Trend check: Best of our 2021 predictions - Brands & Marketing, Food & Drink, Beauty and Retail

TikTok ads (#33)

TikTok has indeed evolved into a powerful social commerce tool and a one-stop shopping and entertainment app.

• Skincare brand Neutrogena is using TikTok to battle skincare myths. Launched in September, the “SkinU” campaign is a series of classroom-style videos available on the brand’s TikTok channel through 2021.
• In July, Vimeo and TikTok teamed up to create ads supporting small businesses. As the first video software company to join TikTok’s Marketing Partner Program, Vimeo’s creation tools give small businesses advertising on the app all that they need for a successful TikTok campaign.
• The app even launched a digital magazine in November, highlighting helpful marketing approaches for brands to utilize in-app. “The Roundup” showcases the most successful brand campaigns on TikTok and includes insights and notes for marketers to learn from.

Climate friendly diets (#42)

Consumers are taking sustainability into consideration before choosing their next meal.

• AppHarvest, a food security startup, harvested its first crop in January of this year. Using hydroponic farming practices, the app plans to open 11 more indoor farms in Appalachia by 2025. Martha Stewart is a notable board member for the brand.
• A group of farmers in Maine are growing sea scallops using Bivalve farming practices. The farmed scallops are a zero-input food source that can survive off plankton naturally found in sea waters, and can even benefit mussel and oyster populations in the area.
• A new eco-rating score on food has changed the way consumers eat. Foundation Earth labels allow consumers to compare the environmental impact of their food, rating products from A+ for great to G for not good.

Haute haircare (#56)

The skinification of hair continued to excel this year, with new product launches and growing attention to scalp care equivalent to skincare.

• Hyaluronic acid gained popularity in the haircare department this year, flaunting its hydrating properties for the scalp. Safe for color treated hair, popular skincare brand The Inkey List now sells a Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Hair Treatment.
• Luxury skincare brand Augustus Bader launched a scalp and haircare line in October, applying beauty science to hair. The brand repurposed their medical expertise for the hair space, inventing five new products to be sold at beauty retailers and department stores.
• Dr. Barbara Sturm launched a series of haircare products in October. In addition to the brand’s extensive skincare line and existing scalp serum, three shampoos, conditioner, four serums and hair mask were added to the haircare product line.