Beauty 2026: the trends reshaping the global market

By Véronique Louis

Beauty continues to grow, but its drivers are changing. In 2026, market momentum is relying less and less on volume expansion and increasingly on value creation through product expertise, personalisation, desirability, scientific substantiation and the ability to manage increasingly fragmented purchasing journeys.

Studies published in recent months broadly point in the same direction. According to Spate’s Beauty Pulse 2026 report, based on online search data, fragrance stands out as one of the most dynamic categories, with growth ranging from +16.3% to +17.3%, driven in particular by France. Skincare is also continuing to expand (+6.2%), supported by strong growth in sun care (+21.6%).

By contrast, make-up is entering a phase of stabilisation (+1.9%), while hair care (-2.9%) and nails (-2.2%) are slowing. Rather than signalling disengagement, these shifts suggest a refocusing of demand towards more targeted, more technical products with higher perceived value.

Fragrance and premium still drive desirability

This trend is benefiting the luxury sector. According to Bain & Company and Altagamma, the global luxury market is expected to return to growth of between 2% and 4% in 2026, following a 2% decline in 2025. Fragrance remains among the most resilient categories, alongside jewellery and ready-to-wear.

Luxury shoppers are changing too. Nearly one in two now uses artificial intelligence during the purchase journey, while around 50% consult the second-hand market before buying a new product.

Desirability therefore remains essential, but it is no longer enough. Brands must also preserve strong perceived value in an environment where comparisons are quicker, trade-offs are more numerous and touchpoints are multiplying.

Loyalty gives way to discovery

Criteo’s Global Health & Beauty Pulse 2026 confirms this shift.

In France, 60% of regular fragrance and eau de Cologne buyers have purchased, over the past 12 months, from a brand they had not bought before. The figure reaches 59% for skincare and 54% for make-up.

Brand loyalty is therefore becoming less automatic, while openness to trying new names is increasing.

The factors influencing purchase decisions are also increasingly diverse. Recommendations from friends and family rank first in France (39%), ahead of in-store trials or samples (37%) and online reviews and ratings (34%). Search engines influence 27% of consumers, while content creators influence 25%.

Physical retail therefore continues to play a structuring role, even in a highly digitalised environment. For beauty players, the challenge is no longer to set physical and digital channels against one another, but to orchestrate their complementarity.

AI emerges as a new source of recommendation

The rise of AI assistants marks one of the most significant changes in the purchasing journey.

According to Criteo, 36% of French consumers already use an artificial intelligence assistant for at least part of their beauty and personal care purchases. Among them, 57% say that recommendations made by these tools influence their decision.

Globally, 40% of consumers also say they would be willing to let an AI assistant automatically recommend everyday care products when their supplies are running low.

For brands, this development goes well beyond communications. It directly raises the issue of the quality and structure of product information.

Ingredients, benefits, level of substantiation, availability, claims, reviews, formulation data and usage information are all becoming criteria that can be read, ranked and interpreted by search engines and AI systems.

The visibility of a product will therefore increasingly depend on the accuracy, consistency and accessibility of the content describing it, as much as on its formulation or positioning.

Digital is becoming an ecosystem rather than a channel

Social commerce is another illustration of this reconfiguration.

According to 5W PR, more than 30,000 beauty brands are now present on TikTok Shop, where the category is estimated to account for 22.5% of global sales. In addition, 50% of consumers say they have already purchased a product following a recommendation from a content creator.

Yet social media is now only one touchpoint among many.

Globally, Criteo estimates that digital plays a role in 57% of cosmetics and fragrance purchases and 43% of personal hygiene purchases.

Commercial performance therefore increasingly depends on how effectively e-commerce, retail media, search engines, social networks, AI assistants and physical retail are connected.

For brands and retailers alike, the challenge is no longer simply to be present across multiple channels, but to deliver consistent information, promises and experiences across them.

Personalisation is growing, without becoming the only model

Expectations nevertheless remain far from uniform.

In France, 37% of consumers prefer to receive recommendations tailored to their tastes or purchase history. By contrast, 29% want to browse the full range themselves and apply their own filters, while 19% favour a more restricted selection of products.

Personalisation therefore does not replace freedom of choice or comparison.

It must coexist with exploration and curation. For retailers and brands, this means offering several levels of guidance and multiple ways into the product range.

This fragmentation can also become a competitive advantage for players able to better identify consumer intent and adapt their messaging at different stages of the decision-making process.

Technical sophistication becomes a driver of value

Rising levels of expertise are also affecting several expanding categories.

According to Mordor Intelligence, the global oral care market is expected to reach $80 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 6.26%, driven by preventive routines, natural formulations and technological innovation.

Persistence Market Research, meanwhile, estimates that the nail care market will reach $37.2 billion by 2032, with average annual growth of 5.8%, supported by premiumisation, clean formulations and digital channels.

This growing sophistication is nevertheless accompanied by a greater need for consumer education.

A FLASHS study for Poderm found that 81% of women care for their nails, yet 51% do not check the composition of the products they use.

For formulators and ingredient suppliers, technical performance must therefore be documented, explained and made understandable without compromising scientific accuracy.

Body care adopts the codes of facial skincare

The same dynamic is extending to body care.

Spate reports a +129.2% increase in searches for shimmering oils and +88.5% for body serums. Body care is increasingly borrowing from facial skincare in terms of formulation, texture, claims and sophistication.

At the same time, consumers are demanding greater scientific clarity.

A study conducted by the Fashion Institute of Technology with Coty found that 85% of consumers feel overwhelmed by anti-ageing offerings and that 56% consider the scientific explanations provided by brands to be insufficient.

The strength of the evidence and the clarity with which it is communicated are therefore becoming differentiating factors in their own right.

Finally, the Cloud Skin trend, for which online searches have risen by 870% according to Fresha, reflects another strong consumer expectation: beauty that looks more natural, more subtle and less overtly perfected.

This search for authenticity is also reflected in online conversations. According to Reddit’s Beauty Index 2026, discussions around self-acceptance, celebrating distinctive features and building self-confidence have risen by 76% in a year, while those associated with correcting, concealing or covering aspects of one’s appearance have fallen by 87%. This provides further evidence of a shift in beauty ideals towards a less prescriptive and more self-assured vision of beauty.

Growth becomes more selective and more demanding

Taken together, these indicators point to a market that remains buoyant, but is becoming more complex to win and retain.

Fragrance, premium, targeted routines, social commerce and artificial intelligence continue to provide significant growth opportunities. At the same time, they are raising expectations across the entire value chain.

For brands, ingredient suppliers, formulators, retailers and technology providers, product innovation can no longer be separated from the demonstration of its benefits, the quality of the content that supports it and the consistency of its go-to-market strategy.

Competitiveness now depends on the combination of performance, desirability, robust evidence and data quality. The challenge is becoming less about multiplying launches and more about ensuring that each proposition is clear, credible and immediately identifiable in an environment where purchase decisions are shaped across a succession of touchpoints.