We're only a few weeks into 2017, but there is already one noticeable trend dominating the beauty industry. New research from Google has revealed that face masks are the most searched for beauty term of the year so far, across regions as diverse as the United States, France and Japan.
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The surge in searches may partly be due to the vast array of masks that are now available on the market, including the fun-looking sheet masks and clay masks that stars including Emma Willis and Drew Barrymore have recently showed off on Instagram. However many people have also been searching for masks that could aid a particular skin concern – most commonly for acne, blackheads and oily skin.
Face masks have seen a surge in popularity thanks to stars including Emma Willis
Commenting on the trend, the search engine said: "Masks have been most prominent in Japan over the past five years as a sustained riser. The skincare trend was also a sustained riser in the U.S. and France, but recently took off as a rising star in both markets. The trend has picked up quickly in the U.S., while user interest is beginning to decline in Japan."
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Face mask devotees won't be short of inspiration online; many YouTube stars have been showing off their masks in "entertaining and educational" videos, with the top ten mask-related videos clocking up a huge 98 million views. There are also a growing number of products on the market including charcoal, clay and sheet masks, along with the 24 carat gold masks the Victoria's Secret models relied on to get glowing skin ahead of the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The Victoria's Secret models used 24 carat gold face masks ahead of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Masks are not the only beauty buzzword of 2017; other popular terms include bath bombs, face brushes, organic castor oil and vegan beauty – perhaps a follow-on from the increased popularity of Veganuary. Google has also seen a rise in searches for popular ingredients such as clay, charcoal, aloe vera, coconut and turmeric.
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