By Maddalena Rizzo. Cover image: Edward Howell via Unsplash.
In an industry fueled by constant reinvention and ever-changing consumer desires, predicting future trends requires more than just data. While artificial intelligence is transforming how beauty trends are identified, categorised, and visualised, it hasn’t replaced the human touch; it’s only amplifying it. To explore the balance between technology and intuition, I interviewed Michele Superchi, Global Vice President of Beautystreams, one of the world’s leading trend forecasting agencies specialising in the beauty industry. With a presence across six continents, Beautystreams assists everyone, from indie startups to global powerhouses, in understanding the future by providing strategic foresight, creative direction, and culturally relevant insights.
In an age of information overload, agencies like Beautystreams don’t just track the noise—they decode it. They help brands recognise subtle signs of change, develop products that truly resonate, and stay aligned with the shifting pulse of culture.
AI Trend Forecasting in Beauty: From Data Overload to Strategic Direction
There was a time when trend forecasting involved combing through endless articles, runway shows, magazines, and mood boards—a painstaking process that required a sharp eye and countless hours. Today, artificial intelligence has completely transformed this process. With AI-powered tools, forecasters can now cross-reference millions of data points in a matter of seconds—everything from product launches and patents to viral social media posts and global consumer chatter.
What once demanded precise searching now allows for broad exploration. Analysts can input a general idea or theme, and AI returns a curated stream of related content, early signals, and emerging narratives. This accelerates the discovery phase and helps patterns much faster than before.
AI doesn’t just crunch data—it also fuels creative imagination. “We used to go into studios with photographers and makeup artists to produce speculative images of what didn’t exist yet,” explains Michele Superchi, Global Vice President of Beautystreams. “Now, generative AI allows us to create textures, colour stories, and visual concepts that capture the future aesthetic in a more dynamic and inspirational way.”
The result? A shift from manual trendspotting to a hybrid model where machines help filter out the noise, and human vision brings clarity and purpose to what’s next.
From Raw Data to Meaningful Insights: How AI and Human Expertise Decode Beauty Trends
How does a single data point—like a trending hashtag—transform into meaningful insights for trend forecasters? Michele Superchi explains, “We begin by categorising data according to its relevance over different timeframes. A trend that’s hot today might disappear tomorrow, so it’s essential to evaluate whether it has the potential to grow and evolve.”
Trend signals are grouped into three categories: short-term (weeks to months), medium-term (one to two years), and long-term (up to a decade). While metrics like hashtag frequency can reveal what is currently popular, turning raw data into valuable trend insights requires deeper analysis. A raw metric like hashtag frequency can highlight what is happening at the moment, but to become a real trend insight, it needs to be cross-referenced with data from other fields, including product launches, consumer behaviour, technological innovation, and broader socio-political changes.
This is where the human element becomes crucial. Although AI excels at mapping vast digital landscapes and identifying patterns, it is through human contextualisation and interpretation that these signals are shaped into coherent, actionable trend narratives. The combination of AI’s data processing power with human intuition and expertise is what truly drives accurate and forward-thinking beauty trend forecasting.
The Irreplaceable Human Element in AI-Powered Beauty Trend Forecasting
Despite all its potential, AI lacks the depth of human insight. What truly sets a trend forecaster apart is not just technical expertise but an internal radar made up of intuition, cultural sensitivity, and emotional perception. “There’s something you either have or you don’t: vision,” explains Superchi. “And vision comes from sensitivity—the ability to observe what everyone else sees but connect the dots in a way no one else has imagined.”
Machines can analyse, compare, and even simulate data, but they cannot read beyond it. Interpretation demands an ‘internal archive’—a rich collection of cultural references, aesthetic memories, and historical knowledge. It’s about understanding what has come before in order to envision what lies ahead. “The more visual and cultural references you have,” Superchi adds, “the stronger your ability to intuit the future.”
While AI can enhance research and amplify data analysis, it cannot replace the uniquely human capacity to interpret meaning, link seemingly unrelated phenomena, or craft compelling narratives that truly resonate. This kind of visionary insight is essential in the beauty industry.
