushing our teeth and washing our clothing, with simple items receiving significant upgrades through formulations, perfumes, and more – but what has caused this trend toward making these chores sexier?
“The rise of elevated essentials marks one of the most interesting shifts in beauty and wellness right now,” says Katie Peake, co-founder and Creative Director of Backlash, a brand experience firm.
“Products that were once strictly functional, such as hand soap, deodorant, and domestic cleaning supplies, are now being marketed as tiny, meaningful indulgences.
“From my perspective, this movement feels less like a trend and more like a reflection of how consumers want to live, feel and express themselves today.”
Post-pandemic appeal and the ‘little treat’ economy.
While the shift toward wellness is visible across all consumer categories, other reasons, such as the cost-of-living problem and a post-pandemic world, are exacerbating consumers’ obsession with upscale necessities.
According to a recent analysis by The Future Laboratory foresight analyst Seyi Oduwole, “post-pandemic, consumers have placed greater importance on hygiene”.
The study cited Grand View Research data, which revealed that the global beauty and personal care products market, valued at £406 billion (US$557.24 billion) in 2023, is expected to nearly double to more than £708 billion ($973 billion) by 2030, growing at a 7.7% annual rate, highlighting the segment’s significant growth potential.
“At a surface level, this looks like indulgence, but it runs much deeper,” Peake says.
“As inflation keeps on rising and also still living in a post-pandemic world, consumers are pulling back on luxuries that would be classed as ‘big ticket luxuries’, and instead reallocating that spend into small, daily moments of affordable luxuries that offer the emotional payoff without breaking the bank.”
