Need to Know
04 : 07 : 19

New York – The direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand offers three 'clean' personal care products designed for use during outdoor activities, targeting 5:00am hikers, the rosé-in-the-park enthusiasts, and everyone in between.

Kinfield’s trio of products, which were launched online in June, include an insect spray, aftersun lotion and a universal moisturiser. Each of these is intended to offer a clean, natural alternative to many of the legacy brands in the outdoor segment for personal care – many of which are presented in the home or gardening categories rather than skincare.

‘It began with a camping trip to Yosemite, when I realised I was packing many of the same products I remembered from my childhood in Minnesota. I looked for clean alternatives that I could trust, but I couldn’t find anything I liked. Instead of giving up, I dove in – and Kinfield was born,’ says founder Nichole Powell.

By modernising products for outdoor recreation, Kinfield demonstrates how our microtrend The Elevated Outdoors is filtering into beauty.

London – La Nostalgie du Futur is a conceptual brain spa that aims to boost the production of serotonin.

Collaborating with researchers, perfumers and sound artists, Central Saint Martins graduate Marion Lasserre created La Nostalgie du Futur as a sensorial spa that boosts the production of serotonin, a mood-elevating neurotransmitter in the brain. The concept addresses the rise in mental illnesses and stress as modern malaises, alongside the impact of busy urban living. The brain spa explores how, as individuals, we can trigger specific neurotransmitters in our brains to enhance and manipulate our senses.

In addition, users of the spa would be able to track the effects in real time through an EEG headset. The project aims to ‘raise awareness of the real potential of [brain-altering] digital tools, but also question the implications and mass deployment of such technologies’.

As explored in the Foresight section of our macrotrend Resilience Culture, as we look to the future of mental healthcare, we will explore medically assured ways to enhance the resilience of our minds.

US – NewDealDesign has designed a device to encourage children to leave their phones at home and instead play outdoors.

Spot is a conceptual hand-held device that helps children to discover the outdoors. When pointed at a small animal such as an insect, the device uses object recognition to identify the type of insect and communicate this to the child. When the child returns indoors, Spot turns the his or her discoveries into a digital story, projecting this onto a wall.

Designed for children aged 5 to 11, Spot adapts to the age of the child, offering a simple picture-book narrative for younger users and a more educational version for pre-teens. The device hopes to re-introduce nature to digitally native children. ‘Children at that age are spending time prototyping the world,’ Evan Sornstein, director of experience design, told Fast Company. ‘Spot is designed to help them add a whole extra layer of the world in a way that resonates with them.’

As recently reported, screen-based schooling is creating a new class divide among children, as wealthier parents recognise the importance of physical, outdoors-based learning.

In the UK, 72% of female facial skincare consumers believe sun exposure has the greatest impact on the appearance of skin, according to research conducted by Mintel. However, only 39% use a dedicated sun protection product and 40% are confused about which level of sun protection to use daily.

‘While sun exposure is considered the biggest external factor affecting the appearance of skin, usage of SPF on the face is relatively low,’ explains Roshida Khanom, associate director of beauty and personal care at Mintel. ‘Confusion in the sector could be a reason, presenting an opportunity for brands to do more to help women understand how best to use sun protection on a daily basis.’

To learn about how the conversation about SPF is changing, read our interview with Sylvie Giret, founder of Skinergies.