Pinterest Predicts These Are The Trends We'll All Be Searching In 2022

2022 is coming. That means all the year-end wrap ups, “best of” round ups, and retrospectives are coming to send 2021 off. But, when you’ve had the year (or two) that we’ve had, looking back isn’t as fun as looking ahead. Enter Pinterest Predicts.

Pinterest Predicts is Pinterest’s annual report, which forecasts what will be trending, rather than what was trending. It’s the look forward we all need (especially when looking back feels exhausting.)

With more than 400 million monthly users around the world and more than 300 billion ideas pinned, Pinterest is uniquely capable of figuring out what’s trending next in home, beauty, style, food, well-being, parenting, travel, design, and more. Their accuracy is undeniable: last year, Pinterest’s report turned out to be 80 percent accurate in predicting what would trend in 2021, according to Larkin Brown, Pinterest’s Head of Core Research.

This year’s report is Pinterest’s biggest yet with 175 trends predicted for 2022. It’s no surprise that some of the top trends are all about embracing where we are at this point in our lives (and in the pandemic) and also… having a little fun—because it’s well past time for that.

Pinterest Predicts This Year We’re Celebrating … Everything

According to the Pinterest report, one of the biggest trends in celebrations this coming year will be an “altbash.” Altbash parties are for life’s under celebrated moments. Rather than marriages, baby showers, college graduations, think: parties to celebrate divorce, a bad break up, or an empty nest.

“People are eager to celebrate,” said Jenna Landi, Pinterest’s Head of Brand Insights, and they’re finding “unexpected reasons to celebrate.”

Natural Beauty With A Little Extra Sparkle

In beauty, the trends are all about embracing your natural beauty—and also having a little fun while you’re at it.

Pinterest Ppredicts that we’ll be seeing jewelry go beyond the basic earring and necklace, especially in the Gen Z set. We can expect to see tooth gems, crystal eye embellishments, and landscape style designs on folks’ fingernails. (I’m not even close to Gen Z, but crystal eye embellishments sound fun — especially if we’re still wearing masks in 2022 and need a little sparkle.)

Pinterest Predicts Fashion Is Back

According to Landi, “fashion is coming back in a roaring way” in 2022. We can all expect to see vibrant outfits and electric colors and color palettes in the coming year. After two years of muted colors and looking at friends and family through screens, it’s no surprise that many of us want to be seen. Our eyes are ready for more than drab backgrounds and tops that aren’t too distracting over Zoom.

Also trending in 2022 according to Pinterest: goth.

We can expect to see goth enter the mainstream in a big way, and across all age groups. Not just Gen Z, but according to Pinterest Predicts, we’ll be seeing the goth trend creep into our business casual wear and even baby clothes. (My high school self is having a squeal!)

If You’re Feeling Hungry

After two years of cooking at home, Millennials, Gen X’ers and Boomers are ready to try more elaborate recipes. And for dessert, no more cupcakes and cake pops. Pinterest Predicts we’ll be seeing more gravity-defying tiers and 3D cakes. Some of those recipes might even be for afternoon tea — which in 2022 will be more than a meal. According to Larkin, it’s “a moment, an aesthetic.”

Also trending: ancestral eats. In 2022, Pinterest Predicts more folks will be turning to traditional, classic fare. A little less fusion, a little more like the way your great-grandmother made it.

Well-Being Is A Key Category According To Pinterest Predicts

It’s no surprise after a year of masking, sanitizing, and discussions about mental health that well-being is a key category.

“People are willing to live more consciously and truly take care of themselves,” noted Larkin, who mentioned how to make relationships more fulfilling, healthy marriage tips, and keeping healthy boundaries as some of the trending searches that led to this prediction.

Also, mindful menstruation will trend in 2022, according to Pinterest Predicts. We’re moving away from believing menstruation is taboo to embracing and understanding that menstruation is more than just “that time of the month.”

Trends For Our Home

Nowhere are the themes of having fun again and embracing our true selves more obvious than in the home. People are looking to have fun with their homes again, and also create intentional spaces.

To make that a reality, Pinterest Predicts we’ll be seeing more “emotional escape rooms,” or rooms that are designed to decompress in, rage in, or have a specific theme, like music rooms or crystal rooms, not to mention rooms for pets. Millennial, Gen X and Boomer pet parents are all driving this trend, in which their dog or cat has a space to call its own.

Last But Not Least – People Are Ready to Travel

According to Larkin, people want to get away and they want to treat themselves. Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers are searching for all-inclusive packages and places where they can truly get away and treat themselves.

But travel isn’t limited to daytime escapes. Larkin notes there’s a fascination and curiosity with the world after dark and folks will want to experience more of the world at night in 2022, including London at night and a bioluminescence aesthetic, a search term which has risen more than 95 percent.

And If None Of Those Trends Work For You…

…there’s always pearl. In 2022, pearl will have a moment, among people of all ages and genders. Pinterest Predicts we’ll be seeing iridescent accents and pearl-themed parties.

So here’s to 2022, a year when we’re all ready to embrace who and where we are in the moment — and add a little sparkle while doing it.