Kristy Watson, chief marketing officer, Erno Laszlo, New York, NY knows a thing or two about skin care. Her company has had an extremely loyal following for more than 65 years and Erno Laszlo features a client list boasting everyone from the late Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. She took time to share with Happi.com what’s fueling skin care innovations right now and what’s going to be on point in 2018 and beyond.
 
Happi: What types of ingredients do consumers want in their skin care products and what are their benefits?
 
KW: Ingredients are definitely having a moment when it comes to skin care. At Erno Laszlo, we have always put great ingredients in our products but probably have not teased them out enough to the customer. A big focus for us as we move forward is to call out all the goodness we put in our products.  It’s the reason that when you use an Erno Laszlo product you get great results.  Ingredients and results go hand in hand. 
 
Here are our favorites and what customers want:
 
Spirulina Maxima – Think inner/outer beauty and putting a bounce back in your skin. Think about fine lines and wrinkles disappearing.  
·      Algae extract that boosts skin renewal
·      Excellent source of vitamins A, B12, C, D, E
·      Increases skin metabolism and neutralizes toxins that cause premature signs of aging

Botanical / fruit and nut oils –  Think about moisture surge, skin protection with a soothing feel. This will lock in moisture and go deep in the skin. 
·      Jojoba helps reduce appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, used to treat acne, sunburns and chapped skin
·      Avocado oil calms itchy skin, replenishes dry skin, protects against sun damage
·      Carrot seed oil rejuvenates skin, brightens skin, smooths fine lines and wrinkles, balances skin sebum production and tightens and tones skin by minimizing large pores and tightening sagging skin
·      Macadamia nut oil wards off free radicals

Charcoal – Think about detoxing the skin, cleaning large pores and pulling out dirt and environmental stressors. 
·      Works like a Brita water filter, draws out bacteria, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles from the surface of the skin
·      Fights acne
·      Deep cleans
·      Known to absorb 100-200 times its weight in impurities
·      Great everyday gentle exfoliator
 
Happi: How do ingredients enhance a skin care product?
 
KW: Awareness of what people are putting in and on their body is on the rise. People are looking for healthy skin care alternatives with botanicals and this is growing more popular. Active ingredients directly affect how a product is applied, absorbed and how it leaves your skin feeling. Ultimately, it’s about the customer’s sensorial experience including scents textures and delivery systems. Ingredients directly affect whether your products do more than one thing and are essential for an on the go lifestyle.
 
Happi: Are you hearing any leading trends in anti-aging, anti-acne or sun protective skin care products this season?
 
KW: Avocado oil is huge this season… it’s the new coconut oil. Did you know that avocado oil is actually the oil that mimics the closet oil that your skin naturally produces so it actually tricks the skin into thinking that pH and hydration levels are balanced?
 
People are starting to realize that healthy skin is more important than layering makeup on to achieve the perfect look. We are going to see a lot more “makeup free Mondays” using superfoods for anti-aging actives that achieve this glowing and radiant makeup-less look. 
 
Happi: What are some rising trends in skin care for 2018?
 
KW: Consumers are looking for products that stimulate all of their senses. There are really cool transformational textures—oil to foam, clay to milk, powder to cream, bursting ball serums and delivery systems including gel technologies, foaming technologies and encapsulation.
 
Some trends include self-care with face masks; earthy ingredients such as mud, clay and charcoal which exfoliate skin naturally; night repair and probiotics. Probiotics improve stressed skin by hydrating and soothing inflammation—works a lot like yogurt does for the inside of your body.