Beauty trends in focus: our innovation driven response to the year so far

Trends shaping the future of beauty: 

• Hair frizz control - With rising temperatures, humidity, pollution, and UV exposure, frizz control is a top consumer concern.
• Bond building - Consumers are looking for bond-building solutions that are designed to effectively repair and reinforce the hair.
• Stress-ageing - Beauty offerings with stress-relieving benefits appeal as consumers face prolonged cortisol elevation and understand its impact on skin ageing. 
• Sensory and texture - Shoppers will gravitate towards interactive textures and sensory to escape monotony.
• Beauty glimmers - Consumers are searching for ways to add micro-moments of joy and positivity to the everyday.

Hair frizz control

Traditional hair care has focused on repairing damage caused by heat, chemicals, and styling, often overlooking key factors like lifestyle, hormonal changes and environmental stressors. As consumers embrace lifestyles focused on wellness, slow living and longevity, they are rethinking the way they protect and care for their hair. They want to stop common hair issues before they occur and prioritise hair health as well as aesthetic results.

One notable issue for consumers is hair frizz. In 2024, the hashtag #antifrizztreatment gathered 81.5 million views on TikTok, with engagement increasing by nearly 3,000% between May and August.1 We usually associate hair frizz with humidity because the excess moisture penetrates the hair fibre and disrupts hydrogen bonds in the cortex. This causes unpredictable changes in hair shape, often leading to unwanted frizz and volume. Therefore, if we truly want to control frizz, we need hair care solutions that go beyond surface smoothing and protect the hair against humidity on exposure.

Bond building

The pursuit of hair transformation and experimentation transcends time and culture, evident in practices from Cleopatra’s honey-lightening to today’s balayage. This quest can cause hair damage, leading the bonds within the hair cortex to become disrupted and broken, and have a negative impact on hair aesthetics.

As a result, consumers are looking for ways to achieve healthier hair through their beauty products and routines. Bond building solutions appeal in this space and launches are growing year-on-year.2 Products are designed to effectively repair and reinforce the internal structure of the hair, specifically targeting the bonds that give hair its strength, elasticity and resilience.

Stress-ageing

Chronic stress has many faces, including work pressure, digital overload, life uncertainties and daily responsibilities, and it is a common issue for consumers. In fact, 62% of people say they have felt stressed to the point where it has an impact on their daily life.3 These ongoing stressors can induce prolonged cortisol elevation, which not only disrupts sleep and energy levels, but also accelerates the skin ageing process. This results in a compromised skin barrier, dullness and lack of elasticity. 67% of Thai adults agree that stress has a negative impact on their beauty.4

To combat these issues, consumers are increasingly seeking solutions that embed wellness and go beyond surface-level care. Products that address cortisol-related skin ageing, combat oxidative stress and address neuroinflammation are sought after. Consumers do not just want to mask the signs, they expect brand offerings to actively support the skin’s recovery and resilience.

Glimmers

The glimmers trend focuses on the power of small, joyful moments to enhance wellbeing. It recognises the ability of beauty offerings to deliver benefits to the skin, hair or body whilst providing consumers with a mini self-care escape in an often-overstimulated world. Twice as many global consumers say they shop from brands that elicit certain emotions, whether joy (49%) or delight (45%), compared with brands that just sell (26%).5

Products in this space are designed to engage the senses and elevate everyday routines. Brands are considering ways to incorporate mood-boosting ingredients and sensory experiences, with colour, scent and formulation texture to position their products in the glimmers space.

Sensory and texture

Consumer fatigue has reached unprecedented levels, as many individuals find themselves tired of repetitive product launches and a lack of variety. In fact, 61% of people said they couldn’t remember the last time a brand did something that excited them.6 This signals a disconnect between current product development and consumer expectations, and therefore a gap for innovation that sparks curiosity, joy and emotional connection for the user.

Interest in products with interactive, sensorial textures such as silky serums, whipped foams, memory creams of transformative powders appeal. They offer both functionality and experience which help to reinforce a positive impression.

Formulations and conclusion

As the beauty landscape continues to evolve, we have seen that innovation remains a key driving force behind meaningful product development. Reflecting on the first half of 2025, we identified five key trends shaping the beauty market and explored our new ingredient launches positioned to respond to them. We have also gathered a collection of five formulation concepts to provide inspiration for your next innovation. Explore them more and request samples via the links below. 

As we look ahead to the rest of the year, we remain committed to forward-thinking innovation that delivers both performance and purpose to meet consumer needs.

References 1. WGSN, 2024, 2. Mintel GNPD, 3. Ipsos, 2024, 4. Mintel, 5. WGSN 2024, 6. Harris Williams, 2024