Climate adaptive beauty, the next big thing?

As the newly elected US president works on dismantling the country’s efforts to fight climate change, industries are left to navigate an uncertain and increasingly volatile environmental landscape. Governments might be stalling on climate action, but the beauty industry is adapting, responding to shifting consumer needs and the realities of extreme weather, pollution, and rising temperatures. Luxury beauty brands, especially, are leading the way, leveraging AI for hyper-personalized skincare, formulating products meant to adjust to climate fluctuations, and redefining sun protection beyond traditional SPF.

AI personalization: a trust marker for cosmetics

Artificial intelligence is changing the way luxury beauty players formulate and recommend skincare, making routines more adaptive and responsive to real-time environmental conditions. Consumers are increasingly expecting products that evolve with their skin’s changing needs, factoring in elements such as humidity, pollution, and UV exposure. AI-powered solutions have become a trust marker, offering scientific precision in place of traditional advice. Beauty tech companies, like Revieve and its AI Skincare Advisor, are offering tailored product recommendations based on environmental factors in addition to individual skin conditions. By integrating climate data, AI is influencing how consumers choose products, creating a future where beauty routines dynamically adjust to the user’s surroundings.

Sun Skin, a holistic approach to sun protection ©Dr. Barbara Sturm

High-Impact Formulas

While climate change remains a pressing concern, luxury beauty consumers continue to prioritize product performance. Indeed, climate anxiety may influence purchasing decisions, but few are willing to compromise on efficacy. The demand is for high-performance skincare that also responds to climate stressors, products that work in harmony with fluctuating conditions without requiring extra effort from the consumer. Prada Augmented Skin illustrates this shift, merging natural-origin ingredients with advanced technology to create skincare that claims to dynamically adapt to environmental and internal stressors. The Cream, formulated with Adapto.gn Smart Technology, synergizes adaptogens with dermo-actives to enhance the skin’s resistance to climate-induced stress. Using ingredients like bio-sourced Proxylane, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and Vitamin Cg, it promises to restore hydration, strengthen the skin barrier, and prevent premature aging. Rather than expecting consumers to change products with the seasons, formulations like this respond in real time, maintaining performance across varying conditions.

An expanding sun protection category 

With rising temperatures and increasing UV exposure, sun protection is no longer just a seasonal concern, but an everyday necessity. As a result, beauty brands are pushing beyond traditional sunscreens, integrating sun defense into ingestible skincare and multi-functional products designed for ‘holistic environmental protection’. Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Sun Support Supplement is an illustration of this trend, formulated with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, it works on fortifying the skin’s resilience against UV damage at a cellular level. This approach moves beyond simply blocking sun exposure, instead focusing on strengthening the skin’s natural defenses. As climate conditions become more extreme, sun care is evolving into a multi-layered system that integrates internal and external protection, reflecting a broader shift toward holistic, climate-adaptive beauty.

Driven by both necessity and consumer demand, the beauty industry is moving forward. The conversation is no longer just about industry’s impact on climate change, but also on how it can adapt to the inevitable environmental shifts on the horizon.

Monia MERABET is a trend and innovation consultant and Founder of We Out Wow