The beauty industry predicts these trends are coming in 2025

From skinimalism to the return of glitter, what to know in 2025.

Singer Sabrina Carpenter has inspired a vogue for glittery make-up. Picture: Getty Images

From “under-consumption core” (less-is-more skincare regimes) to Pantone’s colour of the year Peach Fuzz reigning supreme, and from “bob season” – that is, the ­influx of celebrities such as Lily Collins going for the chop – to brown lipstick and still more dubious TikTok trends, beauty in 2024 covered the complete spectrum.

As it should.

Beauty comes in all kinds of shapes and hues. It’s also an industry that is predicted to be worth $US590bn (nearly $1 trillion) by 2028, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Kate Blythe, chief marketing officer at Mecca, observed plenty of shifts, and a few surprises, in 2024. These included a surge in men’s interest in fine fragrances, a new awareness of the body care category for the 15-34 age group and, while not a new trend, scalp care as a key growth category.

“The most surprising factor here is that over 40 per cent of our customers report issues such as hair thinning, sensitivity, and dryness – so customers are becoming much more aware that their scalp needs love,” Blythe says. “This has resulted in increased demand for scalp-focused products as well as prompting brands to invest more in this area.”

As for make-up, in Blythe’s view the most surprising success – triple digit expansion – was the lip products category, from oils to plumpers (products that stimulate the lips).

Meanwhile, celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX inspired new trends in blush and smokey eyes.

While the “clean girl” look of pared-back natural makeup continues, the Australian launch of brands such as Half Magic have renewed interest in glitter makeup and pop colours.

As for skin, Blythe says skin minimalism is in, with customers seeking multi-purpose products and “miracle creams” that claim to do it all.

Customers are definitely doing their research before they buy. ­According to Blythe, “we’re in the evidence-based era”.

“With the increased availability of online information, it’s easier than ever before for our customers to research ingredients, read reviews and make informed choices,” she says.

“We know brands that prioritise science, transparency and ­efficacy will thrive.”

Blythe says clinical studies to validate claims are now more than a bonus, they are a necessity if customers are to trust brands and products. “The beneficiaries of this trend will be the brands with founders of credential experience – think Dr Dennis Gross and Professor Augustinus Bader.”

She says wellness will become an even bigger focus for consumers in 2025.

“Wellbeing is the next frontier of beauty,” she says. “Customers are seeking products that enhance not only their external appearance but their internal wellbeing.”

Extraits are a clear trend.

Other predictions? “Functional fragrances” with ingredients to help with wellbeing; “blush stacking” – that is, layering cream and powder blush, will continue; perfume extraits (extracts), rather than eau de parfums which have more oils and last longer on the skin; elevated utility products (think brands such as Necessaire turning bodycare into a luxurious ritual and Flamingo Estate’s fancy soap); high-impact eye makeup; and brands with technical innovations such as Dyson with its new hair tools.

Celebrity facialist Melanie Grant, who has clinics offering advanced facial treatments in Sydney, London and Los Angeles, agrees clients will increasingly seek a more holistic take on beauty in 2025.

“I think the skincare landscape will be shaped by even more advanced science with a deeper understanding of skin biology and its microbiome,” she says.

Key categories she thinks will experience burgeoning growth ­include AI-driven personalised skincare that uses data to better understand the dermis; upcycled ingredients (brands using byproducts from other industries, like fruit peels or coffee grounds) to create potent skincare ingredients; microbiome mapping and modulation, with probiotic and prebiotic skincare becoming more sophisticated; and waterless formulations that reduce the need for preservatives.

For Grant, a holistic approach means skincare becomes “an integral part of overall wellness,” she says. “Clients will be interested in the interconnectedness of their mind, body, and skin, seeking out practices and products that support their holistic health goals.”

This includes what she calls “inside out beauty”, an understanding more of how the gut affects the skin. With people more time-poor than ever, Grant suspects the “skinimalism” movement will only gain pace.

A shimmering product from Glitterpuck.

“A more streamlined, minimalist approach to skincare is gaining traction. My clients are focusing on a curated selection of high-quality, multi-tasking products that deliver targeted results,” she says.

Thinking of changing your hair in 2025? After all, as Coco Chanel once said, a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.

Stylist, creative director and co-owner of Sydney salon Headcase Hair John Pulitano, can list several things he would like to leave behind in 2024.

“Let’s see the end of curtain bangs and lobs. No more tonged curls – straight hair is back,” he says. He wants to see an embrace of flyaway hairs – soft tendrils that escape a ’do and soften the face; jaw- and chin-length bobs; curly French bobs; and long layers.

Shamini Rajarethnam, chief executive of luxury skincare company RATIONALE, has a simple answer when asked what should be left behind as we enter 2025. “Everything blue in makeup!” she says. Skin will be the focus there will be a “reinstatement of dewy, glowy healthy skin.”

Grant’s final advice is to stop following the crowd and take an individual approach. “Jumping on every new skincare trend without considering its suitability for your individual needs can be detrimental. A smarter approach is to focus on what works best for your skin, rather than blindly following trends and fads,” she says.