The Top 19 Skincare Trends of 2025

Brands lean into demand for ingredient transparency by using foods and vitamins consumers already know

As demand for ingredient transparency is on the rise, some companies are leaning into ingredients they know consumers are already comfortable with, rather than seeking out new obscure ones.

The health and beauty industry enjoys a multiplicative proliferation of potential products: every combination of an ingredient and a form factor can lead to a new kind of skin or hair care product. Caffeine eye cream is a recent example of this. In eye cream, caffeine isn't meant to be a stimulant; the goal is to take advantage of its other effects: constricting blood vessels makes eyes look less puffy. In fact, this product is self-reinforcing: high caffeine consumption can degrade sleep quality, leading to baggy eyes. So caffeine is part of the solution as well as part of the problem.

The internet’s wealth of information on beauty increasingly makes it easier for consumers to become skin care experts. This means that, in some ways, beauty jargon is less and less effective at wooing customers. More brands are consequently leaning into ingredient transparency.

For any new ingredient, part of the sale process involves convincing customers that it's safe to use. This is easier when a known ingredient is being added to a new product. This also explains why so many beauty products use foods, or essential oils, as a key component. Consumers increasingly want to know exactly what they’re putting on their faces, and caffeine is a popular choice because it’s something they already put in their bodies.

Given this trend toward ingredient transparency, brands started differentiating from their competitors by naming specific ingredients on their product listings. This inadvertently created an SEO opportunity for smaller brands to enter the space since many customers were then searching Google for ingredients rather than brands. In the caffeine eye cream business, some sellers have doubled back, by highlighting the origin of the caffeine (organic coffee beans, or green tea), not just the chemical compound. Since caffeine itself is cheap, a more natural and more upscale source is a unique selling point.

Consumers increasingly searching for ingredients rather than brands

When it comes to skincare products, shoppers are increasingly searching for ingredients rather than brands.

As skincare information becomes more ubiquitous, consumers are employing this new knowledge and searching for ingredients directly, running alongside rising consumer demand for total transparency and simplicity.

Brands have taken notice of these shifts in consumer behavior and many have found that by focusing on ingredients like squalane, they can cater to both sides of the market – the novices who are looking for simple solutions, and the beauty aficionados who feel they can be their own at-home chemists by focusing on single-ingredient products.

Sun protection products expand beyond traditional sunscreen

With the growing focus on anti-aging and proactive skincare, consumers are looking for ways to have everyday full coverage, not just on normal areas where you'd put sunscreen, but all over.

As a result, sales of everything from SPF lip balm to sunscreen for the more sensitive facial areas, like the eyes, are on the rise.

Consumers push back against scars

The rate of C-section baby deliveries around the world has grown more than 300% over the past 30 years alone.

This drastic growth is in part due to medical billing. Doctors are paid about 15% more to deliver babies via C-section than via birth canal, as the operation is then classified as a major surgery. And because C-sections take less time, doctors can perform more of them per day, leading to greater earnings.

Numerous studies have found that C-sections spike around morning, lunchtime, and the end of the day, spikes that are attributed to doctors’ scheduling pressures like going home and heading out to lunch. Doctors also get sued less when performing C-sections compared to traditional delivery.

As C-sections become much more common, consumers are increasingly trying to reduce scarring. Scar tape, traditionally prescribed after plastic surgery, is growing in parallel with C-sections – they are one of the many reasons consumers list seeking out the product. Some are even also using the product at night to reduce wrinkling.

Shower and sink water quality is a growing skincare focus

Filtering drinking water is not a new idea. But what about shower and bath water? That’s the idea behind the growing interest in the Jolie filter.

Authorities usually purify drinking water supplies by adding a small amount of chlorine. While research says the chemical is largely harmless to consume at dilute concentrations, many people say they don’t like the smell or taste. It’s what’s in part led to the popularity of Brita filters and similar products.

Showering or bathing in chlorine also causes an unwanted side-effect: dry skin and hair. Given that consumers spend over $10B a year on moisturizing, it’s easy to see why a filter that removes chlorine would be a tempting investment.

In fact, Jolie pitches its product as a financial investment: “Women who invest in their appearance spend an average of almost $3,800 a year on beauty-related expenses…if you are combining your products with unfiltered water, you're foiling your investment in your appearance.”

As for the business model, Jolie’s customers first buy a special showerhead, then start a three-month rolling subscription for replacement filters.

At-home devices enable professional skincare on budget

The staggering 98% drop in LED bulb prices over the past decade has allowed for new types of consumer products and is eroding at the economies of scale that hold the salon industry together.

Not to be confused with surgical face masks, LED face masks are an increasingly popular treatment where a face mask with embedded LEDs bombards the skin with light, allegedly reducing acne. This would have been a ridiculously expensive product a decade ago, but the LED price drop helps these face masks replace what used to be an in-person treatment. Instead of spending $25 to $85 per session at a salon, users can order a single mask for $100 and get as many treatments as they want. And not only have LEDs gotten cheaper, but the lights have also gotten significantly longer-lasting.

The rise in popularity of LED face masks is also another case of the kit trend, where an in-person service gets replaced by a kit that can be used at home, alongside things like lash lift kits, beard growth kit, ebike conversion kits, fertility testing kits, and more.

DNA testing fuels personalized skincare advancements

Modern consumers increasingly demand customized solutions and DNA-based skincare meets this need by offering routines tailored to individual genetic profiles. This scientific approach not only elevates traditional beauty rituals into evidence-based regimens but also empowers people to identify potential risks early—such as tendencies toward acne, premature aging, or sensitivity—and implement precise, preventative measures.

The appeal lies in transforming skincare into a data-driven, self-optimized process that resonates with today’s culture of personalization.

Parents driving preventive skincare routines for kids

Parents are embracing preventive skincare for children, mirroring adult trends that promote proactive maintenance and age-specific protection.

Brands are pushing gentle, hypoallergenic formulas that avoid harsh chemicals in favor of plant-based emollients and microbiome-friendly ingredients.

By targeting younger consumers, these brands aim to cultivate lifelong customers and establish early skincare habits. They’re also emphasizing that multi-step routines not only enhance beauty but also promote mindfulness.

Rising K-pop influence fuels global Korean skincare demand

Korean skincare’s global appeal is fueled by the cultural influence of K-pop and K-dramas, which have popularized aspirational beauty ideals like “glass skin.”