Technology continues to impact the way consumers engage with beauty.

According to Mintel, in 2025 and beyond, consumers will work smarter, not harder, without comprising on efficacy and results when it comes to beauty and wellness goals.

Analysts say 55% of US adults agree that making sure brand values align with their own is a top priority when shopping. Consumers are embracing skincare’s biggest buzzword, longevity, and the idea of slowing down and embracing nostalgia and creating sensory-rich experiences as they adopt individualized approaches within beauty.

From Advisor to Influencer

Social media continues to play a critical role in beauty sales with the so-called TikTok-ification of beauty. Experts from brand founders to cosmetic chemists are tapping into their influencer abilities to drive sales. The Lipstick Lesbians, for instance, have a strong background in product development and educate consumers on how to evaluate formulations from a more informed lens, said Sarah Jindal, senior director, beauty and personal care, Mintel.

Analysts say consumers seek ways to hack their beauty routines for maximum impact with minimal effort. Overnight products have led to a passive beauty “explosion.”.

James Read’s Gradual Tan Sleep Mask Face Retinol is helping consumers achieve sunless tans quicker and more efficiently, and even looks to other “hacks” like chewing gum as an act of facial fitness to chisel jawlines.

In the wake of the “Sephora Kids” phenomenon, brands are stepping up their advisory roles in educating Gen Z and Alpha about age-appropriate skincare products for inexperienced shoppers. Proper education will prevent them from doing damage to their developing skin with unsuitable products like retinol. On the subject of shopping, Mintel said 62% of beauty shoppers in the US are interested in hyper-personalized products while 28% are willing to pay a premium for those types of products.

Intimate care conversations are also becoming less taboo. Per Mintel, 63% of UK adults desire more beauty products designed for their particular age or life stage, including menopause.

Consumers are also not shying away from dialogue surrounding the mind-gut-skin connection and how this plays a role in appearance.

Tech Drives Future of Personalized Beauty

Technological innovations will play a critical role in developing solutions that cater to consumer needs on a more holistic level. AI can help unlock real-time insights, providing precise recommendations while ensuring the conversations around individuality, analysts say.

The future of personalized beauty will showcase how technology can create those tailored experiences and products and enhance consumer engagement and satisfaction, per Mintel. In fact, 55% of US adults agree that seeing their progress digitally helps them stay motivated to achieve their well-being goals.

Braun, for instance, offers a skin expert IPL device that helps users digitally track their results overtime.

Maison M is a lipstick that uses AI to make more personalized recommendations via digital photo diagnostics.

The ‘3 Rules of Beauty’ 2025

According to Sam Mintz, head of YouTube Google, 2025 has three rules of beauty: food, small sensorial splurges and longevity.

“Consumers are willing to splurge on small, but sensorial items when it comes to beauty and of course, the food category is full of different experiences whether its fragrance, the actual taste, texture and visual aesthetic of food [which] is really appealing to consumers,” shares New York City-based beauty trend tracker Spate Cofounder Yarden Horwitz.

She said trending items on TikTok are driven by eligible-for-commission content in which the influencer can turn a profit via TikTok Shop.

“The actual experience of putting on the product to enhance their Get Ready with Me tutorial makes the product more engaging as well as creates a sense of FOMO [fear of missing out] so that it helps the influencer gets more traction,” Horwitz explained.

She encourages brands to ponder how the influencer can pitch their new product launch in the most sensorial way to drive consumer engagement.

Food is also setting the tone for beauty aesthetics. Mintz cited Rhode Skin Founder Hailey Bieber’s use of eating a Cinnabon to promote her Cinnabon Roll Lip Tint as an example of cosmetics’ embracement of food. Food has created a new vocabulary for hair, he added, with shades includes mushroom brown and mint tea. The same is being seen in niche scents like pistachio and rum.

In terms of sensorial splurges, analysts say Gen Z seeks trinkets to treat themselves. Bag charms and lip gloss keychains are examples of such experimental chachkas, material possessions that serve as emotional support, in addition to star pimple patches.

Analysts encourage brands to promote their product launches with sensory driven Get Ready With Me tutorials, given consumers interest in such content. Influencers can capitalize on eligible for commission content. For instance, there are over 6 million weekly views of peel-off lip stains on TikTok. Color cosmetics are also growing in popularity with green mascara, an ode to Brat Summer, and now burgundy, taking off.

In terms of longevity, age management is the norm; people are accepting aging as a natural part of life and looking for ways to age gracefully with science-backed approaches, Mintz said. For example, exosome injections are alternatives to Botox and fillers to create a more natural, ageless look, Mintz said.

Opportunities also present for brands to come out with post-procedure creams and lotions for those taking a more invasive approach to anti-aging, such as undergoing laser treatments or chemical peels. At-home skincare procedures are also growing in popularity such as LED masks and microneedling.