The future of touch: Emerging body care trends
One of the key body care trends in 2026 is a shift from basic hydration to multi-sensory rituals. These rituals blend performance with pleasure. Consumers want: multitasking actives, playful formats like mousses and balms, and targeted personalised solutions. All driven by immersive textures, mood-and boosting scents. Here we give an overview of the 2026 body care trends.
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THE BIG PICTURE
Prestige body care in North America is booming. Spend is up as much as 25%, with the category projected to surpass $37 billion by 2029(1). Why so resilient? Because body care is an essential part of daily routines and remains a priority even when budgets tighten.
According to Mintel, in 2025, 50% of U.S. adults use three or more body products, seeking targeted treatments, refillable formats, and “face-grade” performance. In fact, 82% of women globally want skincare-level results for the body.(2)
Fragrance is also a major driver, with 43% of consumers aged 18–44 actively trying new scents.(3) Combine necessity, innovation, and sensory appeal, and it’s clear why body care is one of beauty’s fastest-growing and most investable categories.
MULTI-SENSORIAL ROUTINES
One of the biggest shifts in body care is the rise of multi-sensorial rituals. Consumers layer scrubs, mists, and balms to create immersive, feel-good experiences. It is no longer just a routine, but a self-care ritual. Driven by a desire for stress relief and joyful, personalised wellness, the shower has become a sanctuary. For brands, this opens new opportunities to stand out through texture, scent, and innovative formats.
The data says it all: according to Google Trends, in 2025, searches for scented body oils rose 37%, body wash 26%, and lotions 19%. Meanwhile, the body mist market nearly tripled, fuelled by demand for affordable, sophisticated scent layering. WGSN reports 24% of U.S. body care users purchased a premium product in the past year, investing in richer textures and soothing routines that turn everyday care into moments of escape.
Fragrance is another key driver, with consumers layering scents to create personalised profiles. With over 26 million views, the rise of the hashtag #SmellGoodFeelGood on TikTok highlights growing demand for expressive, mood-driven scents, especially among younger consumers, making body care an accessible way to experiment without the price of fine fragrance.
Overall, these trends show how routines are shifting, blending recovery, indulgence, and scent-driven creativity. The opportunity lies in combining function, emotion, and sensorial impact to make body care feel like a meaningful, everyday ritual.
Whitespace opportunity
Dry skin is fuelling multi-step body routines, with consumers seeking gentle, barrier-repairing products and dermatological claims. Emerging ingredients like PDRN, known for regenerative benefits, represent a major whitespace opportunity in longevity-focused skin health. According to SPATE consumer data, search interest is surging, with terms like “PDRN serum” and even “salmon sperm facial” driving strong growth and over 250 million TikTok views.
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Crodamol GTS
Crodamol™ GTS is a new and versatile bio-based emollient that features improvement of shine and smoothness in hair and sensory attributes in skincare. Crodamol™ GTS has received the C&T Allē Award for...
TECHNI-TASKING
Consumers want multi-benefit body care powered by biotech-inspired actives that moisturise, brighten, and strengthen the barrier in one step. In fact, 33% are willing to pay more for added skin health benefits.(4)
Consumers look at body care like facial skincare, with rising interest in acne care, recovery, and longevity. Millennials and Gen X gravitate toward actives like NAD+ and retinol, while Gen Z prefers gentler options like PHAs and PDRN. Nearly half of consumers use body care to improve skin appearance, and 23% say lifestyle changes or treatments have altered their needs.(5)
Whitespace opportunity
Longevity trends, like the TikTok hashtag #CollagenBanking, are rising. Interest in body contouring is also growing. SPATE consumer data shows a 36% year-on-year increase. This rise is largely driven by GLP-1–related weight loss. Weight loss can create demand for firming and tightening products. People often notice looser skin and less collagen support on the body. This reflects demand for preventative, non-invasive, and post-procedure solutions, signalling a shift toward more sophisticated, results-driven body care.
Crodafos™ CES
Crodafos CES constitutes an entirely new emulsifying and conditioning system for Personal Care and represents an exciting innovation in phosphate chemistry from Croda. Crodafos CES possesses unique...
