Mintel has released its 2025 Global Beauty and Personal Care Trends report.

Trends:

(My) Knowledge is Power - by 2025, consumers will use tech and biotech to personalise routines, embracing AI and new practices for individuality and long-term skin health.

What’s Happening Now (next 12 months):

• Consumers are shifting towards smarter, personalised beauty routines, using products more efficiently with minimal effort. For example, repurposing products like self-tanners as bronzers.
• Social media is key to deepening beauty knowledge, while younger generations are embracing professional treatments like lasers and Botox.
• Brands are investing in biotech innovations and aesthetic-grade ingredients to deliver clinical results and build consumer loyalty.

What’s Happening Next (18 months-3 years):

• Consumers will increasingly focus on ingredient safety, considering environmental factors like water and air quality.
• There will be a rise in devices offering instant analysis and results, helping users make informed decisions quickly.
• The connection between beauty and nutrition will strengthen, with more awareness of the gut-mind-skin link and diet’s impact on appearance.
• Beauty brands will shift towards health-focused products, addressing concerns over younger generations' beauty obsessions.
• Consumers may tire of complex routines and the pressure to maintain youthful looks, possibly leading to stress and conditions like dermorexia (reflects obsessive skincare behaviour, all fueled by a fixation on maintaining youthful appearances).
• A return to individuality and artistry is emerging, with brands using advanced technologies to deliver standout, real-world results.

Turning the Tide - as climate change intensifies, consumers will expect brands to blend ethics with high-performance beauty. By 2025, brands will face pressure to create products that meet eco-ethical demands, driving sustainable choices.

What’s Happening Now (next 12 months):

• Sustainability in beauty is now a baseline expectation, with consumers demanding products that balance performance with environmental responsibility.
• A new wave of brands is adopting green chemistry and sustainably sourced botanicals, proving that sustainability doesn't compromise efficacy.
• Biotech ingredients are becoming more common, with companies like Debut partnering with L’Oréal to develop bio-identical ingredients that replicate nature without depleting resources, though brands need to better educate consumers on these innovations.
• Refillable packaging is growing in popularity, reducing waste and encouraging repeat purchases.

What’s Happening Next (18 months-3 years):

• Emerging techniques like bio-pharming and advanced agriculture will drive ingredient upcycling, turning waste into valuable resources.
• Brands will collaborate with food and drink companies to create zero-waste products, aligning with the circular economy.
• As climate change intensifies, brands will innovate to tackle specific environmental challenges.
• To stand out, brands will embed sustainability into their core identity, ensuring it resonates with consumers.
• The beauty industry could position sustainability as a benefit, supporting local communities and reducing costs, making it an effortless part of the consumer experience.

Think Slow, Move Fast - consumers will prioritise prevention, starting skincare earlier and embracing simplicity. They’ll seek nostalgic, sensory experiences, blending slow living with personalised routines that emphasise wellness and emotional well-being.

What’s Happening Now (next 12 months):

• Consumers are shifting from quick fixes to long-term results, embracing 'slow living' and 'slow ageing' with simple, nostalgic routines.
• Increased awareness of skin ageing causes is driving the trend towards starting effective routines earlier.
• Brands are responding with easy-to-use, effective 'no-brainer' products.

What’s Happening Next (18 months-3 years):

• By 2025, beauty will focus on comfort and emotional well-being, similar to the comfort food trend.
• Ingredients, textures, and products will evoke nostalgia, offering soothing, sensorial experiences like calming scents or rich, velvety creams.
• Brands will adapt to slow living, creating sustainable, effective products designed for mindful consumption and budget-conscious buyers.
• Wellness and beauty will merge, focusing on longevity, psychodermatology, and routines inspired by nature’s tranquillity through scent and texture.
• Brands will build credibility by showcasing scientifically tested products and innovative ingredients.

For the full report, visit mintel.com.