For professionals and businesses alike, much time and money go into training, equipment, knowledge of ingredients and product availability. Knowing what to invest in and what to watch roll by can become a daunting task.
So how do professionals determine what is a fad and what will become a trend? First, it is important to fully understand the difference. A fad is considered to be when the number of people embracing a product or activity begins increasing rapidly. A trend is considered to be a measurable change in an activity or behavior among a population of individuals. As opposed to fads, trends are longer lasting and indicate a broader cultural shift.

"How do professionals determine what is a fad and what will become a trend?"

A fad is something popular for a short period of time, like the pet rock from the 1970s. Fads come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. On the other hand, a trend develops popularity for a much longer time, such as years or even decades. Trends do not necessarily end, but often evolve with time. A good example is with food; most diets come and go in popularity, but eating healthy has been a longtime forward movement. Beanie Babies quickly became popular in the 1990s, but Barbie dolls have never lost ground. And when it comes to beauty, fads and trends definitely apply.
While fads are not forever, they are for now. And while we should not try to embrace them all, it is important to keep our menu of products and services current for clients. While professionals want to invest in long term education, short term fads should also be monitored as some of them will lead to a trend. So as we wade through the newest offerings of equipment, ingredients, treatments, and latest opportunity to increase our bottom line, DERMASCOPE will continue to provide you with useful information to help you determine – is this a fad or trend? The specific answer might not always be as important as monitoring the activity and understanding it for what it is.

Amanda Strunk Miller
Associate Publisher