PLAYFORMANCE
As stress rises, consumers are seeking body care that feels good and fits seamlessly into busy lifestyles, making fun, flexible formats increasingly important. Textures like serums, sticks, milks, and whipped butters are gaining traction, particularly among younger shoppers. Beyond visual appeal, these formats enhance functionality and create a more engaging, sensorial experience. Think whipped butters, body milks, or dessert-inspired foams that make products more memorable while still delivering results.
In fact, 35% of U.S. consumers say format matters, and 72% are interested in new textures and scents—as long as they’re still functional.(6) Waterless sticks, solids, and mess-free sprays are growing, blending convenience with sensory appeal. With trends like #EverythingShower and dessert-inspired “food-tility” concepts, texture innovation is about pairing joy with practicality.
Whitespace opportunity
K-beauty is shaping body care by combining sensorial luxury with functional benefits. It brings glass skin glow, sleek packaging, and high-performance ingredients to the category—creating major whitespace for luminous, skin care-level body solutions.
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SP Natrineo™ CR8 MBAL
A PEG-free, phosphate ester emulsifier that provides the unique ability to create W/O/W emulsions with a single ingredient.
REDISCOVERED REGIONS
Consumers are looking for products tailored to specific body areas and everyday concerns. Underserved needs like hormonal body care and stress support are gaining traction: 40% of U.S. consumers with worsening skin say stress is a factor, and one-third are interested in stress-focused products.(7)
When solutions feel personal, consumers are more willing to trade up.
Hand and foot care is rising alongside the DIY mani-pedi boom, as shoppers seek soothing, nourishing, long-lasting moisture. Body-specific sun care is also surging—from self-tanners to dedicated body SPFs—with #SunscreenSpray surpassing 413 million TikTok views, signalling strong demand for quick, convenient protection.
Whitespace opportunity
Deodorant is a major whitespace opportunity for brands breaking into the AP/Deo and body care space. According to SPATE consumer insights, searches for “whole body deodorant” are up 900% year over year; 76% of consumers are interested, but only 2% currently use one. Interest in gentle, skin-focused formulas is growing alongside strong social momentum—the hashtag #CleanDeodorant has exceeded 96 million TikTok views.
All signs point to one thing: body care is becoming more targeted, more functional, and more opportunity-rich.
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Volarest™ FL
Enhance the consumer experience of your brand by introducing Volarest FL into your emulsion or aqueous-based cosmetic formulation.
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FORMULATION INSPIRATION
Discover unique formulations designed to elevate the sensory experiences across body care!
A silky-smooth swipe for instant hydration. This lightweight transformative lotion bar delivers powerful moisturisation in a convenient solid format, leaving skin visibly soft, silky and nourished.
Refresh, smooth, renew. This nourishing mango walnut scrub gently buffs away dead skin cells with walnut shell powder, leaving skin hydrated, polished and revitalised.
Soothe, smooth, and restore. This >90% natural body serum delivers a luxurious, silky glide with fast-absorbing hydration, combining sensory-rich emollients and soothing passionfruit oil to calm, replenish, and support the skin barrier.
Replenish, protect, and deeply nourish. This rich, ultra-comforting body butter delivers long-lasting hydration and radiance with a blend of high-performance emollients and barrier-supporting ingredients, helping skin recover from dryness while providing a smooth, luxurious feel.
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THE TRENDS?
Learn more about these insights and the booming body care market on Croda Beauty’s Masterclass! Episode 6, The Future of Touch: Emerging Trends in Body Care is available now on demand. Register here!
1. Statista, WGSN Key Trend 2026: Betting on Bodycare
2. Glossy - Dove expands to ‘face-grade’ body care
3. TikTok Analytics Mar-Apr 2025: Fragrance
4. Mintel - The Future of Body, Hand and Foot Care: 2024
5. WGSN Buyers' Briefing S/S 26: Bath & Bodycare; TikTok Analytics
6,7. Mintel – Bodycare and Deodorant – US – 2025