The COVID pandemic has been an extreme time for the beauty industry. People have whipsawed between feeling nearly invisible to being super-exposed: Masks covered half of our faces for much of the last 18 months — and, after a brief hiatus, the Delta variant means they’re back — while our looks have moved front-and-center during work and social videoconferences.

This dichotomy, per Mary Bemis, editorial director of Insider’s Guide to Spas, who has been an expert on spas for more than 30 years, has meant tough times for some parts of the retail cosmetics industry and a boon for medi-spas (spas that have a medical program operated under the supervision of a licensed health care professional) and plastic-surgery providers.

“While brick-and-mortar drugstores and mass-market and grocery stores remained open [in the early days of the pandemic], their customer traffic and revenues have plummeted,” The McKinsey & Company report goes on to explain.

“Even the most optimistic of us could see the writing on the wall. No amount of increase in online traffic could make up for the sudden loss of offline sales,” said Peter B. Lee, CEO and co-founder of Orora Skin Science, Inc.

The numbers reflect the reality of many at the start of the pandemic: The quick pick-me-up that a new lipstick or foundation has long provided consumers was pointless if one was wearing a mask in public and unable to leave home, so most people spent less time on grooming and makeup application.