Beauty media platform Cosmetics Business has revealed the top 5 Gen Z beauty trends of 2025.

Insights:

• Gen Z’s spending power is projected to grow to an estimated US$12 trillion by 2030, according to NIQ, and the cohort will have a significant influence on the products manufacturers and retailers sell in the near future.
• This is also a generation of considered shoppers, who prefer to gradually discover brands through in-person and online retail experiences before making a purchase.
• UK YouGov research commissioned by Snapchat and the Portas Agency found that 95% of Gen Z would not describe themselves as ‘impulsive’ when it comes to shopping, and this highlights an opportunity for retailers to build deeper, longer-lasting connections.
• Kyra’s report found that Gen Zs are willing to spend the most on skin care (30%), followed by hair care (15%), make-up (13%), fragrance (also 13%) and then wellness (12%).
• Creating trending make-up looks is key for 37%, yet there is major whitespace for the right make-up brand to educate Gen Z consumers who are looking to improve their make-up skills.
• Kyra’s Gen Z report finds that only 11% feel educated about make-up - down 43% compared to last year - however, over half (54%) want to improve their make-up skills.

Trends:

Trend 1: Sex sells: the rise of innuendo in beauty

• Beauty brands are leaning into tongue-and-cheek shade names, suggestive packaging, and innuendo-led marketing that feels more like an inside joke than a sales pitch, tapping into humour, intimacy and cultural nuance to turn product launches into punchlines.

Trend 2: Celebrity beauty is still winning Gen Z

• Celebrity beauty and perfume, discussion invariably revolves around the rise and fall, or death and resurgence, of these brands.
• Celebrity beauty as a category has as much staying power as it has star power, managing to adapt in order to remain relevant as consumer demands change.

Trend 3: How Gen Z is fuelling the ‘little treats’ economy

• Gen Z is fuelling a “little treats” economy where lip oils, sheet masks and bite-sized buys deliver maximum joy with minimal guilt.
• This low-commitment, high-gratification behaviour is booming on TikTok, where mini hauls and vlogs of a quick ‘pop to the shops’ rack up millions of views.
• The TikTok trend has since spread into the mainstream and completely transformed the shopping habits of young beauty buyers, with Mintel reporting a huge 45% of 18-24-year-olds citing “to treat myself” as a reason for buying beauty or personal care items.

Trend 4: Beef tallow: inside the obsession

• The growing movement for ‘ancestral’ skincare, particularly among Gen Z has been steadily gaining momentum in recent years, as traditional ingredients used by past generations gain newfound appeal on social media.
• Beef tallow - often used in a raw and unregulated culinary form in DIY skin care routines on social media - is a trend that has sparked controversy and concern, for both its safety and effectiveness when used on the skin.

Trend 5: How Gen Z are driving a trend for hyperefficient beauty products

• Single-step products jam-packed with high performing ingredients, and all at a low price - Gen Z wants it all.
• A recent report by Revieve finds that Gen Z has an increasing preference for multi-use and simplified skin care routines, to match their fast-paced lifestyles.
• The beauty tech company’s research found that 72% are actively seeking multi-use products to streamline their routines.

For more information, visit cosmeticsbusiness.com.