- Piercing trends in recent years have evolved far beyond the free ear piercings [1] offered in Claire's Accessories.
- In 2023, you can expect to see nostalgic piercing placements, detailed jewellery, and more.
- Piercers Johnny Pearce and Charlotte Collins are breaking down the biggest trends worth considering in the new year.
There are few things as adrenaline inducing as getting a new piercing, and it feels like everyone is opting for a new one lately [2]. It makes sense: the desire to show off our personal style is stronger than ever before, which means people are travelling far and wide to get their piercings done [3]. And you'd best believe everyone's favourite piercing trends are some of the most nostalgic and creative placements [4] yet.
With so many choices out there right now, it's easy to get caught up in all the names and options available to you, so we sat down with Johnny Pearce [5], piercer at Nine Moons Piercing [6] in New York City, and Charlotte Collins [7], piercer at Astrid and Miyu [8] in London, to break down the biggest piercing trends of 2023. Keep reading for their expert opinions on the piercing trends you'll be seeing everywhere this year — and get ready to load up on inspiration [9].
First, a Note on Healing a Piercing
Regardless of which trend you end up trying, it's worth noting that a tremendous part of the healing process is the aftercare. Brian Keith Thompson [10], celebrity piercer and owner of Body Electric Tattoo [11], recommends mild soap without alcohol or fragrance to keep the piercing clean so you can show off your style for years to come.
You also want to consider healing times before choosing a piercing placement. Lobes typically take 10 to 12 weeks to heal, and cartilage takes six months to a year to heal.
2023 Piercing Trends: Conch Piercings
According to Pearce, conch piercings are sure to be on the "favourites" list of every piercer and stylist for 2023. Many piercers consider this to be one of the easier-healing cartilage piercings, and it doesn't look half bad, either.
"If your ear was a heliocentric model, the conch piercing would almost certainly be the sun," Pearce says. "It's capable of housing large, beautiful statement pieces and can be worn both as a stud or even with a decorative ring once properly healed. And because of its forward-facing nature, it's easily admired by those you're engaging with in conversation, making it an integral part of your look almost immediately."
2023 Piercing Trends: Conch Piercings
"They're really versatile in terms of being able to wear slightly smaller studs, big statement pieces, and they also look really lovely with a hoop in there," Collins explains.
This type of piercings suits all ear shapes, so why not experiment with conch piercings [12] to really get a feel for what works best for you? Whilst you might often see studs in conch piercings, Collins suggests opting for a hoop like the Astrid & Miyu Celestial Crystal Hoop [13] if you're looking to change up your style.
2023 Piercing Trends: Mixed Metals
Throw out the rulebook and mix up your metals. There's nothing to say you have to stick to silver jewellery or keep gold your material of choice, instead wear them both together to add even more shine to your look. Plus, you can delve into your retro jewellery box for this trend. Upcycle older pieces and breathe new life into your earscape, sustainable accessorising will help you look and feel good, too.
"I've found [Mixing Metals] has become increasingly popular as people are converting more over to gold", Collins explains. "Obviously people over the years have accumulated a lot of lovely silver jewellery so you don't want to stop wearing that all together. It's really nice to have a bit of both."
2023 Piercing Trends: Stacked Lobes
If you're looking to get your first ear piercing, lobes are a great place to start. The stacked lobe trend is when you have multiple piercings on your lobe, usually ranging from two to four. Load up on jewellery and try a few different variations. Whether you opt for a standard lobe piercing, upper lobe, or inner lobe, the options for piling on earrings and mixing studs and hoops are endless.
"Stacked lobes I've found are really popular for those who don't quite want to commit to a cartilage piercing," Collins tells POPSUGAR.
2023 Piercing Trends: Faux-Rook Piercing
If you've heard of a traditional rook piercing, you've probably also heard that they can be extremely difficult to heal, which is why Pearce says the faux-rook piercing is a great alternative for someone who doesn't want to engage in a tricky healing process.
"Instead of piercing downward through that dense fold of cartilage, the faux rook is actually pierced through the flat of the ear cartilage, much like a regular helix piercing is," Pearce says. Then, rather than a curved barbell or ring, the faux rook uses a flat-back stud. "It is also a great alternative for someone who may not have the best ear anatomy to safely support a traditional rook piercing," Pearce adds.
2023 Piercing Trends: Eyebrow Piercings
It's safe to say what's old is new again, and that rings true for our next trend prediction: eyebrow piercings.
"Making a huge comeback to the spotlight in 2023, eyebrow piercings are a total look all on their own," Pearce says. "But traditional piercings don't always have to mean traditional placements. Many people are choosing to pierce the centre of their eyebrow on both sides of their face, putting a 'new twist' on the ol' curved barbell piercing."
2023 Piercing Trends: Chains and Charms
Finding the perfect jewellery for your new piercing is almost as fun (and a lot less painful) than getting the actual piercing itself. Pearce says that in 2023, we'll see a lot more jewellery designs catered toward chains and charms.
"Jewellery and accessories are half the fun of body adornment, which is why chain attachments and charms are such a highly effective way of improving and 'chain-ging' up your jewellery outfit," Pearce says. "Taking into account that there are so many options for different styles of gold chains and charms, then combine that with the countless options of different piercing combos you could connect, and the results are ultimately limitless!"
2023 Piercing Trends: Matching Custom Jewellery Sets
With so many different options out there when it comes to piercings and jewellery, it can sometimes be hard to make sure you nail the look you want. However, being able to digitally create different options based on photos of your ears or other body parts is completely changing the game.
"The concept of having a curated ear isn't new, nor is the ability to order custom jewellery, but the collision of these two things is giving birth to a whole new concept of styling your ear," Pearce says. "No longer are you destined to build a curated look based on what's available in store on the day of your visit. Our expert stylists will take a photo of your ear and digitally create different custom jewellery curations, each with different colourways and themes guided by your own personal style and preferences. We want your own ear to be your inspiration!"