Need To Know
18 : 11 : 20

Global – L'Oréal Paris's virtual make-up products act as hyper-real filters for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and social media apps.

Known as Signature Faces, it offers users 10 virtual make-up looks ranging from Plump Shot, a gloss-like sheen for the eyelids and lips, to Fire Match's reddish smoky eye. Available initially on Instagram and Snapchat, users can overlay the Signature Faces filters in real time using cameras on computers and smartphones.

With more people working from home than ever before, the beauty sector is in a state of flux as bold, real-life looks are swapped for less fussy online appearances. The brand hopes that by offering this cosmetics add-on to conferencing applications like Zoom it will introduce ‘a whole new experience of modern make-up’ as a way for consumers to embrace their new digital lifestyles.

In our beauty and wellness macrotrend Recuperative Living we explore how augmented reality (AR) is empowering brands to build and retain crucial connections with customers, while conjuring product desire in the digital realm.

Milan – PHYD is a digitally enhanced high street training centre designed to boost employability.

Launched by The Adecco Group, the space takes inspiration from gaming in its structure and layout, and is divided into four moment areas: Start PHYD, Training, Connection and Food. The centre’s entrance, Edge, acts as a liminal space between the street and the PHYD environment, integrating light and sound effects to uplift visitors on arrival. Meanwhile, the training spaces integrate autonomous technology features, including a 3D assessment process carried out using 360-degree glasses.

With concept and construction work by architecture firm II Prisma, PHYD aims to increase participants' engagement in workplace training and upskilling, while also elevating the traditional training environment. ‘Perforated sheet metal surfaces, copper, concrete and polycarbonate all root the experience in the physical world, while the digital layer engages the users, enhancing their experience with dynamics of self-quantification, rewards and human connections,’ explains Arianna Palano, team leader and associate of II Prisma's Worksphere team.

The future of the workplace – be it physical, digital or both – is constantly evolving, with innovations coming to the fore to help streamline employee processes, from recruitment to training and development.

While CBD products have boomed in recent years, sales of legalised recreational cannabis are poised to take major market share from alcohol and tobacco.

According to research by Euromonitor, sales of legal recreational cannabis could grow by 376% over the next five years, outpacing medical cannabis and CBD categories. Recreational cannabis is expected to account for 67% of legal cannabis sales globally by 2025, while medical cannabis will represent just 9%, down from 23% in 2020.

Despite this rise, the traditional flower format of recreational cannabis is predicted to decline rapidly, with branded topicals, tinctures and edibles set to take over the market as the fastest-growing categories, probably owing to their wellbeing connotations. ‘New consumption occasions and tailored value propositions will drive the industry into fast-moving consumer goods territory,’ says Spiros Malandrakis, head of alcoholic drinks at Euromonitor.

With alcohol losing appeal among some audiences, people are beginning to seek Alternative Intoxication through cannabis-infused drinks, opening up new product opportunities for brands.