The Current State of Cleansers
the data and I agree that this is significant
A few weeks ago, I started writing an intro about how I think cleansers are having a moment. I wanted to talk about a new cleanser I’ve been using and how it was just one of a handful of recent cleanser launches that had impressed me. In fact, I only have 2 cleansers (1 face, 1 body) in my current rotation that existed more than a year ago.
We’ve been witnessing innovations (ingredient technology, packaging etc.) in pretty much every other skincare category over the past few years, but cleanser is pretty easy to ignore, I get it. Traditionally they’re not the most exciting or profitable products and I feel like our standards are pretty low. We are okay with “good enough” cleansers, so long as they seem to live up to their main purpose. And up until recently, I think it’d be fair to question how new or innovative can you even make a face wash?
As I was writing, I wondered if there could be more of a story here beyond my observations, so I reached out to Addison Cain, who heads Insights & Marketing at Spate, a consumer trends insight firm founded by the people who started Google’s Trendspotting division.
Below is part 1 of my interview with Addison. Our discussion sparked some questions that I wanted to investigate a bit more, so look out for part 2 next week, which will also go into detail about the aforementioned impressive recent cleanser launches.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Emphasis my own.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at Spate?
My name is Addison Cain, and I lead our Insights & Marketing Team at Spate. My team puts together reports that we launch externally and client reports that are briefed and created around specific objectives or projects. With our externally available reports, it’s always fun to ideate with the team; we have the flexibility of a startup that enables us to cover the topics we want to cover. Of course, there’s strategy there, and the data is our guide, but these reports are a giant playground for a beauty-obsessed person like myself. Each report is also a new way to familiarize myself further with various beauty subcategories. As you can imagine, with timely Google Search and TikTok data, each week presents several new data points contributing to my overall understanding of beauty.
Client reports, however, might be my favorite. We take our clients’ briefs and turn them into actionable insights that are applied across the most prominent beauty brands in the game, and that’s something I never honestly thought I’d have the privilege to do. I’ve been a beauty “generalist” and researcher for many years, but four years ago, when I started with Spate as a freelancer, I found my home in the insights and market research space.
When I told you I felt like cleansers were having a moment, you said you’d been noticing the same thing across beauty, including body and hair care. When did you start noticing? Did one category seem to kick it off?
I first noticed this broader trend when I started seeing more "niche" products, like retinol body wash, appearing in Google Search results. We also track trends on TikTok, where there are some signals of this as well. However, Google is one step further into the consumer funnel. If consumers are searching for something, they want to engage with it beyond entertainment.
Though not completely unexpected, given that skincare-related active ingredients had been trickling into the body care space for a while, I found it interesting that they were appearing in rinse-off formulations too. I also observed a growing interest in hair loss shampoos and benzoyl peroxide face wash. Over several months, I realized this was an emerging theme across most care categories (hair care, skincare, body care).
It's particularly important to note that searches for cleansing products are flat or declining overall for hair, skin, and body, which makes the rise of treatment-focused cleansers even more significant. Even if overall interest in cleansers is slowing down, consumers are prioritizing products with a treatment focus.
You also said you feel like people are moving treatment into the cleansing step and I totally agree.
Those of us in the beauty industry can overestimate how much time and money the average person wants to spend on their skin/hair/body routines. One hypothesis I have is that cleanser products with a treatment focus have a very two-birds-with-one-stone appeal for a broader audience. (However, face serums are also trending upwards — both on TikTok and Search — so this rule doesn’t apply to everyone. For some, a treatment cleanser is just another way to tackle the skin concern at hand.)
There is something inherently more easy to understand about a cleanser, and the barrier to entry/for usage is less so than say a topical product that has specific instructions and more implications (ie, tretinoin, vit C, minoxidil, etc.). If you want to be a full routine brand — across any space including hair, skincare or body — you must have a cleanser. It’s the bare minimum, and a step that most consumers are comfortable and familiar with.
Do you think this is driven by the consumer side or brand side?
I feel like I see a lot of new cleansers from emerging brands, and I *think* it has to do with trying to own more consumer routine real estate with a product that has higher usage rates, like a cleanser you use 1-2x daily. This is a brainstorm, but more interaction = more familiarity with the brand and then hopefully more loyalty.
I would love for a chemist/product dev/product manager to weigh in here. Are cleansers easier to formulate? What are the incentives beyond pure profit that brands have for launching new cleansers? [Jolie note: you best believe they will be weighing in next week.]
I’ve noticed innovation in ingredients, formula and even usage. What do you think brought on this shift and where do you think it’s heading? Was it just time for a cleanser refresh? Who drives this–brands, consumers or something else?
A few things are happening here, and really this speaks not only to treatment-focused cleansers but areas of growth in the cleansing space overall.
The resurgence of Asian beauty influence: Asian skincare — products, ingredients and concepts — is increasingly mainstream in the US. Cleansing is a key tenant of these routines, and even if this translates differently to US consumers (ie, in ingredients or concern focus), the idea is there. Not necessarily “treatment-focused,” but oil cleansers are the cleansing product driving the most significant positive change in average monthly search volume compared to last year (ie, they’re changing the conversation in cleansers), led by brands like DHC and Ma:Nyo. This plays out across various other skincare formats, including toners, sunscreens, and essences (SNAIL MUCIN!) Could talk about this forever, and I think the increasing competition to US brands cannot be overstated. If you’re a beauty brand and you’re not looking to A Beauty as a big challenger, you should be.
Water-Based vs. Oil Based: Consumers have this growing obsession with base formulas including “water-based” and “oil-based.” This shows up in skincare as well as makeup (ie, water-based foundation). Relevant to this particular conversation, consumers are seeking water based and oil based cleansers. This just shows a further emphasis on knowing and seeking out cleansers with specific benefits and purposes.
Growing price sensitivity: Recently, beauty sales have been softening across the industry. Cleansers tend to be on the more affordable side of any brand’s portfolio, and relative to other product formats. Consumers wanting to treat their skin with limited budget may turn to cleansers for this reason.
Huge, huge thanks to Addison! You’ll get more of her insights next week. In the meantime, use the button above to submit any questions/thoughts/concerns about the state of cleansers or data requests. Will do my best to address next week.
Three Other Things
I launched referrals! This is a recent Substack feature with a lot of potential for you and me both. They suggest the rewards but I can change them, if you guys give me a reason to. I get lots of products sent to me and I give facials for a living so invite your friends to read Hotline Skin & who knows what can happen.
Naturium released 2 new sizes of their cult-favorite SPF: a mini and a jumbo. Both with the 1/4 tsp cap so you can always use the proper amount of product. Brilliant, brilliant.
My mom sent me this article this morning about a proposed bill to ban selling certain skincare to kids under 13. It might be time for another article critique once I read the bill in full. But I can tell you right now that this is a dumb dumb dumb idea and I hope Assemblymember Alex Lee consults someone who knows what they’re talking about before banning citric acid, which presumably he thinks is commonly used as an exfoliant. If there’s one way to make products less safe for everyone of all ages, it’s removing preservative systems and pH adjusters, both of which are the primary purpose of citric acid in skincare.
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Discount Codes
Dermstore: JOLIE for 15% off (some exclusions but works on One Love Organics & Bioeffect!)
Naturium: JOLDEF15 for 15% off
Sachi Skin: JOLIE20 for 20% off for 4 more days only, then it goes back to JOLDEF15 for 15% off. (Spoiler alert: the cleansers will very much be featured next week.)
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Have a great week!
xx,
Jolie