Expert's Opinion

Self-Care Is the New Lipstick Effect 

Beauty today is not just about looking good, it’s about feeling good.

Joshua Britton, PhD • Debut

The flurry of headlines on navigating tariffs, economic volatility and value-seeking consumers fail to address a key point. The beauty industry is resilient. Always has been, always will be. Beauty marches inexorably forward, ever evolving and adapting to meet consumer needs.

Even the fabled Lipstick Effect is evolving. Self-care is the new lipstick effect, offering so much more than a swipe of color on the lips. In a recent survey carried out by Debut, 76% of consumers said they believe it is very important or important to prioritize self-care during times of economic uncertainty. Clearly much has changed since Leonard Lauder coined “The Lipstick Effect” in 2001. It described surging lipstick sales during the then recession. Beauty today is not just about looking good, it’s about feeling good.

Beauty’s Long-Term Glow

Despite the deceleration in growth over the past few months, beauty has “long-term glow,” according to TD Cowen. In April, it predicted beauty growth “will likely remain stable and accelerate in the next five years to a +5% CAGR versus a +4% CAGR from 2009 to 2024.” The authors’ optimism can be attributed to ongoing beauty and wellness hybridization, continued adoption of fragrance, haircare innovations, and momentum in masstige and prestige beauty categories.

Dermocosmetics is ascending. While the dermocosmetics market posted mixed results in the first quarter of 2025, the category is expected to surge globally from $71 billion in 2024 to $146.4 billion in 2032, according to Global Market Insights. Recent strategic deals reinforce the shift: Crown Laboratories acquired global aesthetics and skincare company Revance Therapeutics, Spanish personal care and home caremanufacturer Persán purchased Mibelle Group, and L’Oréal acquired a minority stake in dermatology category leader Galderma. Indeed, L’Oréal’s recent ribbon cutting in New Jersey of its largest Research & Innovation Center outside France, to the tune of $160 million, promises to advance its scientific and technological capabilities.  

When Pharma & Beauty Converge

The convergence of pharma and beauty fuels innovation by prioritizing efficacy and evidence-based beauty. A new class of high-performing, non-OTC products is in the pipeline featuring novel ingredients to power higher-performing claims. Biotech ingredients will deliver the targeted responses brands and consumers seek, using the same technology that pharma employs to fight disease. This precision technology enables the creation of innovative ingredients at lower concentrations that eliminate skin sensitization, while delivering enhanced targeted performance, potency and hyper-personalization.  

Longevity, too, adds an important dimension to beauty and wellness. We are only in the early stages of seeing how the field of longevity, loosely defined as “living better, longer,” will be monetized. This is partly due to the “science lag” that necessitates the fast-tracking of novel ingredient discovery to drive and support product benefits. Without advanced skin science, brands cannot meet the needs of cellular longevity with the existing toolkit of ingredients. Meanwhile, VC funding in health tech and wellness surpassed $40 billion in recent years, and many multinational companies, including Estée Lauder, Unilever and P&G, are actively involved in longevity research.

Economic downturns, while challenging, can also present opportunities, a “reset” in the beauty ecosystem with consumers prioritizing performance and value over marketing. Products launched during a macroeconomic downturn have longer lifespans and potentially higher sales due to reduced noise in the marketplace, according to a 2023 study by Harvard Business Review. Factoring in the typical two-year-plus innovation cycle that large companies need, products in development now will appear on shelves in 2027 and beyond. By then, the economic landscape will be primed for further growth, with science-backed brands treading exciting new ground.   

About the Author

Joshua Britton is founder and chief executive officer at Debut. His company uses cutting-edge AI and biotechnology, creating high-performing, innovative ingredients and formulations. Debut specializes in scientifically-discovered, clinically-proven and inherently sustainable ingredients that provide maximum efficacy. TIME named Debut one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies of 2025. 

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