Eye concerns are one of the most common "video face" complaints with 1 in 4 US adults saying they notice under eye circles more on video calls. As the USA emerge from lockdowns, skincare brand StriVectin reveals how working from home and video-calling have make standards of beauty evolve.

With the pandemic spreading over the world, video calling has become the new normal since public health precautions necessitated time spent apart from family, friends and colleagues. Skincare brand StriVectin has commissioned new research to explore how beauty perceptions and habits have changed after a year of unprecedented disruption. The survey of 2,000 US adults [1] explored the impact living in a largely virtual world has had on how consumer perceive themselves.

Eyes climb the beauty priority (complaint) list

As experts say that our phone and computer video cameras can intensify shadows around the eyes and nose, highlight blemishes and wrinkles and even make the face look fuller, it is no surprise that 69% of the persons surveyed say the things that bother them on video calls are not the things that bother them when they look in the mirror.

Eye concerns are one of the most common "video face" complaints, with 1 in 4 US consumers saying they notice under eye circles more on video calls. 30% say they have actually turned their camera off during a video call because their eyes looked tired on the screen, and 71% say they are making an effort to positively accentuate the eye area.

All-in-all, 37% have stepped up their efforts with serums, eye creams and devices, while 34% have added products to conceal or diminish dark circles. 31% rely on added definition with color cosmetics and 44% have researched how to look better in video calls specifically, while 33% have even considered cosmetic procedures after constantly seeing themselves on video calls. 51% say their monthly skincare/ grooming/ self-care expenditure has increased since the start of the pandemic. And 52%, more than half, say the spending increase is a result of greater concern over their appearance due to frequent video calls.

The revelation is not a total surprise to the R&D and marketing teams at StriVectin. The brand has seen a double-digit percent increase in sales of its eye care products over the last year.

"With eyes the main element of our appearance visible to the outside world this past year, it is natural that they have become our focal facial feature," said Alison Yeh, Chief Marketing Officer at StriVectin.

Hair and eyelash brushes are the best pre-Zoom friends

Eventually, after a year of virtual meetings, 67% of the US consumers surveyed say they have finally figured out how to ensure they look best on video calls.

Nearly half (46%) say their number one last-minute pre-Zoom beauty touch-up is... brushing their hair. And about a quarter (23%) say mascara is their pre-Zoom go-to beauty savior (the number two choice).

When asked what they have added to their beauty routine, respondents’number one response was ramping up their skincare regimen with greater focus on worry areas.

The good news is that 56% say that after a year of video conferencing, they are now more comfortable seeing themselves on camera. Perhaps this is why more people say that even post-pandemic, they would prefer a virtual call to an in-person meeting
(47% to 44%).