Spa Business magazine has conducted its annual forecast report Spa Foresight™, predicting the top 20 long-term trends expected to have a big impact on the industry.

The forecasted trends, which range from robot therapists to clean air rooms, facial recognition technology to the overuse of vitamin supplements can be found in the newly published Spa Business Handbook 2014.

A previously unidentified trend in the report notes that as technology evolves, 3D printers will move beyond replicating solid plastic objects to reproducing all kinds of matter, even liquids.

In a leader column for Spa Business, editor Liz Terry highlights that spa product houses – particularly those supplying lotions, creams and oils – must take advantage of this technology before manufacturing competitors seize on the opportunities afforded by the production process.

Technological developments mean off-the-shelf sensors will be able to reveal product formulae to consumers and competitors – posing a threat to spa product companies, especially those whose formulae are not protected by patents, or whose quality control methods or ingredients don't meet standards.

On an alternative note, Terry pointed out the ease with which fresh spa products can be produced to order on-site, reducing waste: “As soon as you’ve used your sensor to figure out the formula of a face or body cream, scrub or oil mix, you’ll be able to print it and bottle it for yourself – effectively dismantling the current business model of spa product suppliers.”

Terry highlighted other benefits of 3D printing for the spa industry: “It will enable customisation and the rapid adoption of new products, because suppliers will be able to remotely programme printers to make new formulations as soon as they’re created – without the need for manufacturing, bottling or shipping,

“They’ll also find entering new international markets easier, because products will be made to meet local regulations.”

To stay ahead of the curve and prevent the same disruption that has occurred in the pharmaceutical industry – by the advent of generic drug production – suppliers need to adopt this technology as their own, said Terry.

“If suppliers take advantage of this tech, we’ll see them robustly defending their formulations and brands – bringing 3D product printer packages to market to enable spas to print and bottle their official products,” added Terry.

If suppliers don’t incorporate this technology into their strategies, Terry predicts they will have rivals in the form of generic product houses who will create ranges of near-identical products at a fraction of the cost.

“While the technological development of 3D printing liquids and gels may be a few years down the line, spa product suppliers need to do the R&D first, before production competitors get there first,” Terry concluded.