LSN : News : American consumers feel awkward about luxury

Poseidon is an intuitive smart mirror for holistic health

CareOs Poseidon Smart Mirror

US and France – A smart bathroom mirror created by wellness company CareOS promises to cater for families’ overall wellbeing and long-term health.

The Poseidon made-to-measure mirror has the CareOS platform built in and functions as a private personal care device for total wellbeing. With a price tag starting at £2,310 ($3,000, €2,695) the mirror can be customised according to individual user needs, be it families with children or adults following particular care regimes.

For children, Poseidon can be programmed to feature interactive games to inspire teeth-brushing and bathing, alongside individual skin analysis for teens and adults, and tutorials for everything from posture to make-up application. With features including mood and eco-lighting, 360-degree visualisation and magnification, the mirror demonstrates how technology can help to drive daily wellbeing practices, while also tracking individual family habits through a supporting app.

As beauty technology gains momentum, artificial intelligence and bespoke algorithms are beginning to shape personal care and beauty regimes. We explore similar devices in our macrotrend, Algorithmic Beauty.

The FasTeesh toothbrush cleans in 10 seconds

Y-Brush by FasTeesh

France – The next-generation electric toothbrush by FasTeesh aims to simplify and speed up the daily chore of teeth-brushing – cutting it down to a 10-second task.

Introduced at this year’s CES, the Y-Brush is a curved toothbrush that mimics a flexible gum shield with nylon bristles. In a move away from hand-held brushes, the full-mouth device is said to remove 15% more plaque than a regular traditional toothbrush. Users fill the mouthpiece with toothpaste before placing it in their mouth and biting down to activate its cleaning mode.

Launched as a full kit, the Y-Brush features a handle, brush, USB charger, toothpaste applicator and storage container, with users encouraged to replace the bristle heads – available in adult and children's sizes – roughly every six months. According to the company, one charge of the brush will last up to a month, while its 'simplicity in use of makes it ideal for children with disabilities as well as for dependent people living at home'.

With dental care brands innovating to transform our daily routines, once-mundane activities are turned into new healthcare experiences. We explore other dental innovations in our Dental Rework microtrend.

American consumers feel awkward about luxury

US – A new paper featured in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests that luxury purchases can make consumers feel inauthentic.

While the ownership of luxury products can often yield status benefits, the research – carried out by academics from Harvard and Boston University, among others – highlights how many people commonly feel a sense of imposter syndrome in relation to high-end purchases.

According to The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption paper, many consumers were found to behave less confidently when wearing or interacting with luxury goods – often as a result of feeling ‘a lack of self-authenticity’ and ‘a growing cultural preoccupation with authenticity’. In nine studies across sites including Martha's Vineyard, a luxury shopping centre and the Upper East Side in New York, the researchers report similar results in all scenarios, with such feelings often less pronounced among consumers who display high levels of psychological entitlement.

With a collective backlash against ostentatious spending growing among luxury consumers, brands and retailers are being forced to rethink how they target affluent shoppers amid their shifting values. Often requiring a more social, accessible and supportive approach, our Uneasy Affluence macrotrend reveals more.

Zizi Donohoe campaign. Photography by Nadia Lee Cohen

Stat: The growth potential of second-hand beauty

New data from Vogue Business and Ipsos reveals that 37% of people are interested in buying pre-owned – but crucially unused and unopened – beauty and fragrance products.

While already growing in Asia, where the Mercari app has become a lead platform for beauty resale, the second-hand beauty market holds potential for Western consumers and brands alike, in particular, where niche colours, end-of-line products and limited-edition goods can achieve demand from beauty fans. According to Vogue Business and Ipsos, nearly half of respondents surveyed (49%) named better value as the driving trend for beauty resale.

While fashion and luxury resale has become a booming market, as reported in our Pre-loved Premium listicle, the beauty industry has been slow to respond. Yet with Generation Z fuelling the circular economy in fashion, beauty brands should take inspiration from such new models of selling. To better understand this mindset, read our Fashion Recommerce market.