AI beauty technology company Renude has published the fourth edition of its quarterly Renude Insights report, exploring how agentic commerce, conversion optimisation and ingredient innovation are reshaping the beauty industry heading into peak season 2026.

Agentic commerce: the next era of online shopping

• AI is transforming the entire digital shopping ecosystem, from search to sale. According to a Bain & Company survey, 44% of US online buyers now start their shopping journey in a large language model (LLM) or split their search between AI tools and traditional search engines.
• A McKinsey consumer survey found that 46% of European consumers in France, Germany and the UK use AI to discover or find inspiration for purchases, while more than half (55%) use AI to learn about a category or product.
• According to CI&T’s Retail Tech Report, 86% of consumers have either used an AI agent when shopping or are open to doing so, whilst only 27% of beauty businesses are fully prepared for AI agents to become a primary channel for customer discovery and purchase.
• McKinsey & Company projects that AI agents could facilitate $3 trillion to $5 trillion in global commerce by 2030.
• There are two types of agentic commerce experiences: non-owned (on third-party platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Copilot, where the platform controls the experience and customer relationship) and owned (built directly within a brand’s website or app, powered by a specialist vendor such as Renude, where the brand owns the interface, data and customer relationship).

Five ways to convert more of the traffic you already have

Written by Hannah Chapman, Founder of GlowRate, a CRO consultancy for beauty, skincare and wellness brands:

• Make it crystal clear what you sell, and fast – Research found that people form a visual judgement of a web page in as little as 0.05 seconds. Visitors should immediately understand what the brand sells, who it is for and why it is different.
• Make your trust signals mean something – Proof only works if people see it and believe it. Name the expert, show their credentials and specify which award was won and why it matters. Generic badges and press logos without context are widely ignored.
• Lead with the outcome, then explain the why – 79% of British consumers already feel overwhelmed by the skincare market. Brands that explain themselves simply - leading with results rather than ingredient lists - have a real advantage.
• Design for how people actually shop – Most beauty traffic is on mobile, yet many sites remain designed desktop-first. Build sites to be scanned rather than read, with imagery, product titles, badges and icons carrying the weight. One fragrance brand that shifted focus from copy to visual communication of scent saw conversion rise 38% and average order value rise 23%.
• Let your customers write your website – Reviews, live chat conversations, inbox questions and influencer post comments reveal the exact questions people have before buying. Answering those questions on the product page removes the hesitation that sends shoppers elsewhere.

Renude data insights: how consumers use the AI Skin Advisor

An analysis of customer conversations over the past three months revealed the top five ways consumers are using Renude’s AI Skin Advisor:

• Personalised product recommendations – The most common use case, with customers requesting routine or single product recommendations based on their skin type and concerns.
• Building out a routine from one key product – Customers who have decided on a specific product and want advice on what to pair it with or how to build a complete routine around it.
• Understanding product suitability – Customers wanting to confirm whether a specific product is a good choice for their skin, typically starting on a product detail page.
• Learning more about a product – Top-of-funnel research covering ingredients, benefits and expected results.
• Searching by ingredient – Vitamin C was the top ingredient searched this quarter, driven by the unusually sunny UK summer.

Medik8 brings AI skin consultations to Sephora North America

• British skincare brand Medik8 launched into 250 Sephora locations in the US and 147 in Canada in August 2026, introducing in-store AI skin consultations powered by Renude.
• Delivered by Medik8 beauty advisors on the shop floor, the consultation takes a few minutes: the customer answers questions about their skin and has photographs of their face taken for analysis. Renude’s system, built by dermatologists and formulation scientists, returns an assessment and generates a personalised Medik8 routine with explanations for each product recommendation.
• Heather Bloomfield, Global Head of Communications at Medik8, said: “By partnering with Renude, we are thrilled to bring diagnostic technology into the physical retail environment. This collaboration enhances our customers’ in-store experience by leveraging technology and professional guidance, simplifying the route to great skin.”

Ingredient spotlight: PDRN

• PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) is a topical skincare ingredient inspired by polynucleotide injectables, used in skincare to support skin hydration, overall skin health and regeneration. Originally popularised by Korean skincare brands, it is now being widely adopted in the West.
• Key product launches in the category include Medik8 Exo-Prismatic PDRN Serum, which uses a prismatic delivery system to improve skin penetration; Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum, consistently earning above 4.6 stars across UK retailers; and Rodial Salmon DNA Water Oil, combining the brand’s top-selling oil formula with PDRN.

For more information and to download the full report, visit renude.co.